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Table of Contents
Purpose of Policy Statement
This collection development policy for the Libraries of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is intended for the guidance of faculty and librarians responsible for building collections that support the instructional and research programs of the University.
This policy statement defines the scope of existing collections, serves as a planning document to direct future collection development, and provides a yardstick for measuring progress in the collection development and management program. The policy provides an instrument for communicating the Libraries' collection policies to the University's community and other users and institutions.
This policy will be revised periodically to reflect changing academic needs and priorities.
Intended Audience of this Policy Statement
This document is written to define the collection and clarify its mission for:
- The University of Tennessee Community.
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Mission, Vision, and Goals
The University Libraries collections are intended to support the mission, vision, and goals of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
University Libraries Mission Statement
The University Libraries is a major component of Tennessee's oldest land- grant and primary research university. The University Libraries participates in the teaching, research, and public service programs of the institution by providing access to scholarly information; through the acquisition, organization, management, preservation, and arrangement of collections for access and use; through the provision of supportive reference and bibliographic instruction services; and through a variety of cooperative and reciprocal programs in the area, state, region, and nation.
As a collaborator in the process of teaching, research, and public service, the Libraries' faculty and staff provide leadership in the access, management and use of information and in advancing research in professional librarianship. In fulfilling this leadership role, the University Libraries concurrently brings relevant issues to the attention of both the University and the scholarly community at large.
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Organizational Values of the University Libraries
University Libraries' faculty and staff are committed to the following organizational values.
Service. The University Libraries fosters and supports teaching, learning and research by providing resources, access to knowledge, information, and ideas, and by providing assistance and instruction. Service is provided in an open, receptive, and courteous manner. Fundamental to this philosophy of service is a commitment to freedom of information and equity of access to information.
Quality. The University Libraries strives for excellence in programs and services. In delivering effective and timely services to its users within its financial constraints, the University Libraries uses sound management practices and a responsive organizational structure. We encourage and support the development of a knowledgeable, versatile, and skilled staff.
Integrity. The University Libraries is dedicated to creating an environment characterized by ethical behavior, accountability, and honesty. We are committed to the principles of academic freedom and open communication.
Diversity. The University Libraries values diversity in staff, users, and collections and works to provide a climate of openness, acceptance, and respect for individuals and points of view.
Collaboration. The University Libraries' staff perform interdependent activities within the library setting and within the academic community. We work collaboratively with each other, with our University colleagues, and with colleagues in other institutions in the U.S. and around the globe.
Innovation and Risk. The University Libraries identifies and anticipates user needs and responds with appropriate resources and services. In reviewing needs, the University Libraries will take appropriate risks to provide the best responses.
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Intellectual Freedom
Intellectual freedom is an essential value in the life and work of any university. The University Libraries is committed to providing a balanced collection representing a diversity of perspectives on issues. The following documents address various aspects of the relationship between intellectual freedom, diversity, and the mission of a university library:
Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association)
American Library Association Code of Ethics
The Freedom to Read (American Library Association)
Diversity in Collection Development: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association)
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Definition and Goals of the Libraries Collections
The UT Libraries collection is all information that the Libraries makes available to its users, by whatever means. Librarians acquire, organize, manage, and preserve information resources for access and use by the University community. Some information resources are purchased and retained in the local collection, while others are obtained through licensed remote access from a commercial vendor, or borrowed from other libraries. Information resources include materials in a variety of formats.
The UT Libraries primary clientele are the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Tennessee Knoxville. The development of the Libraries collections is based on the needs of this clientele for support in instruction, research and public service. The collection is developed to meet local needs and in cooperation with consortial partners. The local collection supports most curricular needs, but cannot meet all research needs. The ability to lease or borrow resources is an essential complement to the in-house collection.
Allocation of funds for the University Libraries' information resources balances support for curricular needs and research, taking into account the varied nature of academic disciplines. While a major portion of funding will continue to support printed books and journals, the electronic component of the collection is growing as the amount of scholarly information available in electronic form increases.
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Objectives of the Collection Development and Management Program
- Build a collection that meets the research, curricular and information needs of faculty, students and the University community.
- Advance the missions of the Libraries and University through the implementation of relevant programs.
- Set policies and procedures that allow staff to engage in collection management in the most effective manner.
- Conduct liaison with academic departments in order to incorporate faculty input in the development of the collection.
- Spend the state materials allocation and endowed funds to achieve greatest benefit, tracking expenditures closely to ensure the judicious use of resources.
- Manage the collection so as to account for the physical condition of the materials, space needs, and new trends in curriculum and research. Conduct collection analyses as needed, etc.
- Actively pursue cooperative and coordinated collection development with other libraries.
- Make responsible curatorial decisions regarding replacement, withdrawal, reformatting and preservation of materials.
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Brief Overview and History of the Collection
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville was founded in 1838 as part of East Tennessee College, one of several earlier incarnations of the institution that began as Blount College in 1794 and became the University of Tennessee in 1879. Beginning in a single room with about 3,000 books, the library collection grew slowly over the rest of the century while being shifted from one location to another. That nomadic existence ended in 1931 when the library moved into a new building constructed specifically to house the collection; the building was later designated as the James D. Hoskins Library, in honor of the president of the University from 1934 to 1946. In 1943 the collection boasted 242,959 volumes; the Library has since grown to a collection of 2 million volumes housed in a central library and five branch library units.
The subject areas emphasized in the Libraries' collection are those which support the University's curriculum and research. The University's Chairs and Centers of Excellence represent areas of special research interests. The Chairs of Excellence are in Ornamental Horticulture, Materials Science and Engineering, English, Computer Integrated Engineering, Power Electronics Applications, Management, Political Economy, History, Technology and Medical Writing, Romance Languages, Waste Management and Environmental Engineering, Finance, Policy Studies, Agricultural Policy, and Physics. The Centers of Excellence reside in the Science Alliance, the Waste Management Research and Education Institute, and the Center for Materials Processing.
The present main library, the John C. Hodges Library, completed in 1987 and named for a past head of the English Department, is a seven-story, 350,000- square-foot central library. It serves the undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty of the following colleges and schools: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Architecture, College of Business Administration, College of Communications, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Human Ecology, College of Social Work, College of Nursing, and the School of Information Sciences.
The central collection housed in Hodges emphasizes materials which support undergraduate and graduate level study and research offered in the colleges, schools and programs not served by specialized branch libraries. Of particular strength are the collections in Appalachian studies, Tennessee history, local history and literature, chemistry, business, and engineering. The Libraries became a selective depository of federal documents in 1907, and a depository for Tennessee documents in 1917, receiving 82% of the items made available by the federal government.
The James D. Hoskins Library now houses Special Collections, University Archives and the Map Library.
Special Collections is the repository for rare books, manuscripts, and other unusual items, including rare maps, prints, and historical ephemera. Because of the unusual nature of the holdings, it is a high security area of non-circulating materials. The collections are of particular strength in the areas of history and literature. University Archives is the repository for materials relating to the University of Tennessee.
The Map Library houses a growing collection of books, atlases, and over three hundred thousand sheet-maps. The collections are strong in the Earth Sciences and include GIS, GPS, and other electronic and digital tools and data. Services include reference, interlibrary loan, reserve, and access to databases and cartobibliographies from around the world. The Map Library is the Government Documents Map Depository for the state of Tennessee and an Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) affiliate.
The George F. DeVine Music Library, located in the Music Building, provides library resources and services to support the University's programs in music and music education as well as serving the music reference and research needs of the entire University and local community.
The Webster Pendergrass Library of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, located in the Veterinary Hospital, is the principal library resource for teaching, research and extension programs in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. The Library is designated as the state's regional holding library for Department of Agriculture publications distributed through the federal depository library program prior to 1989. Back to top.
Special Collection Initiatives
The Great Smoky Mountains Regional Collection
The Great Smoky Mountains Regional Collection is a comprehensive collection of current and retrospective materials on the Great Smoky Mountains region of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Subject parameters for the collection include history, culture, literature, arts, folklore, performing arts, music, recreation, economic development, sociology, agriculture, land use, human geography, anthropology, medicine, education, and the life and physical sciences. All levels and formats are represented. With some exceptions, materials purchased for this collection are placed in Special Collections.
The Center for Children's and Young Adult Literature represents a partnership among the University Libraries, the School of Information Sciences, the College of Education, and the College of Human Ecology. Major publishers of children's and young adult books are asked to donate review copies that are displayed for a period of nine months in a designated area of Hodges Library.
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Resource Sharing at UT Libraries
Resource sharing is the provision of bibliographic access and delivery of materials not locally owned. The University Libraries seek partnerships with libraries through which all partners can increase their access to information.
The University Libraries is a member of the Information Alliance with the University of Kentucky and Vanderbilt University. The Information Alliance sponsors IRIS (Information Resources for Interinstitutional Sharing), an initiative to foster cooperative collection development and resource sharing among the participating libraries. The Libraries provides access to many collections for the University's scholars by means of an active interlibrary loan (ILL) program. UT Libraries is one of the top fifty net lenders in the country. Express ILL service is provided between Vanderbilt University and UT.
Borrowing privileges are extended to students and faculty of other University system campuses, most Tennessee Board of Regents institutions, and Knoxville College. We have also signed reciprocal borrowing agreements with the Tennessee Valley Authority and with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The Libraries has taken a leading role in the development of TENN-SHARE, an initiative that facilitates and promotes resource sharing among libraries in Tennessee for the benefit of all the citizens of the state.
Tennessee Academic Library Collaborative (TALC): The Tennessee Academic Library Collaborative was created to foster collaborative activities among the libraries of Tennessee's public institutions of higher education. TALC is comprised of the libraries of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee and the University of Tennessee System. TALC creates partnerships among Tennessee's publicly assisted post-secondary academic libraries and works collaboratively with other groups and organizations to provide leadership to various library sectors in the state and region.
TALC leads, creates, and delivers programs and projects designed to increase and improve access to library services and resources for participating users' institutions. TALC strives to combat rising costs for library materials and resources through a number of group-based strategies.
Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL): The Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) was established in June 1956. Comprised of 31 institutions, ASERL has successfully fostered a high standard of library excellence through interinstitutional resource sharing and collaborative efforts to provide and maintain quality resources and services for the students, faculty, and citizens of their respective communities. Through this collaboration, ASERL supports the development of information resources of each parent institution as well as extending equal accessibility of these resources to other members of the group.
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Principles of Collection Development and Management
Resource Allocation
Funds are allocated to support the mission of the Libraries and the university. Allocation decisions consider factors that include program strengths, local demographics, collection use, interlibrary loan data, and publishing trends.
Funding allocations are made to support new directions in service, placing greater reliance on technology and integrating electronic information formats into daily routines and decision-making. The Libraries purchase access to information resources in electronic format when appropriate and feasible.
Print is still a significant format for the UT Libraries' collection. A major portion of funds for information resources is allocated to purchase printed monographs and journals.
Evaluation of periodical subscriptions is ongoing. New subscriptions, as well as cancellations, are contingent upon availability of funding. Consideration of value for the cost of information resources is important. Such an approach attempts to compare the expected benefit of purchases with their cost and potential use.
Allocations are made to subject areas without regard for endowed funds that may be designated to supplement state funding. Some funding is devoted to experimentation in accessing materials held remotely.
Selection Priorities
The Libraries' first priority in selection of materials is to support the research and curricular needs of the University faculty and students, by providing material for course preparation, lectures and assignments as well as scholarly investigation. The second priority is to provide a collection that supports the public service mission of UT as a land-grant university, including local, state and regional history, state and federal government publications. The Libraries continues to meet the criteria for membership in the Association of Research Libraries by maintaining a rate of collection growth appropriate for an institution of its size.
Information Sources for Selection
Subject Librarians use numerous sources to identify materials for acquisition within their subject areas. Regular contact with Library Representatives and other faculty of the academic units is an essential part of this process.
Current vs. Retrospective Selection
Primary emphasis is on the acquisition of current titles. The Libraries will make an effort to acquire retrospective works and backfiles as funds permit.
Approval Plans
To facilitate the collection development process, the Libraries receives certain designated categories of materials through approval plans with selected commercial vendors. Subject Librarians monitor the performance of approval plan vendors in their subject areas and report problems to the Collection Development and Management Office.
Endowment Funds
Several endowments are available to provide funds for purchases of Library materials. Endowment funds are often restricted to a specific subject or discipline. As a general rule, endowment funds are used only to pay for one-time purchases, not for subscriptions requiring a continuing financial commitment.
Gifts
The University Libraries accepts gifts of materials within the scope of its collection policies that support the teaching and research activities of the University. Gifts are added if they help meet curricular and research needs, enhance collection strength, or add significantly to the collection of items not previously held. Scholarly materials including manuscripts, recordings, books, and journals usually are acceptable. Outdated textbooks, popular books and magazines, and materials in poor condition are not accepted.
The Libraries reserves the right to review all gifts before acceptance. Subject Librarians evaluate gifts on a title-by-title basis. Once accepted, all gifts become the property of the University Libraries. The Libraries reserves the right to determine retention, location, cataloging, disposition and other factors relating to the gift.
Gifts to the University Libraries are tax deductible, but IRS regulations prohibit the University Libraries from providing estimations or appraisals. Information for Potential Donors to the University of Tennessee Libraries
Collection Evaluation
The Libraries conducts periodic, systematic evaluations using various techniques to ensure that the collection keeps pace with the changing, growing needs of the University community. Subject Librarians regularly assess materials for preservation, replacement, storage or withdrawal in order to ensure the continued integrity and usefulness of the collection.
Low-Use Material: Storage and Withdrawal
Withdrawal is the permanent removal of outdated, superseded, damaged, or redundant material from the collection. Primary responsibility for withdrawal lies with the Subject Librarians, although advice can and should be sought from Library Representatives. Withdrawal should be considered in cases of: excess number of duplicate copies, superseded editions, obsolete materials, materials that are out of scope for the collection, and materials in very poor physical condition.
Material that is infrequently used but still of long-term research value may be considered for transfer to the storage facility in Hoskins Library.
Preservation
The Libraries assumes responsibility for maintaining its research collections for future students and scholars. Material in severely deteriorated condition that still has research value may be sent to the Preservation Collection, located in Hoskins Library. The Preservation Collection is a closed stack facility that contains brittle and fragile books, periodicals that are at risk and for which other formats either do not exist or are unacceptable, and volumes that are not rare but require more secure storage to ensure their preservation. Access to this collection is available through paging to the Special Collections reading room or through the use of a stack permit, which may be issued by the Special Collections Librarian.
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Types and Formats of Materials
Books and Monographs
The Libraries collects primarily single copies of books. When a book is published in both hardcover and softcover editions, the Libraries will usually acquire the softcover version, unless the size and format of the hardcover edition make the content more accessible.
Newspapers
Newspapers are selected to represent a variety of social, cultural and political viewpoints, and to provide instructional and research support. Local and some state newspapers are collected, as well as significant national and major city newspapers. Preference is given to papers having national audiences, recognized as having wide influence, and commercially indexed. A small but representative selection of foreign newspapers is acquired.
Textbooks
Textbooks are not usually purchased. The exceptions are textbooks that have earned a reputation as classics in their fields, or when a textbook is the only or best source of information on a particular topic.
Reprints
Reprints of monographs and journals are collected, based upon the availability and comparative quality and price of the original or microform edition, or the existence of additional material in the reprint edition.
Dissertations and Theses
Dissertations and theses of University of Tennessee, Knoxville students are acquired and housed in Archives. Circulating copies are shelved in Hodges Library.
Library of Congress subject headings (LCSH) will be assigned only to theses and dissertations that include a geographic component that falls within the Southern States region as defined by the Library of Congress. All geographic and political divisions within the Southern States will also receive LCSH. (Examples: Tennessee, Knoxville, Great Smoky Mountains, Southern Appalachians, etc.) Subject Librarians may request that the Cataloging Team assign LC subject headings to other theses; these will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Libraries occasionally purchases dissertations and theses of other institutions when the content is deemed necessary to support research and otherwise meets selection criteria.
Maps
Maps and other cartographic materials are collected for research and instruction.
Microforms
This format includes microfiche, microfilm, and micro-opaques, and is useful for preservation purposes and space saving. Micro-opaques are no longer purchased. For microfilm and microfiche, silver halide film is preferred unless the materials will be updated and/or discarded after a short shelf life, i.e., less than 10 years.
The Libraries consults SOLINET's list of unacceptable microform agencies when choosing microform vendors.
Pamphlets
Pamphlets are generally not collected, although some pamphlet publications may be received as government depository materials. Pamphlets that are ephemeral in character will be withdrawn regularly. Pamphlets of significant value are acquired by Special Collections.
Art Work
Original works of visual and plastic art are not purchased.
Posters
Posters are not purchased, but may be received as government depository or archives materials. Posters that are ephemeral in character will be withdrawn regularly. Posters of significant value are acquired by Special Collections.
Audio and Visual Materials
Audiovisual materials are collected for research and instruction. DVD is the preferred format, although VHS, compact disk, laser disk, slides, cassette tapes, and CD-ROM are also collected. Closed caption formats are collected when available.
Electronic Formats
The University Libraries collects bibliographic materials, full text files, numeric data files, and graphic and multimedia files appropriate to the scope of the Libraries' collection. Courseware and instructional programs are generally not collected, unless intended for other than laboratory or classroom use. The Libraries will collect computer software only as accompanying material or used to facilitate access to other electronic formats collected by the Libraries.
The Library will not acquire site licenses to software or courseware for the purpose of distribution to users within the University.
Electronic Resources Collection Development Policy
Foreign Languages and Translations
The primary collecting language is English. Materials in languages other than English are collected for language instruction and for literary and historical research. Translations of major works in literature, history and other humanities disciplines will be purchased.
Publications by Local Authors and UT Faculty
The Libraries identifies and acquires publications by local authors to support curricular and research needs.
The Libraries identifies and acquires substantial scholarly monographs written by UT faculty, with the exception of textbooks, workbooks, laboratory manuals, etc.
Children's and Young Adult Literature
The Libraries identifies and acquires children's and young adult literature to support curricular and research needs. Both original works and scholarly studies of children's and young adult literature will be collected.
Multiple Copies
The Libraries generally does not purchase multiple copies of monographs or duplicate serial subscriptions. Works for which circulation records and patron requests indicate exceptionally heavy demand are considered for duplication, especially upon recommendation by faculty. A duplicate may also be considered when justification can be made for a reserve copy in addition to a circulating copy. Some duplication now exists between the main library and the branch libraries, but duplication not warranted by heavy use is not encouraged. Some duplicates are purchased as office copies in Libraries units where needed to support ongoing work.
Reserve Materials
Required or collateral reading materials are placed on reserve by faculty members for use by their students. These materials may be books and serials from the Libraries' collection, photocopies, or personal copies belonging to member of the faculty. Books that must be acquired for Reserve are purchased, by faculty request only, from a special fund for that purpose. Back to top.
Last updated 4/18/02.
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