ACQUISITIONS
Collection Development
The collection development policy is reviewed on an annual basis. The development of the collection must relate to the mission of the Library and the campus. It is the objective of the Library to build a quality undergraduate collection rather than a specialized library. Please select materials (books, periodicals and media) which support the academic programs and course assignments at Indiana University Kokomo. Pay particular attention to the collection development needs for new programs or classes. Specialized and highly technical materials are available at other libraries and often may be obtained through interlibrary loan.
Funding Priorities 2008-2009
A shift in the fundamental library philosophy regarding journal subscriptions will have a major impact on funding priorities for the fiscal year 2008-2009. The technical services department will be responsible for obtaining high profile journal full text electronic journal collections rather than purchasing paper journal subscriptions. The funding for these journal collections will come from the cancelled microfilm and paper subscriptions. No new money is available for these collections. The purchase of DVDs for the collection is also a high priority in 2008-2009. The library staff will actively collect materials to support teaching which includes diversity/global content. Resource needs for new courses and/or courses with first time faculty will receive a high priority, as long as the requested materials support the new curriculum and are cost effective. A gentle reminder that there has been no new money for library acquisitions for several years implies that the library will try to do its best with the small amount of funds available.
Procedures for Ordering Library Materials
Suggestions for the purchase of library materials may be initiated by anyone who is interested in developing the Library collection. Suggestions should be forwarded to the Technical Services Department. If sending more than one order please prioritize your requests in the order you would like them purchased (in case funding does not allow all orders to be purchased). All requests are subject to the final approval of the Library Dean and the availability of Library acquisition funds.
Order forms may be obtained by contacting the Library. Forms which are incomplete or incorrectly filled out delay processing and may be returned. Please use the following guidelines:
- An order form is needed for each requested item. The only exceptions to this are if you have a Choice card or a Yankee Book Peddler approval slip, which can be used in place of the book order card as long as you add
- your name (First and Last -- no initials),
- your department at the bottom of the card, and
- the course number that the request supports (example W131).
- Please do not attach blank order forms to Choice cards.
- If your source of information about the item is an advertisement, staple the advertisement to the back of the completed order form. Please do not attach blank order forms to advertisements. You are responsible for completing the order forms.
- If your source of information is a sale catalog, please include the complete catalog with the completed order form. Note the catalog page number and the item number on the order form.
- Hardcover books are much more durable than paperbacks. Always list the hardcover price on the order form unless the book is available in paperback only.
- If your suggestion is something other than a book (example periodical or DVD), use the same form, but specify the type of material, and include only as much information as is applicable. Attach any advertisement or catalog to the completed order form.
- Advertisements and catalogs attached to orders will not be returned to you.
Book review programs
The Library subscribes to Choice cards, a book selection tool published by the Association of College and Research Libraries, a Division of the American Library Association. Choice is a monthly publication which reviews and evaluates over 5,000 books for academic libraries. The reviews are written by subject area specialists and are highly regarded for their accuracy and authority. The Library distributes cards for each subject area to appropriate faculty members for their assistance in book selection. If you wish to receive reviews for a specific subject area, please notify the Technical Services Assistant.
- Yankee Book Plan Approval Slips
The Library has created a slip approval plan with Yankee Book Peddler. Using the Collection Development Policy an approval plan profile was developed to allow the Library to receive electronic approval slips of newly published books in areas relevant to the curriculum. These approval slips include the bibliographic information necessary for ordering, price, content level, and table of contents. Approval slips can be emailed or you can request to become a selector. If you wish to see the approval slips please contact the Head of Technical Services.
Gifts/Donations
Gift materials in good to excellent condition are accepted by the Indiana University Kokomo Library. Retention of gift materials is decided by the Head of Technical Services or Library Dean. Materials retained for the library collection will meet the selection criteria standards. The Library is free to dispose of any materials which do not fall within the parameters of the Collection Development Policy. Materials not selected for the Library collection will not be returned to the donor. Gift letters for tax purposes will be sent to the donor in January. The value of the gift, however, rests with the donor and his/her tax accountant.
