Objectives: These guidelines are intended to assist in developing system-wide collection development policies that will serve as planning documents and working tools for selectors; aid communications between the libraries and with users; assure consistent and balanced growth of the collections; assist in determining and documenting budgetary needs; and facilitate interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing.

General Guidelines: Policies will describe existing strengths of collections, current levels of collection activity and desirable levels of collecting to meet user needs. Discrepancies in levels of current, existing and desired collection activity should be explained within the document. The process of writing each policy will involve both the selectors and faculty. The first step will be the analysis of each subject to include the following elements: brief history of the program area at Dartmouth for context, purpose of the collections, kinds of instructional and research programs and user needs supported; general subject boundaries, forms of material collected or excluded; language, geographical, and chronological parameters; storage and weeding criteria; and resource sharing agreements which complement the collecting emphasis. After this step has been accomplished, these analyses will be formulated in collection development statements for each subject and specialized format. As part of the analysis of subject boundaries, criteria for deselection should be described if relevant. For instance, in some subject areas, items that don’t circulate or older editions may be candidates for discard. Collection development policies will be presented by the bibliographer to the Collection Policies Group and then once reviewed by CPG, the policy will be submitted to the Collection Management and Development Committee for final approval.

Policies will be made available on the Library Web pages. It is recommended that bibliographers submit policies in both text and HTML formats. A template, into which text can be copied and pasted, will be provided. If a bibliographer is unable to use this template, the Collection Policies Group will facilitate the translation of a text document to HTML.

The end result of this multi-step process will be a comprehensive statement for the Dartmouth College Library that will provide an in-depth survey of the strengths and limitations of the Library's collection development program. At the same time, this will be an ongoing process. In order to reflect programmatic changes at the College, policies should be revised and updated as appropriate. A thorough review for each policy will be conducted every 5 years. If a policy requires significant changes before the end of the 5 years, the bibliographer can request n earlier review. If a bibliographer regularly consults a resource available on the World Wide Web, a URL should be provided in the collecting policy. These should be hot links in the web version of the policy.

Procedures: Each collection development policy will be drawn up in a standardized format and will include the following elements:

1. General Purpose

This is a goal-setting statement. It identifies (a) the user needs and programs supported by the collections; (b) the general emphasis in collecting activity; (c) short and long range plans for the future of the collection.

1A. History

This is a summary of the history of a department or program area at Dartmouth. It identifies a) major milestones in the development of a department or program; b) historically important individuals. This can be short.

2. Dartmouth College Program

This describes in more detail the teaching and research program supported by the collection.

3. General Subject Boundaries

This defines the general priorities and limitations governing selection. It indicates the areas not covered by the policy and should refer to other policies where these areas are covered. Policies referred to should be hot links in the web version of the document. The section also summarizes how collection responsibility is divided between subjects and/or library units. In this section the bibliographer should also characterize the deselection process, if relevant, or describe a planned weeding program that complements the collection building activities. For instance, it may be the policy to keep only the latest edition of certain textbooks rather than maintaining all editions. Stating this will ensure that the policy is clear.

4. Languages

This identifies the languages in which material is collected.

5. Geographical Areas

This identifies the geographical areas in which materials are collected.

6. Types of Materials Collected

This identifies types of materials which are excluded or intensively collected, e.g., serials, technical reports, documents, dissertations, indexes and abstracts, data bases, etc.

7. Format of Materials Collected

This identifies the format of materials that are excluded or intensively collected, e.g., digital information resources, microforms, machine-readable tapes, audiovisual, or visual materials.

8. Special Collections and Manuscripts

This lists rare book and special collections and manuscripts that enrich and expand resources in the general collections. Check with staff in Special Collections for help in identifying materials that may not be easily found. If appropriate, include information about Special Collections guides. In the web version of the policy hot links to relevant guides should be provided.

9. Other Resources Available

This lists other important collections (within or beyond Dartmouth) available to Dartmouth users that have an impact on Library's collecting patterns. In addition to resources available in RLG libraries, include local or regional resources that affect collection activity. If Web-based content is used regularly by a bibliographer, URLs should be provided for important resources. These should be hot links in the web version of the policy.

10. Detailed Subject Areas

Based on the preliminary subject listing, discussion with faculty and examination of current and past selection patterns, the detailed breakdown should identify the major aspects of the subject and reflect how it is organized at Dartmouth.

11. Cross-references to Collection Policies

This section lists the DCL collection policies that may have overlapping information. URLs for the policies should be included so that links can be made.

Assign level of collecting intensity. For each subject category indicate the following three levels:

(a) existing strength of collection

(b) Actual current level of collection activity

(c) desirable level of collecting to meet program needs.

Then in turn use code numbers 0 through 5 to describe these three levels. It is important to emphasize that code levels must be assigned as objectively as possibly. These values are supposed to describe collections or collecting absolutely, not relatively. They assume a national perspective, broad cognizance of bibliography in each field, familiarity with the holdings of the largest and best collections, and knowledge of current publication and book trade data. If it is necessary to describe the collection differently than noted here, an explanation of the alternate description should be provided.

The most crucial distinction is that made between a level 3 collection and a level 4 collection. Level 3 collections are adequate for local needs; Level 4 collections are national investments, attracting scholars and researchers who normally work elsewhere. Discrepancies in levels of current, existing and desired collection activity should be explained. For instance if the current collecting level is 3 but the desired level is 4, there should be some explanation as to why the desired level is not being achieved. This statement can be placed in a brief introduction to this section. For example, the discrepancy could be the result of budgetary constraints or lack of expertise in a new program.

REVISED CONSPECTUS COLLECTION DEPTH INDICATOR DEFINITIONS (1997)

Introduction

The following revised Conspectus collection depth indicator definitions were developed in 1996 and early 1997 under the auspices of the Association of Research Libraries with the help of WLN. More than 30 active Conspectus users from the United States and abroad worked together to update the original language in a way that would improve the use of the definitions without diminishing the value of assessments that had employed the original definitions.

The revised definitions are the result of a conscious attempt to make them uniformly applicable to all subjects. Consequently, the definitions are generic. Supplemental guidelines have been and should continue to be developed to communicate common sets of understanding about the definitions within the context of a particular subject or area, e.g., fiction, children's literature, architecture, etc.

The revised definitions also reflect the need to deal more adequately with non-print and electronic forms of information and access/ownership issues in collection development.

For topics requiring information in non-print formats at the Basic Information level and beyond, it is assumed that appropriate visual, aural and other materials will also be collected, e.g., dance, music, etc. To determine the appropriate collecting levels for topics in which non-print resources are essential, add the phrase "appropriate non-print media" to the line detailing the collecting of monographs and reference works. For example, Basic Information Level for a music collection would include "a limited collection of monographs, reference works and appropriate non-print media materials."

Relevant electronic resources are equivalent to print materials at any level as long as the policies and procedures for their use permit at least an equivalent information-gathering experience. Electronic journals, whether remotely or locally stored, are equivalent to print journals if

1. access to the electronic resources is at least equal to the print product;
2. there is access to a sufficient number of terminals; and
3. the information comes at no additional cost to the patron.

Similarly, a full text electronic archive of monographs, periodicals, images, etc., whether loaded locally or accessed over the Internet, is also equal to the original format if patron access and cost are equal or superior.

Document delivery services that are not instantaneous are not the same as those providing immediate availability on-site or electronically. The Conspectus measures resources owned by a library and its branches, if any, or those resources that are immediately accessible. The Conspectus does not measure what is obtained on a delayed basis from another library system or vendor, whether the delay is 10 hours or 10 days. Nonetheless, Conspectus users should feel free to provide details in the Notes Field about library user services which supplement but do not replace the library's owned resources.

Language Coverage Codes were not revised for this edition.

The numbers are defined as follows:

0 Out of Scope

Library does not intentionally collect materials in any format for this subject.

1 Minimal Information Level

Collections that support minimal inquiries about this subject and include:

*A very limited collection of general materials, including monographs and reference works.

Periodicals directly dealing with this topic and in-depth electronic information resources are not collected.

The collection should be frequently and systematically reviewed for currency of information. Superseded editions and titles containing outdated information should be withdrawn. Classic or standard retrospective materials may be retained.

2 Basic Information Level

Collections that serve to introduce and define a subject, to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere, and to support the needs of general library users through the first two years of college instruction include:

* A limited collection of monographs and reference works.

* A limited collection of representative general periodicals.

* Defined access* to a limited collection of owned or remotely-accessed electronic bibliographic tools, texts, data sets, journals, etc.

The collection should be frequently and systematically reviewed for currency of information. Superseded editions and titles containing outdated information should be withdrawn. Classic or standard retrospective materials may be retained.

3 Study or Instructional Support Level

Collections that provide information about a subject in a systematic way, but at a level of less than research intensity, and support the needs of general library users through college and beginning graduate instruction include:

* An extensive collection of general monographs and reference works and selected specialized monographs and reference works.

* An extensive collection of general periodicals and a representative collection of specialized periodicals.

* Limited collections of appropriate foreign language materials --- e.g., foreign language learning materials for non-native speakers or foreign language materials about a topic such as German history in German.

* Extensive collections of the works of well-known authors and selections from the works of lesser-known authors.

* Defined access* to an extensive collection of owned or remotely-accessed electronic resources, including bibliographic tools, texts, data sets, journals, etc.

The collection should be systematically reviewed for currency of information and to for assurance that essential and important information is retained, including significant numbers of classic retrospective materials.

4 Research Level

A collection that contains the major published source materials required for doctoral study and independent research includes:

* A very extensive collection of general and specialized monographs and reference works.

* A very extensive collection of general and specialized periodicals.

* Extensive collections of appropriate foreign language materials.

* Extensive collections of the works of well-known authors as well as lesser-known authors.

* Defined access* to a very extensive collection of owned or remotely accessed electronic resources, including bibliographic tools, texts, data sets, journals, etc.

Older material that is retained and systematically preserved to serve the needs of historical research

5 Comprehensive Level

A collection in a specifically defined field of knowledge that strives to be exhaustive, as far as is reasonably possible (i.e., a "special collection"), in all applicable languages includes:

* Exhaustive collections of published materials.

* Very extensive manuscript collections.

* Very extensive collections in all other pertinent formats.

A comprehensive level collection may serve as a national or international resource.

*NOTE: Defined access means more than simply providing patrons with access to the Internet and one or more Internet browsers. Defined access refers to menu options on the library or institution's home page, etc., which link the user to owned or remotely accessed electronic resources selected by the library with the needs of its patrons in mind. The level of defined access changes according to the level of the collection, e.g., from limited to extensive to very extensive access to collections of electronic information.

12. Creation date

Indicate the month and year the policy was created, followed by the name of the bibliographer who developed the policy.

13. Revision History

Indicate the month and year the policy was revised, followed by the name of the bibliographer who revised the policy.

14. LC Class

LC Class, if applicable

15. Bibliographer name

Indicate the name of the bibliographer currently responsible for the policy.

16. List of URLs

List of URLs that are included as hot links within the text of the policy. These should be listed with the name of the site and the URL written out underneath the name.

Create date: February 1989
Revision date: July 1997, May 1999

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