Selection Policy
The selection policy is designed to guide the faculty, staff, and students and to inform patrons concerning the guidelines used for selecting and acquiring materials for Houff Library.Library material, including all print and non-print, is selected in a manner consistent with the overall mission and goals of the instruction program of Blue Ridge Community College and to uphold the Library Bill of Rights. The selection policy adheres to the following: Priority for material to be purchased by the Library is given to materials which meet the curricular needs of the students in the courses offered, including class assignments, research, collateral reading, and bibliographic tools which facilitate using and locating material in the Library.
To ensure the quality and comprehensiveness of the total collection, the Library assumes responsibility for coordinating the collection and for providing bibliographic aid to faculty and staff. Faculty members are encouraged to recommend materials for purchase. Faculty are contacted several times a year via e-mail for their recommendations. On a regular basis individual departments come and look at their collections in the library and give recommendations for selection and weeding.
Materials for purchase are considered on the basis of:
- overall purpose and direct relationship to instructional objectives.
- timeliness and factual accuracy of material.
- faculty review and recommendation.
- non-availability in current collection.
- quality of the writing/production.
- demand and potential use.
- critiques appearing in general selection tools.
- inclusion in indexes available at the college and in standard lists and bibliographies.
- cost commensurate with quality and potential benefit.
- budget availability.
Weeding Guidelines
Weeding ensures the most up to date and accurate materials are available in the Library through easier access to the collection, a collection that is easier to manage, and a better picture of the collection's strengths and weaknesses. Our considerations when weeding are:
- badly bound or printed books
- likelihood of the volumes being used in the future
- outdated information
- incorrect information
- poorly written information
- old editions when improved editions exist
- dated software
- most technical books are outdated in ten years
- superfluous or duplicate volumes
- deteriorating materials
Donations
Houff Library will gladly accept any donated books, but if they do not fit the criteria for our collection that is listed above, then we will recycle or give them away. The Librarian has a tax form that can be used for donated books.
