Birkbeck Library: Acquisition, Management, and Budget Policy for Collections, Study notes of Decision Making

Download Birkbeck Library: Acquisition, Management, and Budget Policy for Collections and more Study notes Decision Making in PDF only on Docsity! Collection Development Policy 2019 1. Introduction This document describes the general principles by which Birkbeck Library Services acquires and manages its collections and provides a framework for their development in the coming years. By 'collections' we mean all our physical and digital information resources, including printed books and journals, DVDs, archives, e-books and electronic journals, databases, and other digital objects. It is a working document and will be reviewed and updated regularly. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that we continue to provide information resources which successfully support the teaching and research needs of Birkbeck, and that our decision-making is transparent. However, this will necessarily take place in the context of limited physical space, finite budgets, and the continued rise of digital formats. In particular, our printed holdings are currently housed in the main Birkbeck building as well as an on-site store and off-site store which are full, at a time when we are facing strong pressure to provide additional and varied study spaces for our students. In recent years we have reduced the overall size of our printed collection and we aim to maintain it at the current size whilst responding to change. All decisions made by Library staff relating to the acquisition and management of our collections are evidence-based and we will continue to develop our systems, and work with content providers, to ensure that we have the data necessary to do this. 2. Budget Each year, the Library submits a proposal for expenditure on information resources which is considered as part of Birkbeck's budget setting process. The annual grant we then receive provides our core funding for the purchase of information resources to support learning, teaching, and research at Birkbeck. This includes teaching that takes place at Stratford and also covers Birkbeck's contribution to maintaining the Senate House Library. The sum we receive for information resources is then sub-divided by School and Department using a formula based on projected (FTE) student numbers and academic staff numbers, mediated by average journal prices. Each departmental allocation must cover all expenditure on information resources for that subject area, including both books and journal subscriptions. Schools and Departments may add to their budgets. A percentage of the funding is top sliced to pay for resources that are used across disciplines (e.g. some large databases). The amounts of material in off-site storage impacts on the cost, and the spend on this, and has possible implications on the money available for purchase of new resources. The Library also spends the money it raises through book fines on information resources. This money is allocated by the Director of Library Services, in consultation with the Subject Librarians, and may be used to target subject areas or specific modules where there is lower than average student satisfaction with library resources, or to support new courses. Wherever possible, the Library will participate in partnerships and purchasing consortia which ensure that we obtain the best value for money when we purchase information resources. 3. Accessibility The Library will always try to acquire information resources in accessible formats. However, where this is not possible, we will endeavour to arrange for the provision of alternative, accessible versions of material for students registered with Birkbeck's Disability and Dyslexia Service, where these can be supplied by publishers. 4. Selection of new material 4.1 Books The Library's Subject Librarians select books to purchase, spending their budget allocation in the way that best meets the teaching and research needs of each department. The selection of material to support teaching is based primarily on the reading lists we receive from academic staff. It is the Library's aim to provide sufficient copies of, or electronic access to, all items of essential reading included in student reading lists and, where funds permit, background reading. Whenever possible, the Library will 5.2 Journals Due to space constraints, print runs of journals will only be considered for retention where we do not have access in perpetuity to the electronic version or where the quality of visual is key to the research value. Digital back files of print journal collections will be identified and purchased subject to availability of funds. Our journal holdings and subscriptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that they support the research, teaching and learning needs of the university and represent value for money, and print journals of low relevance to the university's needs will not be retained. 6. Store The Library has two onsite storage areas: in the basement of the Malet Street building and at 28 Russell Square. These spaces contain relegated books along with our collection of Birkbeck theses. The stores are actively managed and the material within the stores considered along with the items in the main sequence in relation to stock editing. We have access to an external store that holds Murray Bequest books, and print journals. 7. Institutional repositories The institutional repository (BIROn) contains bibliographic records and, in many cases, full-text files of research outputs published by Birkbeck researchers. The majority of full-text outputs are post-peer review 'Authors’ Accepted Manuscripts' of journal articles. These are easier to secure permissions for and fall into the scope of the REF Open Access policy. There are also Gold Open Access 'Versions of Record' which we legally reuse (usually under Creative Commons licences). Where full text is not immediately available due to publisher embargoes, we enable users to ask authors for a single copy under the terms of fair dealing. The Library manages two additional repositories: BiRD, for research data, and ORBIT, for theses produced by PhD (and equivalent level) researchers. 8. Donations Although donations are well-intentioned, there is a cost to the Library in accepting donated items, both in terms of the work required to make them shelf-ready, and the space they take up. Generally, we do not accept donations, therefore potential donors are strongly encouraged to provide a list of titles including the name, dates, and general condition of the material so that we can assess their suitability. Large gifts are accepted in exceptional circumstances and only when accompanied by special funding to meet high handling and processing costs and there is space is available. If gifts are accepted, Birkbeck Library Services becomes the owner of the material and, as such, reserves the right to determine its retention, location, cataloguing treatment, and other considerations related to its use, maintenance, or removal. Presented to the Library Advisory Group, October 2019.