Trinity International University: South Florida Regional Center Library Collection Development Policy

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Introduction:

The collection development policy intends to communicate library functions and services to faculty, staff, administration, and students. Having a collection development policy in place promotes consistency in selection and establishes a relationship between institutional and library goals. The library staff aims to make selection decisions based on principles that will benefit the long range plans of the South Florida Regional Center.

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Library mission:

South Florida Regional Center Library promotes academic excellence, personal integrity, and cultural engagement by providing access, instruction, and services which support Trinity International University’s community.

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Community profile:

The South Florida Regional Center is comprised of primarily non-residential, working adult students who are seeking undergraduate and graduate level programs. In accordance with the University mission, the University seeks to prepare students for ministry and professional occupations with a quality, Christ-centered education. The campus serves a diverse population of students from various nations, cultures, and denominations. Trinity International University as a whole has over 2,800 students. Since 1995, SFC, previously Miami Christian College, has joined the university system under TIU which included Trinity College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Trinity Graduate School, and Trinity Law School.

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Community needs:

South Florida Regional Center Library serves Trinity International University by centering their support services on the specific educational and practical needs of the University community. Resources and services are tailored to meet the demands of adult students. Emphasis in teaching and researching is placed on collaborative learning for adult students who already have work experience and prior knowledge. The library is open in the evenings to accommodate student schedules.

South Florida Regional Center Library intends to maintain a variety of academic resources that help the University support accreditation. TIU schools are accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The South Florida Campus is licensed by the Commission for Independent Education, Florida Department of Education. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.

Collection objectives:

South Florida Regional Center Library’s collection objectives include the following (ranked by importance):

  1. Obtaining materials and services in support of the University’s curriculum needs.
  2. Purchasing faculty requested materials.
  3. Developing a core collection for research papers and projects.
  4. Selecting items based on library expertise and perceived user needs.
  5. Acquiring items requested by students which are positively recommended in professional circles.

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Implementation:

South Florida Regional Center Library received a grant from the parent institution’s library, Rolfing Memorial Library. Rolfing knew that South Florida Regional Center Library has a desire in the future to offer a Master of Divinity program and believes that the development of a core collection in New Testament studies will help advance that goal. In the spring semester of 2006, Rolfing held its’ semi-annual book sale. The Library advertised that all proceedings would go towards collection development for the South Florida Regional Center Library. The response from Deerfield students was outstanding and as a result, the library was able to donate $2000 to the South Florida Regional Center for New Testament resources. There is a growing need for Christians to have a clear grasp on core questions and answers regarding the origin of Christian faith and scriptures. TIU places emphasis on providing resources that address the historical background of the New Testament, Greek grammar, and exegesis. Trinity International University endeavors to equip students to apply these skills in church ministries, Christian educational ministries, universities, and personal devotions.

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Selection responsibility:

The professional librarian maintains responsibility for the selection, purchasing, and collection evaluation decisions. Faculty members are invited to participate in selection as the library wishes to recognize their subject expertise and field experience. Student requests are welcome and will be taken into consideration based upon selection criteria and library budget constraints.

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Selection criteria:

Selection primarily rests with the professional librarian, who works to develop core collections and acts in the interests of Trinity International University. The librarian works closely with University faculty to create and sustain a collection that fits the educational and curricular needs of the student body. Some specific selection criteria considered include:

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Selection aids:

The professional librarian consults professional journals, book reviews, CHOICE recommendations, core collections, subject bibliographies, and other subject experts in an effort to develop a well rounded collection.

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Levels of collection:

0 = out of scope
The library does not collect in this area.
1 = minimal level
Subject matter will be covered by general reference tools and select books and journals.
2 = basic information level
Sufficient support will be given to provide a broad understanding of the subject matter. Key reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, and bibliographies will be acquired as well as a few journals and some books which highlight subtopics relevant to curricular needs.
3 = instructional level
A broad range of monographs, serials, and reference materials will be collected. Key journals, some significant seminal works and resources that address important figures and theories will be gathered. Essential reference tools such as indexes, bibliographies, and abstracts will also be obtained.
4 = research level
All major resources on the subject matter necessary for the support of dissertations and independent research will be collected. All significant reference works and monographs in addition to a thorough collection of journals, indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, historical resources, and foreign language materials will be acquired.
5 = comprehensive level
Exhaustive and intensive collection of all significant works in various applicable languages and formats on the subject matter will be acquired.

Most library collections for undergraduate and graduate academic majors will fit the instructional support level. Academic minors and elective coursework will meet the basic informational support level. The future goal is to build towards research level collection in counseling psychology and areas of core Biblical doctrine.

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Scope:

Language:
Materials collected are primarily in English. Some items may contain excerpts from original translations of Biblical and theological languages.
Geographical area:
Predominantly materials nationally recognized with some items of local significance (i.e. telephone books and maps).
Subject matter:
Resources which support the education, Christian ministry, counseling psychology, and religion undergraduate and graduate programs.
Format:
Collection consists of print monographs and journals, electronic journals, online databases, CD-ROMs, and limited audio/visual materials.
Types of materials:
Collection includes basic reference materials, monographs, periodicals, full-text articles, online indexes and abstracts and internet resources.
Multiple copies:
Multiple copies are only occasionally acquired for either core required courses or course reserves due to space and limited financial resources.

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General collections:

Audiovisual materials:
Collects select videotapes, CDs, DVDs, and audiotapes pertaining to education, counseling, Christian ministry, or Biblical studies.
Books and monographs:
Collects a wide range of books and monographs which is relevant to the academic disciplines offered at the University.
Electronic resources:
Many electronic resources available to South Florida Regional Center students can be obtained through the Rolfing Memorial Library of the University’s parent institution. Electronic resources will be assessed based on their authority, content, cost, and the degree to which they support the collection development policy guidelines.
Professional journals:
Collects select professional journals which are considered essentials for the areas of study offered at Trinity International University. Access to full-text articles and online materials will be given preference over ordering print serials.
Newspapers:
Collects a few local newspapers for the University community.
Reference materials:
Collects a broad spectrum of general reference materials (i.e. encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, directories, etc.) as well as subject-specific reference materials, particularly in the areas of education, psychology, and theology.
Juvenile literature materials:
Collect fiction and nonfiction books with an emphasis on award winning materials (i.e. Newberry and Caldecott) for use by education majors.

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Acquisitions procedures:

Library materials are ordered in accordance with the division of the library materials budget which is agreed upon by the library staff at the beginning of each fiscal year. Priority is given to subjects offered as majors on the undergraduate or graduate level. Most items are ordered through firm orders, although there are some standing orders and serials subscriptions.

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Resource sharing:

The library recognizes a need to partner with other area libraries to provide students and faculty with a wide range of valuable library resources and services. South Florida Regional Center students are granted select library services from Barry University Library and Florida International University. Broward county residents may use Nova Southeastern University library. The library is currently working to obtain Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) membership to substantially expand resource sharing opportunities.

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Gifts:

Due to space and staffing, the library will review potential gifts prior to acceptance. The library acquires only materials that strongly adhere to the collection development policy standards. These standards include:

Upon acceptance, all gift items become the property of the library. Those selected for inclusion will undergo the same processing as regular library acquisitions. Gifts that are not added to the library collection will be sold at the annual book sale, donated to another local library, or discarded. Monies received through book sales will be used to support library materials and services at the library’s discretion.

Formal acknowledgment of gifts will be sent to donors. The letter of acknowledgment serves the purpose of a receipt of goods, but does not include an appraisal. Donors bear the responsibility of determining personal tax obligations. Each donor must make their own arrangements with a specialized appraiser.

Please refer to IRS publication 561 for more information. This document is accessible through Adobe Acrobat at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p561.pdf or you can call 1-800-TAX-FORM to have a print copy mailed to your address.

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Lost/damaged books:

The library will determine whether or not lost or damaged items should be replaced based upon the selection criteria. If the item can be repaired at a low cost, this will be taken into consideration. In some cases, an item may not need to be replaced if the content is obsolete or the library owns a more current edition.

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Weeding:

Weeding is a necessary part of collection development. South Florida Regional Center Library strives to maintain a strong, relevant collection. In compliance with this mission, the professional librarian performs an annual evaluation of our library resources. There are several factors taken into consideration when assessing the current collection:

A deselection candidate may be compared with other similar titles or editions and withdrawn if other items address the subject matter better.

The library will take preventative measures to protect materials from damage or prolonged usage. Staff members are trained to perform minor repairs. In specific cases the library may desire to replace worn or damaged materials.

The following issues would influence the library’s decision for replacement of an old or worn item:

The library reserves the right to dispose of deselected materials. Disposed items will typically be donated to the local public or community college library, recycled, or discarded.

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Censorship:

South Florida Regional Center seeks to include a wide variety of opinions in an effort to develop reasoning, mature adults. The library will acquire materials that may not adhere to Trinity International University’s statement of faith. Challenges should be brought to the professional librarian. If, upon meeting with the professional librarian, the patron is still dissatisfied, the patron can fill out a Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form. This form will be submitted to a committee which includes the professional librarian, additional library staff, and the academic dean.

South Florida Regional Center Library upholds the intellectual freedom statement from Association for Colleges and Research Libraries.

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Collection evaluation:

Collection evaluation is overseen by the professional librarian, but may be informed by faculty recommendations. The whole collection is evaluated once a year on a continual basis. Collection evaluation methods include circulation studies and checklists. Circulation studies compare the copyright date and create date of the item with the browse and charge frequency. Checklists refer to the core curriculum needs. For electronic resources, content value, cost, accessibility, and library relationship with the vendor will be taken into consideration.

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Copyright statement:

The library policy upholds the copyrights of authors and materials within the collection according to U. S. Copyright Law (17 U. S. C.). The library supports fair use of these items under Copyright Law.

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Policy review and revision:

This policy will be reviewed by the library staff annually and revised by the professional librarian as needed.

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Created on 7/6/06 by Rebekah Hall

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