INTRODUCTION

This collection development policy is, in essence, the Library's promise to the UH Hilo community to build a coherent and cost-effective collection, according to certain well-defined priorities, centered on the University's stated curriculum. In this document, we take stock of the Library's purpose within the larger University mission and draw conclusions as to the types, standard, and extent of materials the Library ought to contain. In short, we state how we intend to shape the Library's collection.

Why Have a Collection Development Policy?

The content of academic collections vary widely from library to library because each supports a specific university's unique curriculum and distinctive student body. This policy is meant to guide us toward our goal of a collection custom-built to fit the University's curriculum.

The U.S. sees over 120,000 books published every year, and over 160,000 serials are published worldwide. In contrast, this Library adds about 5,000 new titles per year and subscribes to about 1,200 serials (supplemented by 1,300 journals provided in fulltext from our subscription to Expanded Academic Index). Clearly, we have to purchase extremely selectively if we are to provide the broad base of information unique to each discipline taught at the University as well as at Hawai‘i Community College (HawCC). Since we purchase such a small percentage of available material, individual titles must be bought with clearly realized standards in mind that can be explained and defended.

The purpose of the policy is to:

• Encourage administrators, faculty, and librarians to come to an understanding of what materials are generally needed to support the academic programs offered.

• Clarify collection development objectives to the University community as well as to the general public and cooperating institutions. We hope the policy will communicate the scope of the collection so that users may anticipate the kind of material the Library is likely to contain.

• Serve as a kind of "quality control" device (if the Library's collection can be thought of as its "product"). The policy will be kept on hand by librarians to guide selection decisions.

• Address who will select materials for the Library and clarify the role expected of librarians and faculty in the selection process.

• Provide for continuity despite personnel changes.

The UH Hilo Mission Statement and the Library's Purpose

Since the Library's collection development activities relate to institutional goals set forth in the University's mission statement and planning documents, developers of the collection need to be aware of the goals of the University and how they relate to the purpose of the Library. The backbone of the UH Hilo mission statement is that Athe primary mission of UH Hilo is to offer excellent undergraduate liberal arts and professional programs.@ In addition, a very limited number of masters degree programs are being added. Educating students is the primary purpose of the University, with due acknowledgment made of the University's research and service functions. The Library adopts this focus as well and builds its collection primarily to meet the educational needs of the student body.

The Edwin H. Mookini Library building was completed in 1981, and the collections of UH Hilo and HawCC were merged in 1984. The Library now holds about 260,000 books, and is especially strong in Hawaiiana. Journal, newspaper and other subscriptions now total about 1,200. The Library also has a significant U.S. government document collection.

Materials selection is the greater part of the Library's stated mission: "The Library provides materials, both print and non-print, that supplement and enhance classroom instruction and provide the basis for individual research and exploration." In keeping with the Library's mission, its collections support (in more or less descending order of importance):

• The specific undergraduate curricula offered by UH Hilo and HawCC, both on- and off-campus

• Faculty course and lecture preparation, current awareness, and research efforts (see below, "Research Materials, p. 6)

• General information, cultural, and recreational reading needs of students and faculty

• Functions of the administrative and non-instructional units on campus as well as the College of Continuing Education and Community Service

• In a very limited way, community service activities undertaken under University auspices.

These areas are discussed in greater detail below, under "The Purpose of the Collection." 

RESPONSIBILITY FOR COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT

The Role of the Library

Ultimate responsibility for collection development rests with the Library Director. The Director delegates responsibility for the various subject areas taught at UH Hilo and HawCC to individual librarians ("subject librarians"). The subject librarian responsible for a discipline is the contact person for any questions or issues relating to collection development in that discipline.

The subject librarian for an area taught at both UH Hilo and HawCC is responsible for serving the needs of both programs. Thus, the librarian for Sociology sees that materials are purchased to support Sociology programs at both UH Hilo and HawCC.

In their collection development work, the librarian for a discipline typically:

• scans reviewing media and routes selected reviews to the discipline's faculty liaison

• addresses needs for library materials: initiating book orders, reviewing book orders requested by faculty, suggesting alternative titles, etc.

• keeps up with the bibliography of the discipline: indexes, reference works, whether in print or computerized, and suggests purchases for the index and reference collections

• participates in the annual serials reviews and presents the serials requests for the discipline

• facilitates previews of audio/visual materials for faculty

• weeds obsolete materials from the Reference collection in their subject areas

The Role of the Faculty

The Library needs to draw on the expertise of faculty in building its collections, inasmuch as the faculty develops the curriculum and delivers the instruction that Library materials support.

We want to involve all faculty members who are willing to help select materials. To this end, academic departments ordinarily designate a faculty member to serve as a library coordinator for that department. These serve as liaisons to the Library, facilitating communication between the department and the Library. Ideally, coordinators should serve as resource people, alerting the Library to curricular changes, faculty research interests, new academic initiatives under consideration, etc. A coordinator often channels requests for the purchase of materials from faculty members in the department to the responsible librarian, but individual faculty members may send purchase requests directly to the appropriate librarian if they prefer.

The faculty's role is advisory, as responsibility for the coherent development of the collection belongs to the Library Director, who balances the needs of all programs within the limitations of the Library budget. Every effort, however, will be made to accommodate faculty requests that are within the scope of this collection development policy. We especially solicit orders for material students can use as collateral reading in their course work and for research papers. Faculty are not limited to selecting materials just within their disciplines but are encouraged to recommend purchases in related disciplines and in interdisciplinary areas.

Where faculty do not participate in collection development, or where librarians feel more materials need to be purchased, librarians will initiate orders in anticipation of student use. Librarians will typically find material with the broadest application, most impact, best and most reviews in well-known book review sources, etc. In the absence of faculty participation, however, it is unlikely that the best match of materials for courses taught will be achieved.

Faculty should also be aware that their encouragement of students to use the collection -- through the assignment of reserve reading, book reviews, research papers, etc. -- is the determining factor in whether or not what we collect here actually reaches its intended audience. When an undergraduate does course-related reading, it is almost always because he or she has been assigned to do it. So a lot of thought must be given not only to what material is being ordered but also to how it will be used.

TRENDS ON CAMPUS AFFECTING COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT

Curriculum Changes and Expansion

The Library recognizes its responsibility to support new programs and to expand existing subject areas to meet curriculum changes. However, when new academic programs or changes are established, University decision makers must consider how Library requirements will be met. Plans may need to be made to obtain special funding to pay for initial materials as well as ongoing purchases until the collection is adequate. Such plans may involve allocating special funds to the Library or grant funding may be pursued.

The regular book budget, at the discretion of the Library Director, may also be used to build collections in new areas. For programs requiring substantial support, collection adequacy will ordinarily be attained over a period of time. This may involve cutting back purchasing for existing collection areas.

When a new program is announced, the appropriate subject librarian will work with the teaching faculty to assess the state of the collection (including serials, current and retrospective books, non-print materials, reference materials, indexes, and database access) and develop a plan for purchasing materials.

The following subject areas are currently in most need of collection expansion due to program additions:

• Education (to build a collection sufficient to support the new masters program)

• Forestry

• Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology

• Natural Resource Management

Distance Learning Programs

The Library expects to purchase materials and online content to support distance learning programs sponsored by UH Hilo and delivered off-site. Arrangements should be made early in the planning stages. The type and extent of Library support will be determined by the Library Director in consultation with the subject librarian and faculty.

The Library also attempts to support educational programs offered by UH system institutions and delivered on the Big Island, either over ITV or on-site. In accordance with UH Executive Policy E5.204, ADistance Learning Plans, Policies and Procedures,@support here is likely to be in the form of on-demand document delivery and basic reference materials and bibliographies, rather than the use of UH Hilo Library funds to purchase materials. Extensive library resources are the responsibility of the originating campus.

Materials required by UH Manoa graduate students will usually be provided via interlibrary loan requests to UH Manoa. In some instances, collections of materials purchased by UH Manoa or another system institution may be added to our Library on a temporary basis, to go back to the home institution after the course is over.

Notwithstanding the above, since there is great desire locally for expanded educational opportunities, the Library will be as flexible as possible and is willing to purchase a limited number of broadly useful titles to support extension programs brought to Hawai‘i Island by UH-system institutions. These materials should have applicability beyond the program for which they are purchased.

Cooperative Networks

The purpose of cooperative arrangements among libraries is to provide a broader range of resources for students and faculty than would otherwise be available. Since we do not have in our collection all the information necessary to satisfy the needs of all our patrons, we avail ourselves of other libraries' resources and reciprocate by making our collection available in turn. Interlibrary loan is an important service in libraries across the country, because computerized catalogs and indexes have made it easier for library users to identify materials not owned locally and because delivery of materials can take place much more quickly using new technologies like fax, FTP and email.

The Library recognizes that faculty research often requires access to specialized material in other library collections. Therefore, for faculty, we will place interlibrary loan requests with libraries anywhere in the United States or abroad. Likewise, the graduate students here at UH Hilo have expanded interlibrary loan privileges.

For undergraduates, the Library will borrow from UH-Manoa and other UH system libraries, and any student within the UH system has borrowing privileges at all system libraries. Students may also use the local public and law libraries.

A local book collection, custom-built to fit the UH Hilo curriculum, guides undergraduates to the materials deemed most appropriate in this learning environment. For this reason, students should be encouraged, whenever appropriate, to select research topics that can be pursued using materials available locally. Students should be steered first to the indexes covering local collections, so that material selected for this student population will be used first.

Although interlibrary loan and the new document vendors make it possible to get auxiliary material on demand, for the foreseeable future, interlibrary arrangements are no substitute for a well-chosen collection on-site.

THE LIBRARY COLLECTION IN GENERAL

Purpose of the Collection

Materials are collected to enrich classroom instruction for each discipline taught at UH Hilo and HawCC and to otherwise facilitate the various elements of the University's mission:

• General research for students in all areas of the curriculum (UH Hilo and HawCC, courses both on- and off-campus) by supplying materials for term papers and collateral reading.

• Faculty course and lecture preparation, current awareness, and research (as outlined under "Research Materials," p. 6 below). Greatest emphasis is on supporting teaching activities.

• The general-interest, cultural and recreational reading needs of students and faculty. In keeping with the UH Hilo liberal arts focus, the Library collects a limited amount of material serving to expand the horizons of our students, enhance their understanding of life, and help them develop new interests. To this end, we purchase selected current fiction of high literary quality as well as non-fiction titles that enrich the collection, even though they may not directly relate to the curriculum. We also purchase materials in subject areas of strong student interest: career, health, recreation, etc.

• The administrative operations of the University. However, the Library will not ordinarily purchase to support individual, non-credit, continuing education classes or workshops.

• The community-service mission of the University. We experience only occasional demands in this area. We do not support with Library resources the day-to-day work of local service agencies, schools, etc. with which individual faculty members may become involved, but we may purchase to facilitate a faculty member's work in community service. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Collection Levels

We can make more confident judgements about individual titles when we have some idea of what an undergraduate library ought to provide for its students. In other words, "how much is enough?" Fortunately, the American Library Association (ALA) has defined the appropriate collection depth for libraries serving undergraduate institutions. Fundamental to ALA's approach is the idea that collections in specific subject areas should be commensurate with the educational level that the collection must support. It is assumed that a library will avoid building a collection suitable for graduate work where the university offers only undergraduate instruction.

This Library will aim for ALA's "Study Support Level, Introductory" for most disciplines. This collection level "supports undergraduate courses, including advanced undergraduate courses," but "is not adequate to support master's degree programs":

• a collection adequate to impart and maintain knowledge about a subject in a systematic way but at a level of less than research intensity

• resources adequate for imparting and maintaining knowledge about the basic or primary topics of a subject area

• a broad range of basic works in appropriate formats

• classic retrospective materials

• all key journals on primary topics

• selected journals and seminal works on secondary topics

• access to appropriate machine-readable data files

• reference tools and fundamental bibliographical apparatus pertaining to the subject

These elements are subject to interpretation but do give a broad outline of what is appropriate to undergraduate collections, especially when compared to the next higher level, the "Advanced Study or Instructional Support Level," which, in addition to the above, provides for:

• resources adequate for imparting and maintaining knowledge about the primary and secondary topics of a subject area.

• a significant number of seminal works and journals on the primary and secondary topics in the field

• a significant number of retrospective materials

• a substantial collection of works by secondary figures

• works that provide more in-depth discussions of research, techniques, and evaluation

Hawaiian Studies is already being built to that level, and we have begun to build the Education collection to that level as well.

It is important to stress that we are not aiming for comprehensiveness in any subject of study at UH Hilo. The resources allocated to the Library reflect UH Hilo's status as a 4-year, regional university offering liberal arts and professional programs as well as a very few masters level programs. We are not funded as a research library and cannot hope to build a research-level collection. We will have fewer books than such a library would have, but, if we adhere to our collection priorities, we can hope that they will be the right books for our needs.

Collecting Emphases

As we have stated, we collect the most material in the areas covered by the UH Hilo and HawCC curricula. We collect more heavily in those subject areas with high enrollment levels, those with the highest number of student majors declared, and those whose teaching faculty require the most library use of their students.

Material that has to do with Hawai‘i, whatever its primary subject (e.g., biology, geology, anthropology) is collected more heavily than other literature. Within Hawaiian Studies, Hawai‘i Island materials will be collected as comprehensively as possible. We try to collect all books by Big Island authors on topics of local interest.

The Library also emphasizes materials relating to the Pacific Islands and East Asia. In addition, we stress materials that reflect the experiences of the many ethnic groups represented in our student body as well as other North American, Pacific, and East Asian ethnic groups.

Research Materials

Although the Library cannot build comprehensive collections in any subject area, we nevertheless attempt to facilitate faculty research in a number of ways:

• By building and maintaining research-level index/bibliographic access, so that relevant items owned by other libraries may be identified. Increasingly, these indexes are available on the World Wide Web and are meant to be used without librarian mediation.

• By providing a high level of interlibrary loan service (with no fee to faculty)

• By offering innovative (yet affordable) access techniques as they come on the market (e.g., online indexes which include the full text of articles)

• By purchasing for the collection a limited number of broadly useful materials in support of faculty research

Librarians in the Public Services Department often can suggest services that compensate, in large measure, for the absence of locally-accessible, research-level collections. The information services provided by libraries are undergoing rapid improvement. The technological advances made in computerization find almost immediate application in libraries. Services once prohibitively expensive are becoming affordable. It pays for faculty members to contact Public Services librarians to plan Library support for any given research activity early on in the process.

In considering a research item for purchase, we will especially consider:

• Whether it is likely to be valuable in the collection for the long term, or whether instead, while immediately important for research, it is likely to be inappropriate to the collection once the research is finished. The Library will avoid purchasing expensive, arcane, or extremely technical materials for short-term research projects.

• The degree of relationship between the research in question and the teaching and course work of the university

• The need to consult the material frequently, which would make interlibrary loan an unworkable option

• Relative price of the item in question.

Unfortunately, there is no hard-and-fast distinction between research materials that should be available here and those that ought to be obtained through interlibrary loan. The ultimate decision rests with the Library Director.

BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS, AND MICROFORMS

Guidelines for Selection of Individual Books

Anyone may request a title for purchase. The subject librarian will evaluate each title requested against the guidelines below to determine the item's suitability for the collection.

When an item has been requested for purchase, the librarians consider:

• Relevance to teaching program. This is the Library's top criterion for book selection decisions.

• Anticipated use. An item's use, to a great degree, determines its value to the collection. Use patterns (circulation/in-house statistics) and enrollment trends will be studied to determine areas of high demand.

Contribution to the field of knowledge.

Breadth and scope. A book should be broad enough to place its subject in the intellectual and historical context within the discipline in question -- helping the student to develop a "grounding" in the field.

Comprehensive in scope, covering the whole piece of a fairly substantial subject (the "basic or primary topics of a subject area" mentioned in our ALA collection level).

Preferably without material omissions, reckoning with differences in viewpoint.

Books on "secondary topics" should be suitable for undergraduate research papers and for collateral reading. Highly specialized materials will generally be avoided.

Accuracy, as established in reviews.

Reputation of the author. Books we acquire are usually written by recognized authorities.

Timeliness and timelessness. The needs of current and future students should be considered. While currency is important, we need to keep in mind that it takes six to eight weeks for an book to arrive once ordered and that the Library usually retains its books indefinitely. If interest in a topic is likely to be fleeting, we consider whether the Library's periodical holdings provide enough coverage on the topic.

Strength of present holdings in the subject. The "slant" of present holdings will also be considered, because the Library has the duty to present information on all sides of controversial issues.

Literary quality/style. Books should be written in an intelligible style likely to draw the reader in. Our books should serve as models of excellent writing for our students.

Level of treatment must be appropriate to the student body at UH Hilo:

undergraduate level, keeping in mind that there is wide variability in educational preparedness among students at UH Hilo.

"open admissions" HawCC and ESL students. Remedial materials are appropriate for many students on this campus.

specialized material, addressed to the scholar with extensive expertise, is usually avoided.

Cost. A high price should be balanced against the information need fulfilled.

Reputation of the publishing house. This can be helpful in the absence of other information about the quality of an item.

None of these considerations is overriding. Frequently one criterion must be weighed against another.

Sources of Information about Titles for Purchase

Critical reviews or direct examination of materials are much more credible than publishers' advertisements. When a faculty member makes purchase requests from a publisher's flyer or catalog, and the titles seem marginal to the subject librarian involved, the requests may be returned to the requesting faculty member for justification.

The Library receives reviewing material in all disciplines. Most faculty members have Choice book review cards routed to them. Those faculty who would like the Library to route additional book review sources to them for consideration should contact their subject librarian or make arrangements through their discipline's faculty library coordinator. Faculty are also urged to suggest items reviewed in professional journals they may receive.

Bibliographies or subject-specific lists of "best books," such as bibliographic essays in Choice, also help identify significant titles for purchase. Faculty may request that their subject librarian obtain or compile such bibliographies in areas they feel need attention.

Reference Books

These are noncirculating books purchased to meet basic information needs of the university community. Reference materials are not read continuously like a narrative, from beginning to end, but contain relatively short, separate items of information which are consulted one or two at a time.

Responsibility for developing the general reference collection is delegated to the librarian acting as Coordinator of the Information Desk. Reference works in a specific discipline, however, are the responsibility of the subject librarian for that discipline.

Reference books are selected in accordance with the basic criteria established for the selection of books for the general collection. Other considerations apply to this kind of material:

• Format is important with reference books. They need a logical and consistent organizational scheme, indexes, and cross-references, as appropriate, so that information in them can be found efficiently.

• The information in some reference books is now available on the World Wide Web. In these cases, a reference book's price and our need to have the book on-site should be weighed against the price and ease of obtaining the book's information online. Issues such as license restrictions, permanency and access need to be carefully considered.

• Reference books tend to be updated in new editions more often than regular books, and new editions should be ordered as necessary to ensure reliable information. Selectors need to consider whether to set up standing orders for new editions of the titles they purchase.

Superseded editions are transferred to the general circulating collection, transferred to the UH West Hawai‘i library or to high school libraries in the Hilo area, or weeded from the collection.

Government Documents

As a partial depository for U.S. government documents since 1962, the Library receives certain government material free of charge and has collected over 300,000 documents. The percentage of government output the library receives in print format has decreased dramatically in the last few years, since the federal government is disseminating more and more of its publications online. In 2000, 53% of its titles were disseminated online, 22% in paper, 24% in microfiche and 1% in CDROM (statistics from the Federal Depository Library Programs FY 2000 annual report: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/annrprt/00lpsar.html). That trend away from print format and toward online availability will continue.

The purpose of this collection is a bit broader than that of the regular book collection: in addition to serving the needs of the University for federal information, the Government Documents collection serves the local community, especially the business, legal, and government sectors. Acquisitions decisions for those government documents that must be bought shall be based on the same criteria as is used for books (e.g., relevance to curriculum, probable usage, etc.). However, additional factors considered when adding or dropping documents acquired through the free depository program are:

• subject strengths of the general collection

• needs of the business, legal, and government sectors

• distance to other depositories

These publications can only be disposed of except as outlined in Sec. 11 of Instructions to Depository Libraries.

The Library is also a partial depository for Hawai‘i state documents. Unfortunately, we are not high on the list of document recipients and many important state documents must be acquired outside the depository program. Selection decisions regarding state documents are based on the same criteria used for general Hawaiiana books.

A very few documents of international agencies (e.g., United Nations) are acquired, if they fall within the guidelines for general book and serial selection.

Recreational Reading Collection

A recreational reading collection has been established on the main level of the Library to promote reading as an extracurricular activity across the campus community. The area consists of:

• New Books collection: recently acquired titles of general interest

• Faculty Recommended Reading: favorite books faculty members recommend to the campus community

• Paperbacks: mostly classic fiction and non-fiction

New items will be purchased for the Faculty Recommended Reading collection (as recommendations are added by faculty) and for the paperback collection. The New Books collection is a by-product of ordinary collection-development activities.

READ Collection

The primary purpose of the READ collection is to have a separate location of selected books that can be easily found by students in HawCC's reading courses.

Foreign Language Materials

As a rule, very few foreign language books will be acquired, except to support language course offerings and except for foreign language dictionaries for the reference collection. The Library specifically excludes foreign language material translated from other languages (e.g., a French book translated into Spanish). Foreign language books most frequently purchased will be literature, cultural guides to foreign countries, dictionaries, and language-acquisitions manuals.

Hawaiian language materials will be collected more intensively than other languages. The Library will buy materials of historical importance (e.g., microfilm of newspapers) in Hawaiian.

Duplicate Copies

Normally, only one copy of a title will be acquired except where there is unusually high demand or for reserve purposes.

Reserves

If special materials are needed for reserve purposes, and they are not available in the general collection, the Library will purchase more copies of a title, provided that the title in question is within reasonable price limits when weighed against the item's long-term value. How many copies and the definition of "reasonable price limits" will be determined by the Library.

Theses and Dissertations

When masters programs are in place and theses start coming in, the Library will obtain those written at UH Hilo. Theses and dissertations from other universities will be acquired only on an exceptional basis (usually if they have to do with Hawai‘i).

Maps

A very small number of maps will be acquired to supplement the collection of governmentally produced maps available in Government Documents. The Library also has a collection of Hawai‘i maps of historic interest in the Hawaiian Collection.

Textbooks, Study Guides, Etc.

The Library does not normally buy textbooks except for those recognized as standard reference sources or specialized textbooks that are the best sources of information for their subjects.

The Library collects significant textbooks in the clinical sciences. Textbooks intended for use in the professional education of health sciences personnel will be collected. Textbooks and clinical monographs which have earned a reputation as "classics" in their fields, or which are the only or
best sources of general information on a particular topic for the non-specialist.

Undergraduate textbooks will be collected very selectively.

In subject areas of heavy patron use, more than one textbook may be collected. If the budget permits, second copies of these textbooks will be purchased for the circulating collection.

Collections of core textbooks are available through electronic sources.

Study Guides (e.g., Cliff's Notes) will not be added to the collection. Workbooks for such tests as the Graduate Record Exam, the National Teachers Exam, and selected civil service tests will be purchased on a limited basis. We will purchase those test workbooks most appropriate for the students and staff of UH Hilo and HawCC.

Editions and Translations

When several editions of a work are available, decisions are based on format, reputation of editor, quality/extent of editorial work, and date. We will purchase new editions and new translations of foreign language books when they substantially update or improve upon previous editions.

Pamphlets

Pamphlets (books under 70 pages in length) are infrequently added to the collection, usually only if they deal with topics of intense local interest.

Hawai‘i Reprints Collection

This collection of cataloged articles, brochures that deal with some aspect of Hawai‘i is kept in a file cabinet in the Hawaiian Collection.

Paperbacks

The Library will normally purchase books in cloth bindings, where both paper and cloth are available, because of cloth's greater durability. The exception is where there is an excessive price difference between hardback and paperback. In making a determination, the Library will also consider the long-term value and expected use of the title.

Normally, the Library binds paperbacks acquired for the collections. Exceptions would be material that is only temporarily useful, books required quickly for reserve use, and titles for the paperback collection in the Recreational Reading area.

Out-of-Print Titles

The Library will not normally pursue an ordinary purchase request through the out-of-print marketplace. Only if the title will be unusually valuable over a considerable period of time will the Library undertake the extra expenditure of staff time. Microforms or photocopies may be substituted, if the only reasonably-priced format available. Photocopies should be made on acid-free, archival bond whenever possible.

Manuscripts and Rare Books

A small number of manuscripts and rare books have been acquired, mostly through donations. The Library does not purchase them, unless they have to do with Hawai‘i Island and then with special funds raised for the purpose. We will not acquire such materials at the expense of resources that would address student needs.

Local Collections of Primary Materials

The Library will continue developing as the primary repository for Hawai‘i Island material such as the macadamia nut industry. We are committed to building and maintaining collections of historically important material about Hawai‘i Island, but primary materials we would collect must come to us through donations (see below, "Gifts").

University Archives

Materials that pertain to the history of UH Hilo are considered for acquisition by the University Archives, which is administered by the Library. Acquisitions decisions are made by the head of the Hawaiian Collection.

Microforms

The term "microform" encompasses any information storage medium containing images too small to read with the unaided eye. Materials in microfilm and microfiche formats will be acquired as needed:

• To save space

• To preserve materials (reduce theft, loss, and mutilation)

• To avoid constant updating

• To acquire back issues of certain periodicals

• To acquire needed material that would be unavailable in any other format (e.g., certain out-of-print books, historic documents).

Lengthy material intended to be read cover-to-cover would not ordinarily be purchased in microform, unless that is the only format available. Increasingly, microforms are giving way to online delivery.

Selection is based on:

Availability of compatible reader hardware

Relative ease of reproduction or copying

Types of format for similar materials already in the collection

Clarity of copy: density of images, contrast, resolution

Type of microform available:

Silver will always be the preferred microform type

Microfilm should be 35mm; fiche no larger than 4" x 6"

Reduction ratio for microfiche no higher than 48x, with 24x preferred. Reduction ratios for newspapers on microfilm usually vary from 16x to 21x.

Polarity should be positive where possible.

PERIODICALS

Purpose

The goals of the periodical collection are basically the same as for books, to support:

• the undergraduate curriculum by providing materials for term papers and suggested collateral reading

• Faculty course and lecture preparation, current awareness, and research

• General-interest, cultural, and recreational reading for students and faculty

• The administrative, non-instructional operations of the University.

Guidelines for the Selection of Periodicals

Periodical selections are based on the same criteria outlined in the policy statement for books, but, because periodicals represent an ongoing commitment (annual subscription fees, binding or microform costs, handling, storage space), selection standards are more rigorous. With over 160,000 periodical titles published each year, and with the prices increasing at a double digit rate, clearly we can afford to purchase only the most outstanding titles available in support of our specific programs. Considerations include:

Journal's centrality to its discipline. The appropriate ALA "collection level" stipulates that collections serving an undergraduate curriculum should contain "all key journals on primary topics, selected journals . . . on secondary topics. . . ." We need to concentrate on those that are essential for instruction and basic research in broad areas of those disciplines offered permanently at UH Hilo and HawCC.

Probable use. The vast majority of periodicals should be ones the students will use--with level of treatment commensurate with the undergraduate level of study; many scholarly journals are too advanced for undergraduates.

Priority will be given to those likely to be widely used: Majors, non-majors, interdisciplinary

Of the journals that faculty will use, first priority will be given to those used in course preparation and to update general knowledge in the field. Lower priority will be accorded those requested strictly for faculty research purposes. (See "Research Materials," p. 6 above)

The quality of the periodical, determined by published reviews and examination of sample copies. Articles should be authoritative and have lasting value.

Inclusion in major indexes. Students identify articles on their topics by using subject indexes.

Price, especially in comparison with the information need fulfilled.

Length of time the journal has been in existence. Usually, the longer a journal has been published, the better established it is as a resource.

The reputation of the editorial board, editors and publishers.

Number of other subscribers. Subject librarians will question journals with very low circulation figures, unless the journals are about Hawai‘i/Pacific or there is some other strong reason to have them. If other libraries are not buying a journal, it may be because the journal is inappropriate for undergraduate collections.

Newsletters, usually ephemeral and seldom indexed, are generally avoided.

It is difficult to evaluate a journal on the basis of the publisher's advertisement alone. The subject librarian can usually obtain a sample copy from the publisher as well as published reviews.

Request Process for Periodicals

Anyone may request a title, but in order to be considered, the request must be made on the UH Hilo Library Serial Request Form. The form should be forwarded to the subject librarian for the discipline or, if the title does not relate to any particular discipline, to the Library Director. Requests will be brought up for consideration at the annual serials selection meeting held every October. To be considered at the meeting, a serial should be requested by October 1st. However, if a periodical is urgently needed at another time during the year, the subject librarian may ask the Library Director at that time for a decision.

The subject librarian for each discipline prepares for the October meeting by

Compiling periodical requests submitted by faculty throughout the previous year

Completing the library portion of the Serials Request forms

Scanning reviews of requested journals

Deciding upon recommendations

Listing their own recommendations for new titles, which may be based on

Journals for which several interlibrary loan requests were made during the year.

Frequently requested titles as reported by Information Desk staff

Periodicals covered by standard indexes

Published lists of recommended periodicals

Consulting with faculty regarding any recommendations for purchase or cancellation that the librarian may feel are appropriate.

Decisions on new subscriptions are made by the Library Director. Serials not purchased may be submitted for reconsideration the following year.

Backfiles

For new periodical subscriptions, backfiles will be purchased when the Library anticipates a high demand for back issues or when there is a subject area within the current curriculum that needs improvement. The Library will also acquire backfiles in order to fill major gaps in existing periodical runs.

Backfiles will be usually bought in the least expensive format, which is often microform.

Binding

The Library usually binds periodicals over the summer and between semesters, when current periodicals will be least missed. We will monitor our collection to identify mutilated and missing parts and try to replace them before binding the periodical. If a replacement issue cannot be found at a reasonable price, the volume will be bound without that issue.

Newspapers

Newspapers are collected to provide local, regional, national, and very limited international coverage on the basis of their geographic location, the quality of their journalism, and their accessibility through indexes. Backfiles are purchased in microfilm. The Library's collection of foreign language newspapers is extremely limited; subscriptions support classes taught and high student interest. The Library does not collect home-town newspapers.

Foreign Language Periodicals

Foreign language periodicals are purchased to support the language curriculum. They consist mainly of current-interest magazines for language students, an extremely limited number of foreign language newspapers, and journals whose audience is UH Hilo teachers of foreign language.

Formats

Electronic Journals. Journals are increasingly published on the World Wide Web. We have electronic access to the full text of 1,300 journals available through our most popular periodical index, Expanded Academic Index. Although the Library does not presently subscribe separately to any ejournals, we will consider subscribing as long as the journal meets other criteria and if it appears the journal will be widely used.

Microforms. Periodicals will be acquired in microform when:

• Issues are regularly mutilated, stolen, or missing

• The size is inappropriate for our shelves or otherwise difficult to handle

• The periodical takes up an inordinate amount of shelf space.

Microfiche will be preferred, but, if it is not available, then microfilm is acceptable. For heavily used items, the current year's subscription will usually come in print format (unless the item is primarily interesting for historical reasons or it is too expensive to buy in print), with a second microform subscription of the title serving as the backfile. For patron convenience, the print version of very high-demand periodicals will be retained on the shelf for one year after the microform has arrived.

Print format will be favored over microform when:

• Illustrations or the item's particular appeal depends on its being in print

• It is more economical to bind the periodical than to purchase microforms.

Microforms will be kept on open shelves to make backfiles directly available to the public. Paper issues of any titles replaced by microforms or withdrawn for any other reason may be distributed to University departments, exchanged with other institutions, or discarded.

Indexes

Periodical indexes and abstracts are selected, within budgetary limitations, first to provide access to the Library's periodical holdings and second to provide bibliographic information necessary for interlibrary loan and referral. Indexes are currently purchased in three different formats:

1. Print format. These indexes are being phased out as their counterparts in electronic formats gain acceptance.

2. Via the Web. As much as possible, we would like to offer indexing services (e.g., ERIC, Psychological Abstracts) that faculty and students can search by themselves, without librarian assistance. When we purchase an online subscription, we generally discontinue the print or CDROM version.

3. CDROM. The Library purchases these when online versions are not available or when we believe its important to retain the material permanently.

Purchase decisions for online indexes are quite often made jointly with other UH system libraries in order to obtain a pricing advantage. Subject librarians know the indexes their areas and make purchase recommendations.

Online indexes are sometimes accessed through vendors (like OCLC) which make numerous databases available on a pay-per-use basis. Depending on patron needs and the resources of the library, the Library selects vendors on the basis of:

• the number and usefulness of databases the vendor makes available

• vendor's pricing policies: both annual fees and online charges

• availability of appropriate equipment and telecommunications for searching a vendor's databases offerings

• availability of staff to master new search protocols

Periodical Cancellations/Withdrawals

Cancellations are most appropriate when there is change in curriculum or research program, when faculty members leave and no one is using the journals they used to assign, and when usage patterns do not justify cost. The Library undertook a major periodical review in 1996 and dropped about 400 titles. Faculty were highly involved. In addition, we have canceled titles whose prices have inflated beyond the point where they could be justified. Final decision as to dropping or retaining a subscription is made by the Library Director, after consultation with appropriate faculty.

The backfiles of most canceled subscriptions will remain on the shelves. However, some periodicals are candidates for outright discard. These are generally older issues, but the appropriate age of the periodical at discard depends upon the discipline in question. A periodical will not ordinarily be considered for discard unless it meets two or more of the following criteria:

• Unindexed by periodical indexes students most often use

• Low or nil usage, and the original reason for purchase no longer exists

• Broken run with several missing issues

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

The Library has been quick to adopt new technologies when the benefits and advantages have been indisputable (for instance, when bibliographic indexes shifted from print to CDROM to the Internet). Ample computer terminals are available in the building and throughout the campus and the Library will shortly have notebook PCs available for building use.

Information seekers increasingly prefer material which easily and instantly appears on their PC desktop to material they must find on the Library shelves. The popularity here of Expanded Academic Index (and the decline in use of the print periodical collection which followed) attests to the students= enthusiasm for high quality, readily available periodical content available through computers.

Inasmuch as the Library budget has been more or less flat for the past 10 years, purchases of electronic products have been taken from the general materials budget of the Library; the migration has been a matter of redirecting existing funds from print to electronic resources.

The library will continue to move cautiously, analyzing the advisability of duplicating format and the likelihood of online permanency before committing funds.

Decisions which would result in major reallocation of funds toward digital content will await the appointment of a permanent Library director, consultation with the UH Hilo and HawCC community, and developments in the information delivery industry. Nevertheless, we continue to purchase where the advantages are clear. The Library is involved in consortia with the other libraries of the UH system and libraries statewide regardless of type to negotiate advantageous pricing for content.

World Wide Web

At present, aside from bibliographic databases, there is very little that the Library provides over the World Wide Web that it actually purchases, but the benefits to students and faculty of 24/7 Web access from any site will inevitably prompt the Library to expend more of its budget on Web content. Some reference publishers are ceasing to publish in print format and will only make their product available online.

In fall of 2000, the print subscription to Contemporary Authors was discontinued and replaced with an online subscription. The relatively short format for entries in this reference work would seem to make it an excellent candidate for Web delivery. Fortunately, most online services offer usage statistics which will help the Library gauge how well students can find and make use of the information they provide.

At the time of this writing, the Library is still engaged in the considerable effort of migrating from the CARL library system to Endeavor Voyager. The new system, being Web-based, is an ideal platform for providing information available on the World Wide Web. It is inevitable that more Alibrary collecting@ will be done in the form of buying access to content available through the Web. This could include links to

• additional bibliographic databases (especially those useful in distance learning courses and graduate courses)

• full text of periodicals (especially those available as free or low-cost add-ons to print subscriptions),

• information at the article level (delivery of content from periodicals to which the Library does not subscribe)

• reference material (especially material useful in distance learning courses),

• full text of books (perhaps a subset of netLibrary offerings in areas of high demand, such as Hawaiian Studies). We are waiting for compatibility standards and readability enhancements before purchasing ebooks that must be read on dedicated reading devices.

Multimedia (CDROM and DVD)

The Library has purchased very few multimedia products, generally just in subjects of intense local interest or when faculty requests.

Instructional Software

The Library does not purchase instructional software at this time. "Instructional software" includes computer-assisted instruction packages, learning aids, simulations, models, problem-solving guides, tutorials, and drill packages. Some instructional software is being provided in computer labs throughout campus and in the Learning Center. When and if faculty interest is manifested, the Library is willing to become involved.

Computer Software

The Library does not purchase general-purpose software for its circulating collection. Software used in the PC Lab is purchased by the PC Lab.

AUDIO/VISUAL MEDIA

The general guidelines for selection of audio/visual (non-print) media are based on the same criteria as for books, but because of cost, the Library must be more selective. Requests for unusually expensive material will be scrutinized very closely. No attempt to provide comprehensive or balanced subject coverage with non-print media will be made.

Adding a New Medium

The Library has, from time to time, added new media technologies as they have come on the market (such as laserdisc and compact disc). When we evaluate an emerging medium or technology, we consider these factors:

• Purpose of medium: how it fits in with educational objectives

• Uniqueness of medium: what can it offer that other media cannot?

• Equipment price, expected life span, availability. We try to avoid purchasing formats likely to become obsolete quickly.

• Facilities and staff needed to store, maintain, and handle the medium

• Amount of training needed to use it and the number of staff members who would need training

• Expected benefit from the new medium would need to justify cost of equipment, training, storage, maintenance, etc.

We consult with faculty members who may be interested before adding a new medium.

Video/Film/Laserdisc/DVD

The Library will normally only acquire videos at the request of a faculty member; librarians seldom originate orders in anticipation of demand. While the prices of educational videos have come down considerably in recent years, video prices still exceed the price of a typical book. Because of price considerations, videos will normally be brought in for faculty preview before purchase decisions are made. All videos over $150.00 require preview and evaluation by the requesting faculty member. Experience has shown that videos that look promising in the publisher's flyer often turn out to be disappointing.

To be considered are such factors as:

Potential use. Materials are almost always in direct support of classroom instruction, though we will also consider purchasing a limited number of items for campus staff training.

• The Library will prefer items that can be used by more than one department.

• Items providing broad curricular support have priority over specialized materials with limited audiences.

• We do not anticipate buying for research use, but will consider requests if they should arise.

Quality as established in published reviews.

Availability through UH-Manoa or other local collections. If an item can be borrowed from a UH-system library, anticipated usage would have to be quite high (or the price would have to be quite low) before we would purchase it.

Length of the video's probable useful life.

Subject suitability for video format.

Technical and aesthetic quality of the product.

Price. The cost of a video will be weighed against the amount of use we expect it to get.

Overlap with material already owned. We would tend not to duplicate subject already adequately covered.

 

Formats. VHS videos are preferred over Beta; the Library no longer purchases UMatic video or film (8 mm, 16 mm or 32 mm) at all. Laserdiscs are giving way to the DVD format. Closed-caption video cassettes and DVDs should be purchased whenever possible to make the material available to as wide an audience as possible.

Acquisition Procedures. Faculty may request a video for purchase or preview from their subject librarian. If the price is under $150.00 and the request meets criteria, the video may be purchased right away. If the price is over $150.00, the video must be brought in for preview. The requesting faculty member will be notified when the video is received and will be asked to send in a recommendation form. Librarians meet quarterly to decide which of the requested videos will be purchased. Final decision rests with the Library Director.

Slides

35 mm slides will be purchased if still photography is the most appropriate format in which to present the information and quality of the item is good. We expect to be buying very few slides.

Sound Recordings (LPs, Cassettes, and Compact Discs)

The Library collects both music and a limited amount of spoken word recordings. For music, the goal is to provide a broad overview of genres, periods, and artists and to support the music curriculum. The spoken word portion of the collection will emphasize literary and dramatic readings as well as important speeches.

Compact discs are preferred over other formats for the purchase of sound recordings.

Works of Art, Photographs, Etc.

These are not collected but are sometimes accepted as gifts.

Foreign-Language A/V Materials

The Library will collect a very few foreign language videos and spoken-word cassettes for use with our collection of foreign language books for language study, without duplicating the function of the Language Lab. In purchasing the few foreign feature films appropriate to serve the Film as Literature and foreign language classes, the Library will prefer subtitled over dubbed versions.

Filmstrip/Cassette Combinations

These are no longer bought, filmstrip no longer being the prevailing medium for visual presentation. The Library will purchase video instead.

Music Scores

The Library will acquire musical scores as needed to support the curriculum, as requested by Music faculty and within budget limitations. Scores are catalogued and integrated with the monograph collection (usually in Closed Shelves).

Special Formats for Handicapped Students

Large-print materials and recordings for the blind are not purchased. Closed-captioned videos are purchased when available.

Retention of Non-Print Material

The A/V collection is periodically reviewed to determine collection integrity and to identify maintenance and repair needs. Among the considerations:

• Accuracy and usefulness of the information

• Frequency of the item's use

• Condition of the item

• Obsolescence of the equipment needed to use it

We consult with interested faculty members before withdrawal. The Library may distribute withdrawn items to an interested University department or discard them.

GIFTS AND EXCHANGES

Gifts

The Library, through the Friends of the Edwin H. Mookini Library ("Friends"), welcomes gifts that support the instructional and research programs of the University. In accepting gifts, the Library will follow the procedures stipulated in UH Administrative Procedure A8.620, "Gifts."

A proposed gift which appears to be other than of a routine nature must be brought to the attention of the Library Director. These would include:

• gifts of exceptional value or unique character

• rare books, manuscript material

• gifts with special conditions of acceptance proposed by the donor

• gifts in kind (e.g., equipment, art work, etc.)

• gifts from a notable donor

• gifts with significant financial implications for maintenance

Such gifts will be reviewed, selected, and accepted for addition to the Library collections by the appropriate subject librarian in consultation with the Library Director.

Gifts of Print and Audio/Visual Material. Subject librarians or the Library Acquisitions Department may accept routine gifts for the Library on behalf of the Friends. Gifts are always accepted without commitments to final disposition and with the understanding that materials are not automatically added to the Library's collection. In order to be added, they must meet the same requirements for selection as the Library's own purchases. The Friends group becomes the owner of the material upon receipt and may exchange, donate, sell, or discard items that will not be retained. The Library will decide on the best disposition of gifts, including their location, classification, and circulating or non-circulating status. Donors will be informed of these policies before the gifts are accepted.

A copy of the Library's Gift Material Acceptance Form may be given to acknowledge receipt. Upon request, the Library will provide donors with a statement listing the number of titles or items given. Detailed inventories will usually not be prepared. The Library assumes no responsibility for the use donors make of such acknowledgements.

Temporary Deposits. The Library will not accept temporary deposits of gift items.

Rare Books, Manuscripts and Other Unpublished Material. The offers of major gifts of manuscripts and other unpublished materials are referred to the Library Director for consultation before they can be accepted. For gifts of significant monetary value (rare books, manuscripts, etc.), are to be received and processed by the UH Foundation in accordance with UH Administrative Procedure A8.620.

The library may accept gifts that come with restrictions: limitations as to use, handling, time restrictions, etc. Any restrictions would have to be specified in an agreement signed by both the donor and the Library Director.

Gifts of Money. The Friends also accept monetary gifts to be spent on the Library's behalf. Such offers must be referred to the Library Director for consultation before acceptance. Monetary gifts may include restrictions on expenditures (e.g., purchase of furniture, equipment) as long as the Director agrees to the restrictions. Gifts restricted to the purchase of certain materials for the collection are accepted if the materials meet collection development criteria outlined in this policy.

Gifts in Kind. Gifts of furniture, equipment, art work, etc., may be accepted after consultation with the Library Director. Such gifts will be accepted or declined on a case-by-case basis.

Appraisals. The gift appraisal for tax purposes is the responsibility of the donor, who must bear the cost. In order to avoid conflict of interest, the Library will not appraise gifts made to it. The acceptance of a gift that has been appraised by a third party in no way implies that the Library endorses the appraisal.

Exchange Materials

The Library also acquires some material through exchanges, which usually involve offering items to an external exchange agency (like the United Serials and Book Exchange) in the expectation of receiving material through the agency in return. What we give up in exchanges would usually be duplicate periodical issues and other unwanted materials. We usually receive out-of-print materials and missing issues of periodicals.

MAINTENANCE OF THE COLLECTION

Lost Items and Replacements

Items that are missing, lost, or withdrawn because of damage are not automatically replaced. Replacement decisions are based on the same criteria as those used for new purchases.

Missing items are seldom replaced immediately, because they often reappear. The decision to replace immediately would depend on the degree of present demand for the item. Missing items needed for course reserve are always purchased immediately. Repurchase decisions for routine items are made over the summer.

Weeding

Weeding, replacement, and acquiring new titles are part of the same process: they keep the collection functioning. We do not weed items just because they have not circulated. Examples of types of material the Library has weeded in recent years:

• Extra copies of little-used items

• Badly damaged or deteriorated items

• Out-of-date materials

• Superseded editions for which the Library has new editions

• Broken runs of dated periodicals

• Obsolete non-print materials (filmstrips, etc.)

When superseded materials are withdrawn, the older editions, if they are still useful, may be sent to the UH-West Hawai‘i library or to an interested UH Hilo department.

The subject librarians are responsible for weeding in their disciplines. However, for the foreseeable future, because weeding is labor intensive and because this building has had room for stack expansion, the Library is not planning to weed unique titles systematically throughout the collection. If we should begin to weed more extensively, faculty members and other subject specialists will be invited to participate in the process to assure that useful materials are not discarded by mistake.

INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM

The Library does not promote particular beliefs or views. On controversial issues, the Library tries to provide materials across a broad spectrum of opinion so that readers can examine issues freely and arrive at their own conclusions. We subscribe to the American Library Association's "Library Bill of Rights" and "Freedom to Read" statements (attached).

With respect to questioned or challenged material, the Library asserts its duty to collect a representative selection of materials that have a bearing on the university's curriculum, including materials on controversial questions. Unpopular, unorthodox, and upsetting viewpoints are inevitable. Once added to the collection, an item is not labeled or otherwise marked to influence opinion as to its merit. If an item's presence in the collection is questioned or challenged, the person or group lodging the complaint will be asked to fill out a criticism form. The Library Director will respond to the complaint.

Conversely, when the Library is requested to add, either by gift or by purchase, material promoting the viewpoints of a particular Library user, the main test of a controversial item will be its contribution, direct or indirect, to the academic program of the university. Other selection considerations outlined in the collection development policy also apply.

EVALUATION OF POLICY

This policy will be evaluated and revised annually.