Purpose and Scope

These guidelines are intended to inform all users about the selection of materials by the UNBC Library. The Library acquires library material to support the teaching, learning and research needs at UNBC. The ongoing collection development is closely aligned with the teaching and research programs of the University and will take into consideration the building of special and retrospective collections as well as the limits of our fiscal resources.

Authority and Responsibility

The University Librarian has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that adequate collections are acquired in support of the University academic programs within the funding available. The Acquisitions Librarian coordinates and manages collection development and the acquisition of resources. Selection of material is the responsibility of subject librarians within their designated subject areas based on the University’s teaching and research areas. Teaching faculty are encouraged to participate in the selection or deselection of resources. Suggestions for purchase are accepted from all Library users via the Purchase Request form at https://www.unbc.ca/library/request-purchase or by contacting a subject librarian.

• The Library acquires and provides access to information resources in support of, and appropriate to, the level of the instructional programs of UNBC.
• The Library takes an evidence-based and holistic approach to developing and managing the collection.
• The Library actively strives to offer a diverse and inclusive collection reflecting varied perspectives.
• The Library acknowledges its responsibility to ensure the sustainability of the collection (financial, preservation, formats and access infrastructure).
• The Library acquires material that will be available to the University as a whole. The Library does not acquire materials (either via purchase or gift) for which access or use would be restricted to specific individuals or groups. In extremely rare cases, license terms may limit access to specific locations.
• Acquisition of duplicate copies is avoided unless there is demonstrated demand for multiple copies of a title
• The Library acquires materials in the English language; materials in languages other than English are purchased only if there is demonstrated curricular need. The exception to this is material in local First Nations languages.
• Deselection of materials is undertaken periodically to maintain a relevant collection.

Resources considered for inclusion in the collection are evaluated based on:

• Relationship of material to library objectives and goals,
• Relevance of the material to academic curriculum and research needs
• Currency, timeliness or enduring value,
• Authoritativeness of the author and/or the information content,
• Budget considerations
• Reliability of the publisher/content provider
• Extent of the current holdings on the subject
• Cost of hardware, software and ongoing support to access (where applicable)
• Predicted future demand, or demonstrated need via metrics such as turnaway reports, ILL requests, etc.

The UNBC Library aims to collect the published scholarly output of UNBC faculty and graduate students wherever feasible, either by purchasing monographs or by hosting graduate theses and dissertations in the Institutional Repository.

The UNBC Library does not automatically purchase books which are being used as course textbooks, and which are of a general survey nature. However, if the item meets the general criteria, a subject librarian may consider it.

Periodicals include publications issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designation and which is intended to continue indefinitely. This will include (but is not limited to) academic journals, newspapers, annuals, numbered monographic series, proceedings and transactions of societies.

In addition to the broad selection criteria, periodicals will be considered for inclusion in the collection based on:

• Bibliographic accessibility through indexing and abstracting services available through the library
• Whether they are scholarly or peer reviewed (popular or non-academic periodicals are not normally included in the collection)
• Accreditation requirements for new courses or programs
• Approval by the subject librarian

The format preference for periodical subscriptions is online; however, financial constraints will have an impact on the format decision.

Cancellations of subscriptions will be required from time to time due to the changing needs of the academic programs and the inevitable rise in subscription prices. Where possible, such cancellations will be done in consultation with the programs. However, where financial constraints dictate the need for cancellation, the Library reserves the right to make final cancellation decisions as part of the Subscription Review process.

Databases are used to organize and index citations, provide access to subject-specific research, or access to primary source materials.

In addition to the broad selection criteria, databases will be considered for inclusion in the collection based on:

• Authentication method with preference given to SSO authentication methods and unlimited users
• Coverage of peer-reviewed resources of relevance to programs
• Acceptable terms and conditions
• Availability of usage statistics with preference given to platforms that are COUNTER compliant
• Approval by the subject librarian

Cancellations of subscriptions will be required from time to time due to the changing needs of the academic programs and the inevitable rise in subscription prices. Where possible, such cancellations will be done in consultation with the programs. However, where financial constraints dictate the need for cancellation, the Library reserves the right to make final cancellation decisions as part of the Subscription Review process.

The Northern BC Archives (NBCA) and Special Collections is an administrative unit of the UNBC Library. Guidelines for the acquisition of material for this unit are detailed on the “NBCA Acquisition Policies and Guidelines” section of the NBCA website.

The Institutional Repository contains published and unpublished material created by members of the UNBC Community. Guidelines for inclusion of material in the Institutional Repository is available at https://unbc.arcabc.ca/about

The UNBC Library map collection includes more than 8000 maps, located on the 2nd floor of the library. The focus of the collection is Canada, and more specifically central and northern British Columbia, but our collection does span the globe.  Details about the map collection are found at https://libguides.unbc.ca/maps

Gifts and donations form an integral part of any library collection. All gift donations will be assessed as to their suitability to the teaching, learning and research mandate of UNBC and in accordance with the guiding principles and broad selection criteria. The procedure for accepting donations in outlined on the Library website at https://www.unbc.ca/library/about/donations

Assessing the collection is a continual process whereby existing items are re-evaluated for usefulness or potential usefulness to the university community. This process also involves evaluating the collection to determine how well it supports the academic programs and research needs of UNBC and to determine any areas in which the collection is lacking information. Deselection is a quality control action performed on the collection to withdraw or store specific items.

An item may be considered for exclusion based on:

• Physical condition of the material
• Continued relevance of the material to academic curricula and research needs
• Existence of a more recent edition
• The relationship of the information to other information in the subject area
• Lack of circulation for 10 years or longer (five years for disciplines where current information is paramount)
• Lack of access through indexing
• Content being outdated or erroneous
• Duplicate copies seen as unnecessary
• Review requested by a faculty member The subject librarian for the specific area of the collection assess material for deselection in his/her collection area(s). Materials targeted for deselection by faculty members must be reviewed by the appropriate subject librarian .

Replacement

Materials that are declared lost, missing or in poor condition will be replaced at the discretion of the appropriate subject librarian in accordance with the guiding principles and broad selection criteria.

Conservation and/or Preservation

Conservation and preservation activities may be performed on an item within the collection to maintain its condition. Criteria to determine whether an item may be preserved are:

• Whether the library has the facilities and/or expertise required to perform the preservation/conservation activities
• Cost of preservation/conservation activities

Responsibility for determining whether an item needs conservation/preservation activities performed on it will lie with the library staff under the direction of a librarian.