Purpose
The Collection has been established at the Reg Erhardt Library to provide users with equitable access to subject-specific materials relevant to SAIT programs and schools. The Collection should evolve in close alignment with SAIT’s strategic priorities and values, serving as a living, highly adaptable entity, usage being a key principle.
Scope and Inclusion Criteria
Coverage
The Collection is primarily aimed at meeting the needs of SAIT students and academic staff, with other use groups (i.e. alumni, administrative staff, TAL members, Calgary community) assuming secondary roles. The vast majority of Collection content should directly relate to SAIT programs and schools. Materials which have been integrated within SAIT curriculum (i.e. textbooks, supplementary or research material) should be considered items of highest value and sought after.
Common content levels are as follows:
-Introductory/popular
-Basic studies
-Professional
-Trade publications
-General academic
Edition
Current editions should always be preferred, but the Collection must accommodate SAIT curriculum. Superseded editions should be acquired if heavily requested or required by curriculum.
Format
E-books (Electronic Books) are the format of choice for the Collection. E-books provide the advantage of both enabling distance/blended learning, and allow the Collections Team to utilize Demand-Driven Acquisition systems. Print monographs may overlap with e-books in the event of a request or highly used item.
Duplication
A single duplicate copy (2 copies) of a specifically requested resource may be made. Requests for exceptions should be passed to the Collection Development Librarian. E-books with multiple concurrent access licenses should help avoid the need for duplication.
Selection source of Materials
The Acquisitions Team, led by the Coordinator of Technical Services and using Data & Demand-Driven Acquisition methods, is responsible for acquiring the majority of Collection materials. Library Liaisons should help provide strategic direction for their subject areas, are highly encouraged to submit personal and faculty item/publisher requests, and should maintain close communication with the Acquisitions Team and Collections Librarian & Technician throughout the fiscal year(s).
Donations
As stated in section 5.3 of the general Collection Development Policy, donations should be accepted if they might have otherwise been acquired by other means. However, several ‘best practice’ principles should be followed:
-Gift receipts should only be issued for significant donations and by special exception
-The library reserves the right to reject and/or discard any donated material
-Donations should generally not be accepted if items would likely be subsequently weeded within the fiscal year (items should at
least be current within 5 years)
-The Acquisitions/Cataloging Technician & Collections Librarian will review the Donations shelf at regular intervals of 6 months
-The Acquisitions/Cataloging Technician is responsible for selecting which donated materials will enter main and sub collections
Maintenance & Responsibility
The Collections Librarian is responsible for overall adherence to and maintenance of the Collection and the Collection Development Policy, reporting to the Library Manager. Assistance, communication and implementation support are provided by the Collections Technician, in coordination with the Acquisitions Team and Library Liaisons.
Weeding
Weeding of this collection will occur on an ongoing case-by-case basis, as well as at a scheduled interval every year. The SAIT Weeding Tool should be used to help gauge the value of Collection materials, as to maintain relative worth and year-to-year consistency, while avoiding unnecessarily weeding items of value. General weeding criteria guiding principles:
Edition
Superseded editions should be retained if still relevant, accurate and highly used, and it is acceptable to house several past editions of a single text depending upon usage. Books should be given at least 5 years to circulate, independent of edition. As a general rule, both the current and one copy of the previous sequential edition should be housed in the Collection.
Condition
Highly used items (circulated at least once in the last year or several times in the last five years) should be replaced.
Currency
Currency is dependent upon the item’s subject-matter and program, but as a general rule, print books should be given at least 5 years to circulate. Certain SAIT programs rely on heavily on classics and/or texts written within relatively stable industries. This treatment should be respected and these items not weeded. However, SAIT’s vision and mission of innovation should also be emphasized, permitting the aggressive deselection of items no longer relevant and/or used. Individual items specifically identified as out-of-date by liaison team members and/or faculty should be updated or removed.