Collection Development & Deaccession Policy

Last updated: August 5, 2024

This policy covers rationale and criteria for the acquisition and retention of the Libraries’ circulating and reference collections in Pittsburgh. Its purpose is to guide the management of library resources. With some exceptions[1], we prioritize electronic formats for their accessibility, searchability, and sustainability as well as their space-saving qualities, which allow us to more equitably provide access to resources for all disciplines while ensuring that our students have ample space to meet and work.

 

Collection Management: Selecting

The Carnegie Mellon University Libraries aims to provide access to materials that directly support and anticipate the research, teaching, and learning needs of the university community. Electronic formats should be purchased when available. Selectors should regularly assess and refresh collections using data gleaned from sources such as the following:

  • Recent dissertation topics in a department
  • Highlighted research areas on a departmental or center website
  • Individual faculty research areas as noted on publicly available profiles (such as Elements)
  • New and core course offerings
  • Recent grants
  • Announcements about new or highlighted programs, centers, and areas of focus
  • Conversations with department chairs
  • Vetted open educational resources
  • At least one faculty meeting per year with time dedicated to the discussion of ongoing and upcoming resource needs
  • Ongoing faculty requests
  • Acknowledged need for diversity in a given collection
  • Published reviews in disciplinary journals
  • Materials recommended by the accessibility office
  • Replacement of materials meeting the collection maintenance retention criteria that appear on the quarterly Alma Lost/Missing Report
  • Items regularly requested via ILL

[1] These exceptions might include objects that are unavailable or are critically deprecated in digital formats (such as art books with no art images) and/or that are the work of CMU faculty authors.

 

Collection Management: Vendor Considerations

Vendors

  • When selecting a vendor for materials (RADS) or considering materials that are only available from a limited number of vendors (Academic Engagement), library staff should consider the following criteria:

For e-resources

  • Provide an accessible platform and content (see e-Resources Accessibility Overview)
  • Ensure seamless access for library users
  • Allow concurrent access when available or reasonably negotiable
  • Offer or provide for the negotiation of fair use rights i.e. to conduct computational research (such as text and data-mining) and use AI tools at a non-prohibitive cost
  • Provide detailed usage statistics

Additional considerations might include:

  • Offer multi-year deals
  • Are available via consortial agreements

For all resources, digital and print, the vendor should:

  • Already be registered as a supplier with CMU, or
  • For large or on-going purchases, be willing to work with us to get registered in our supplier database, or
  • If a small purchase ($500 or less), be willing to accept credit cards as payment

For the maximum possible number of resources, the vendor should:

  • Be able to provide shelf-ready / pre-cataloged materials, to the greatest extent possible
  • Use a system that is compatible and integrated with our Library Management System (LMS)

 

Funding

Selectors responsible for endowed funds should always use those when applicable and available. 

 

Format

Books, Journals, Reference Materials, Music Scores, Newspapers, Government Documents, Course Reserves: With the exception of some arts books; music scores; dedicated, browsable collections such as the science-fiction collection; foreign-language materials unavailable digitally, and monographs by CMU authors (which should all be collected in print), all purchases should be made in e-format unless a requested title is unavailable as such, in which case print may be purchased. When existing print holdings or microform can be replaced by digital backfiles from a reliable vendor, then print and microform should be discarded.

Audio: Vinyl, CD, or streaming.

Databases: Selection based on selector recommendation, approval by Head of Resource and Discovery Services.

Approval based on:

  • Projected use and value to CMU community, including amount of unique content included
  • Interface and interoperability
  • Reasonable downloading limit
    • Remote access availability
    • Accessibility compliance
    • Full-text access
  • Availability of funds
  • License terms
    • Legal text and data mining and AI-tool capabilities
    • Concurrent access

Datasets: Should be in a preferably open format that can be supported by the library and used by the researcher in common statistical software such as Excel, SAS, SPSS, and R. Should preferably allow for fair use rights for TDM and use with AI tools (for more information see updated Dataset Collection Guidelines).

Standards: A recognized core primary resource in engineering and related fields. Purchases should reflect current research and teaching interests. We only purchase current, not historical, editions of standards. Strong preference for e-standards available through publisher platforms. Generally not available through ILL due to licensing restrictions.

Textbooks: Generally, not purchased, unless they are (a) used as reference resources in a given field, or (b) frequently used texts that would be prohibitively expensive for students to purchase. In the latter case, we should then place these on reserve. Preference is always for e-format with multiple users.

Video: DVD or streaming, with close-captioned/transcribed streaming preferred where available. Streaming titles should be hosted externally by a current streaming supplier or from a distributor that hosts their films. If streaming titles are not externally hosted, it is unlikely that we will be able to purchase and provide access to them. See streaming media resource options and streaming media accessibility.

 

Language

The predominant language of the CMU Libraries’ collections is English. Materials may be bought in other languages only if required to support current research, teaching, and scholarship in those languages or cultures.

 

Gifts and Donations

Not solicited and highly selective acceptance, please see gifts policy. Donations to the University Archives documenting institutional history from the CMU community are accepted; please see Donating Materials.

 

Offsite Storage

The University Libraries has an offsite storage facility for low-use but potentially valuable materials that selectors see value in retaining. We do not retain multiple copies unless items are only available in print and are regularly checked out.

 

Collection Maintenance: Deselection

Deselection Considerations

Excludes Roberts Collection; Posner Collection; Archives; Special Collections; Artists’ Books; Architecture Archives

When determining whether to deaccession any item from the library’s general collections, selectors should consider, in approximately this order:

  • Availability of a digital version
  • Relevance to current and anticipated teaching & research needs
  • Historical usage data
  • Disciplinary importance (based on selector knowledge of field)
  • Feedback from users about an item’s usefulness or value to the field
  • Role in increasing the diversity of our collections
  • Reputation/coverage (as indicated by reviews, awards, etc.)
  • Physical condition, for print collections
  • Availability of the material via ILL or EZBorrow
  • Recurring subscription costs
  • Publisher or vendor reputation and business practice

 

RETAIN IN LIBRARY

NEWNESS: Was purchased and added to collection within the past 5 years (Regardless of date of publication; regardless of circulation)

CURRENT DEMAND: Is not new but has circulated internally (within CMU) in the past five years or externally (via EZBorrow or ILL) or has been used on site 5 or more times in the last five years

RELATED DEMAND: Item is part of a multi-volume work or series/collection where other items in the series/collection show evidence of current demand as indicated above

CMU RELEVANCE: Item is authored by a current or former CMU faculty member or published by a CMU entity (such as CMU Press)

RARITY: Fewer than five EZ Borrow Libraries own it or we are the only regional library to own it

LOW DEMAND, DISCIPLINARY RELEVANCE, BUT NO ELECTRONIC VERSION AVAILABLE: Is not new and does not show signs of current demand but is a disciplinary classic (as determined by the selector) without a perpetually licensed digital edition

 

MOVE TO OFFSITE (and purchase digital edition if available)

RELATIVE RARITY: 6-10 EZ Borrow Libraries own it or fewer than 100 US Libraries own it

LOW DEMAND: Has circulated internally or externally fewer than five times but more than once in the last ten years and we do not own (and cannot purchase) a digital edition

 

DISCARD

DISCIPLINARY RELEVANCE but DIGITALLY AVAILABLE: Is a disciplinary classic (as determined by the selector) but we own (or can and do purchase) a perpetually licensed digital edition

LOW DEMAND: Has circulated internally or externally fewer than five times but more than once in the last ten years and we own (or can and do purchase) a digital edition (preferably perpetually licensed)

OLD EDITION: We hold a newer but otherwise identical copy of the book (in print if it meets “retain in library” criteria, otherwise digitally). New editions featuring new introductions, translations, or versions of the text should be retained if they meet “retain in library” criteria.

DUPLICATES: Duplicate copies that do not meet one of the “retain in library” criteria

DOES NOT MEET RETAIN/OFFSITE CRITERIA:

  • Is not new
  • Has not circulated at all in the last ten years and no digital edition available
  • Does not have disciplinary classic status as determined by selector
  • Does not have “relative rarity” or “rarity” status
  • Does not have CMU relevance