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Collection Development Policy

Collection

The Federal documents collection is an important and valuable part of the library's collection. The documents collection is the primary means of accessing current and historical information on the United States Government.

Criteria for general collection development (paper, microfiche, CD's):

  1. Supports the undergraduate curricula of St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict as well as the St. John's Preparatory School.
  2. Assists faculty research needs.
  3. Meets the reference use, scope, current time frame and intended audience.
  4. Addresses rural informational needs of the 6th Congressional District (agriculture, environment, energy, taxation, consumer protection, commerce, and health).

Criteria for electronic documents:

  1. Supports the undergraduate curricula of St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict as well as the St. John's Preparatory School.
  2. Support the instructional objectives of a specific discipline.
  3. Provides a relationship to other resources available in the library.
  4. Provides improvement or enhancement that the resource will give to existing print materials.
  5. Authenticity of the resource.
  6. Long term reliability of the source.
  7. User-friendliness - searching, printing, downloading accessibility.
  8. Compatibility of the resource with existing hardware.

We may substitute the tangible copy of a depository publication if the electronic version is complete, official and permanently accessible.

Selection

Items are selected with both current use and future research in mind. The Documents Librarian is solely responsible for the selection of government documents and related materials.  However, suggestions from appropriate subject bibliographers, members of the Government Documents Department staff, faculty, students, and other library patrons will be taken into consideration.  The Documents Librarian is also responsible for a GPO Bookstore fund established for purchasing non-selected documents and to purchase relacement copies of documents.

Documents which are not available in Alcuin Library can be obtained at either the St. Cloud State University's Federal Documents Collection, Learning Resources Center (320-255-2086), or at the University of Minnesota, Wilson Library (612-624-5073), which is the Regional Depository and consequently receives all depository publications.  A patron can access both of these collections by placing an Interlibrary Loan request.

Access

In accordance with Chapter 7 of the Instructions to Depository Libraries, Alcuin Library makes depository publications available at all times when the building is open.  All reference librarians are familiar with the structure of the depository program.  Student assistants can provide limited assistance during other open times.

Maintenance

The Federal documents collection will be classified by Superintendent of Documents classification (including periodical titles).

The depository collection in Alcuin Library will be maintained in accordance with sections 5 and 6 of the Guidelines for the Depository Library System.

  1. All documents will be marked with the depository property stamp and SuDuc number, barcoded for circulation and shelflist purposes, and stripped with 3M tattle- tape (paper only).
  2. Superseded documents are withdrawn following the Instructions to Depository Libraries and the Superseded List.  All other documents may become candidates for withdrawal after five years depending on their general appeal.
  3. Lost and/or damaged documents will be evaluated for replacement or repair at the discretion of the Documents Librarian and Documents Assistant.
  4. Procedures for commercial binding of documents follow the general library policy and are limited mainly to some periodical titles. (See attached policy).
  5. Most paper and electronic titles including maps (unless marked with a no loan sticker) circulate.   The Documents Librarian will make the decision as to non-circulating status and location.
  6. Statistics are kept on added and withdrawn titles and volumes for each format and on bibliographic record changes.

Withdrawal of Title from the Collection

Withdrawal of documents from the Alcuin Library Federal Documents Collection will be done in accordance with the criteria noted in the Superseded List (1996) and Chapter 4 of the Instructions Depository Libraries.  All titles (except superseded material) will be retained for 5 years from their date of receipt before they may be withdrawn. Superseded material should be withdrawn immediately at the discretion of the Documents Librarian in accordance with Section 6-7 of Guidelines for the Depository Library System. Weeding of the documents collection will be an on-going process throughout each year and will generate lists for withdrawal following the Regional Library's withdrawal schedule.  The decision to withdraw titles from the collection will be made by the Documents Librarian in consultation with the other librarians or faculty members as deemed appropriate by the Documents Librarian.