General Guidelines for Selection

The selection of materials is a collaborative process that supports the educational mission of the College and the information needs of its students, faculty, and staff. Any student, faculty member, or staff member may recommend materials for addition to the collection by completing the online Suggest a Purchase form.

Final selection decisions are based on professional reviews, faculty and staff recommendations, recognized book and media lists, subject bibliographies, and award-winning publications. Librarians use both qualitative and quantitative criteria in evaluating materials, including relevance to the curriculum, faculty input, collection size and age, anticipated use, format, cost, and overall value to the collection.

The Library seeks to develop collections that support teaching, learning, research, and lifelong learning by providing access to a broad range of ideas, viewpoints, and scholarly resources. Cooperative resource sharing is also considered when making selection and retention decisions.

The Library does not normally purchase required course textbooks or provide access to electronic textbooks as part of the Library collection.