Collection Development Policy Guidelines

Guidelines for writing collection development policies, by section. Each collection development policy will be drawn up in a standardized format and will include the following elements. Sections 5, 6, 7 and 9 are optional dependant upon the policy.

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 programs supported by the collection. This is the area where policies should state recognized interdisciplinary connections with other subject areas within the Library collections.

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 linked here and in the related policies section. The section also summarizes how collection responsibility is divided between subjects and/or library units. In this section the bibliographer should also characterize the de-selection 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 (if applicable)

This identifies the geographical areas in which materials are collected.

6. Types of Materials Collected (if applicable)

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

7. Format of Materials Collected (if applicable)

This identifies the format of materials that are excluded or intensively collected, e.g. digital information resources, microforms, audio or visual materials.

8. Special Collections and Manuscripts

This lists rare books, 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.

9. Other Resources Available (if applicable)

This lists other important collections (within or beyond Dartmouth) available to Dartmouth users that have an impact on Library's collecting patterns. For web-based content, URLs should be provided for important resources. These should be linked.

10. Creation date

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

11. Revision History

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

12. LC Class (if applicable)

Indicate the Library of Congress Classification areas (A-Z) where materials covered by this policy are typically classified. This is an optional element.

13. Bibliographer name(s)

Indicate the name of the bibliographer(s) currently responsible for the policy. This is modified in a separate text box below the main editing window.