Criteria Examples

PUBLIC

King County Library System’s explanation of their selection criteria: KCLS uses an eight-point Materials Selection Criteria form a framework to use as they pursue the charge of the Materials Selection Policy and the mission of free and open access. The criteria guide them to judge what may fall inside or outside of the scope of the King County Library System's collection. The criteria are intended to be inclusive rather than exclusive and are deliberately flexible. By making the criteria open to interpretation, it allows the collection to grow and change with new technology.

ACADEMIC

University of Texas Libraries’ OER selection criteria: UT Libraries use a variety of criteria and rubrics to evaluate their Open Educational Resources or OER. These policies work to help students and faculty in access to digital resources.

PUBLIC

Austin Public Library’s selection criteria: APL's selection criteria functions under a number of policies in order to server their mission statement "to provide open access to information and to promote literacy, love of reading, and lifelong learning opportunities for all members of the community."

APL's policy specifically states that they respond to community interest, the collaborative nature of which creates a holistic approach to selection criteria and collection management. This feedback allows for collection development to easily evaluate the demand for digital resources.

RESEARCH LIBRARY

The Library of Congress: The Collections Policy Statements govern the Library of Congress' collection development and acquisitions. They provide the framework to support the Library's responsibilities to serve the Congress as well as the United States Government as a whole.

The policy reads:

  • The Library should possess all books and other library materials necessary to the Congress and the various officers of the Federal Government to perform their duties;

  • The Library should possess all books and other materials (whether in original form or copy) which record the life and achievement of the American people; and

  • The Library should possess in some useful form, the records of other societies, past and present, and should accumulate, in original or in copy, full and representative collections of the written records of those societies and peoples whose experience is of most immediate concern to the people of the United States.

While the policy does not mention digital materials specifically, the policies would work for a criteria for a digital collection as well.

ACADEMIC LIBRARY

Louisiana State University (LSU) Libraries: "This policy seeks to communicate to the LSU community the Libraries’ collection development approach in terms of principles and practices. The acquisition and maintenance of the Libraries materials collections are primary functions of the library mission. Collection development is the process of building and maintaining the Libraries' entire materials collections in print, electronic, and non-print formats."

LSU has done a great job evolving their selection criteria to support digital resources as well as print materials. They have included specific section addressing Electronic Journals and Electronic Books. LSU Libraries have stated "As academic programs change and models of research and scholarship evolve, the LIbraries remains committed to supporting information needs through responsive collections."

ACADEMIC LIBRARY - Business School

The Gelman Library System, George Washington University: "The collection supports the Department of International Business of the School of Business. Materials are acquired to support the current and anticipated teaching and research through the doctoral level."

The policy statement specifically outlines what formats can be included including digital resources. The policy statement reads, "Monographs, serials, and online databases are acquired. Materials may be acquired in a variety of formats: paper, electronic, microform, video, etc."

The criteria seems pretty general and it places a lot of decision power on the current collection development librarians.

Doherty Library, University of St. Thomas-Houston: The purpose of Doherty Library's Collection Development Policy is "To acquire material that will support the library and research needs of the students and faculty at the University of St. Thomas, a comprehensive Catholic liberal arts institution with graduate and undergraduate programs."

Francis Willson Thompson Library, University of Michigan-Flint: The purpose of this policy is " clarify and rationalize the Thompson Library’s collection purposes, goals, and priorities...making it more accessible to all its users."

Vassar College Libraries: The original trustees of Vassar College in 1861 had a library committee make the following statement, "the value of a good library...can scarcely be overestimated. That this branch of our apparatus is only second to the living teachers, the Faculty of the College, and greatly assistant to that."