Collection Development Policy

McKee Library is committed to providing a diverse and comprehensive collection that reflects the needs and interests of our academic community while upholding the principles of intellectual freedom and the right to access information. Furthermore, the library is committed to the pursuit of Christian scholarship, which explores and engages all issues of intellectual, artistic, and cultural endeavors. Appearance of any resource does not mean that the library advocates or endorses the ideas found in that resource or the actions of the author.

McKee Library endorses the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, along with the following principles:

• Intellectual Freedom: McKee Library affirms the principles of intellectual freedom as outlined in the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement. These principles include the belief that all individuals have the right to access information and ideas and the freedom to read, view, and listen to various materials.
• Professional Expertise: Collection development decisions are made by trained librarians who consider factors such as relevance to the curriculum, diversity of viewpoints, and scholarly value when selecting materials.
• Right to Challenge: Library users have the right to express concerns or objections regarding specific library materials. The library welcomes constructive feedback from its constituents.

Procedure for Challenging Materials

If a current student, faculty, staff, or board member of Southern Adventist University wishes to challenge the inclusion of a specific item in the library’s collection, the following process will take place:

1. Written Request: The individual must complete and sign a Request for Reconsideration, available at the library’s Circulation desk. The library does not respond to anonymous phone calls, emails, rumors, or voiced concerns.
2. Review Committee: The Director of Libraries will convene a committee to consider the request. That group will include librarians and a member of Southern Adventist University's teaching faculty.
3. Decision: The Director of Libraries will make the final decision regarding the challenged material. Possible outcomes include the removal of an item, the addition of sources to balance the collection by providing alternative views, or no change at all. The decision will be communicated in writing (within 30 days) to the individual who made the challenge. If so desired, the requester may appeal a decision to the director.

McKee Library complies with all the provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law (17 U.S.C) and its amendments. Specifically, it supports the Fair Use section of the Copyright Law (17 U.S.C. 107) that protects the right to reproduce and make use of copyrighted works for the purpose of teaching, scholarship, and research.

For more information, please see McKee Library’s Copyright and Fair Use policy.

In core subject areas, McKee Library collects at the study level, basic through advanced (please see the Collection Levels section for details). Outside of this core, the library collects at the minimal study level. These are materials of general interest to our community in areas where the university offers no classes.

The library considers the following as it evaluates a resource, regardless of format:

• Relevance to the curriculum: The library collects resources that align with the academic program and research areas offered at Southern Adventist University and its beliefs. As a teaching collection, it will collect whatever titles are requested by faculty for use in their classes. Faculty are encouraged to recommend materials in the fields of their expertise to support the curriculum and research mission of the university.
• Scholarly content: The library prioritizes authoritative, well-researched resources that contribute to the academic discourse.
• Strength of holdings: The library strives to have ample holdings in all subject areas offered at Southern Adventist University
• Currency: The library gives preference to resources that offer up-to-date information, especially in rapidly evolving fields.
• Author and publisher credentials: The qualifications and reputation of the author or editor are considered. The library gives preference to resources from reputable publishers.
• Reviews and critical acclaim: Positive reviews and critical acclaim from subject experts are considered in order to ensure the quality of information.
• Usage and demand: Past or anticipated demand for the resource by faculty, researchers, or students.
• Diversity and inclusivity: The library strives for a diverse collection that represents various perspectives and voices.
• Interdisciplinary value: The library selects resources that can support multiple academic disciplines and/or research areas.
• Suitability of material format: The library strives to meet user preferences by considering varied formats for our resources. All resources must be accessible and available to students, faculty, and researchers.
• Cost: The library considers its budget constraints when acquiring resources. When an item’s cost is high, and the expected demand is low, the library will make purchase decisions in light of the item’s availability at other local libraries or via interlibrary loan (ILL).
• Long-term relevance: The library assesses the enduring value of a resource.

In addition to these criteria, the library has additional considerations depending on the medium:

BOOKS:

• Textbooks: The library provides textbooks used in large courses on reserve. When a textbook that is on reserve is no longer required, the library withdraws it. The library does not buy textbooks for the general collection except when it is the best source of information on a given topic.
• Duplicates: The library buys duplicates only in particular situations or when requested by Southern Adventist University faculty.
• Bindings: The library prefers hardcopy books and evaluates the need for special handling or preservation of rare books.
• Out of Print: The library recognizes the need for retrospective purchases and uses standard bibliographies and other evaluation tools to locate and fill gaps in the collection. However, it will first use its monies to buy current publications, thus preventing a future need for retrospective buying.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES:

• Vendor relationships: The library will maintain positive relationships with reliable vendors and publishers, negotiating for favorable licensing terms and access options. Vendors will be chosen for quality, reliability, customer service, and technical support. A change of vendors will occur only when a replacement offers comparable content and services at a reasonable cost.  When possible, the library will consider purchasing electronic resources through consortia arrangements to reduce costs.
• Licensing and Copyright: All electronic resources will be acquired and managed in compliance with copyright laws and licensing agreements. Access rights and usage restrictions will be clearly communicated to users.
• Authentication: The library will implement secure authentication methods to ensure that only authorized users can access electronic resources per the university's IT security policies.
• Remote Access: Remote access to electronic resources is provided to facilitate off-campus access for authorized users.
• Assessment: Regular usage assessment will be conducted to evaluate the impact and value of electronic resources in supporting pedagogical and research objectives.

MEDIA:

• Rating: Unless a request is made for a particular title by a Southern Adventist University faculty member to support their curriculum, the library will not collect media titles that have been rated R, X, or NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America.
• Accessibility: Videos with closed captions and available subtitles will be preferred.
• Duplicates: The library buys duplicates only when requested by Southern Adventist University faculty or to replace an older media format with a new format.
• Format: The library maintains awareness of new formats and plans for collection growth and the purchase of equipment to support emerging formats.
  • Videos: The library prioritizes streaming media format but collects physical media in DVD or Blu-ray formats when a title is not available in streaming format. The library will purchase streaming video collections when requested by and supported by Southern Adventist University faculty.
  • Audiobooks: The library makes audiobooks available through the Libby app.
• Copyright and streaming rights: the library only adds legally acquired materials to the collection. Streaming rights are purchased when available for media titles.
• Licensing for public performance: The library holds no public performance rights for many of its titles. Any public showing not part of face-to-face teaching may require a license. The sponsoring department or organization is responsible for securing permission and paying the license for any public showing.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS:

• Types of Materials: The library’s special collections include the collections within the Center for the Study of 19th Century America and others. Collections are comprised mostly of books, but also present are journals, newspapers, annuals, archives, ephemeral materials, photographs, posters, memorabilia, and various other original materials.
• Language and Geographical Aspects: Based on the collection scope, McKee Library Special Collections collects works written in English and from the United States.
• Inclusive Dates:

• • Pre-1800: Few items in the collection were published prior to 1800 and serve to create a well-rounded historical context of the 19th century.
  • 1800-1900: Most items in the collection fall within this time period.
  • 1900-1950: Few items in the collection were published after 1900 and serve to create a well-rounded historical context of the influence of the 19th century in the early 20th century. It must be noted, however, that the Duane and Eunice Bietz Collection contains memorabilia as well as collection development and sales information that belong to this time period. Some items belonging to the Southern Adventist University Archive also include items that fall within this time period.
  • 1951-now: Most items in the Southern Adventist University Publications Digital Archives fall within this time period. Some materials belonging to the Duane and Eunice Bietz Collection also fall within this time period.
• Preservation: Preventive conservation practices are used to prolong the useable life of the items in McKee Library’s Special Collections. Included in these practices are the following measures:

• • Environmental control
  • Use of protective polyethylene covers on books
  • Acid-free boxes and folders to store unbound materials
  • Reformatting to digital medium
• Transfer Guidelines: American books in the general collection that have been printed from 1750-1950 are evaluated for transfer if their subject falls within the following:
   
  • Household management
  • Cooking
  • Nutrition
  • Etiquette
  • Seventh-day Adventist beliefs and history
  • Biology
  • Creationism
  • Evolution

SERIALS:

• Scholarly and Popular Titles: The library subscribes to scholarly journals that directly support the university's curriculum. It subscribes to popular magazines that enhance the existing collection and represent various student and faculty interests.
• Duplicates: The library does not buy duplicate copies of journals, although some titles are available both online and in print.
• Format: The library prioritizes online journal subscriptions but also considers print journals due to cost or availability constraints.

Resource deselection procedures occur from time to time to keep the collection relevant and maintain available space in the library. The library retains authority for deselecting materials. The following are considered during the deselection process of resources:

Relevance and Currency:

The relevance and currency of the content will be assessed when deselecting materials. Content that is outdated or no longer aligns with the university’s interests may be deselected. Materials that contain errant or outdated information, especially on subjects that change quickly or require absolute currency, will be withdrawn.

Usage:

• Physical Books: The library will remove physical books that have not been checked out in the last ten years, regardless of age. It will remove physical books older than 40 years old if they have not been checked out in the last five years.
• Electronic resources and serials: The library will remove underutilized resources to optimize budget allocation.
• Media: The library may remove VHS tapes and DVDs if the content is available via a streaming service provided by the library.

Condition:

Physical materials that are damaged or deteriorated beyond repair will be withdrawn.

The library takes full use of cooperative arrangements by being part of the following consortia:

Adventist Library Information Cooperative: The Adventist Library Information Cooperative (ALICE) functions as a service of the Association of Seventh-day Adventist Librarians (ASDAL). ALICE exists to benefit Seventh-day Adventist institutional libraries that become Member Libraries of the Cooperative.

Tenn-Share: Tenn-Share is a nonprofit membership organization that negotiates discounts for critical library resources in Tennessee.

Lyrasis: Lyrasis is a non-profit membership organization that supports enduring access to the world’s shared academic, scientific, and cultural heritage.

COMPREHENSIVE LEVEL:
At this level, the library collects everything, in whatever format, in a limited subject area. The aim, if not the achievement, is exhaustiveness.

RESEARCH LEVEL:
At this level, the library collects whatever a doctoral student or independent researcher might need in a given subject area. A collection like this contains research reports, primary source documents, published scientific results, important reference works, a wide selection of specialized books, and all indexing and abstracting services in that field.

ADVANCED STUDY LEVEL:
At this level, the library collects whatever an advanced undergraduate or graduate student might need in a given subject area. A collection like this has a wide range of primary sources, basic monographs—both current and retrospective, complete collections of the works of more important writers, selections from the works of secondary writers, a selection of representative journals, and the reference tools and fundamental bibliographical framework of the subject.

MEDIUM STUDY LEVEL:
At this level, the library collects whatever an undergraduate might need in a given subject area. A collection like this can support generalized study, of less than research intensity. It has a wide range of basic monographs, complete collections of the works of important writers, a selection of representative journals, and the reference tools and fundamental bibliographical framework of the subject.

INITIAL STUDY LEVEL:
At this level, the library collects whatever a first-year undergraduate student might need in a given subject area. A collection like this has a judicious selection of basic monographs (as found in Choice) supported by retrospective monographs (as found in Books for College Libraries). It also has a broad selection of works of more important writers, a selection of the major review journals, and current editions of the most significant reference tools and bibliographies about the subject.

BASIC STUDY LEVEL:
At this level, the library collects material that introduces and defines a subject in a highly selective way. A collection like this contains significant dictionaries and encyclopedias, selected editions of important works, historical surveys, critical bibliographies, and a few of the major periodicals in the field.

MINIMAL STUDY LEVEL:
A subject area in which few selections are made beyond fundamental works.

OUT OF SCOPE:
The subject is not collected.