William M. Brish Library - Hagerstown Community College: Collection Development

Library Development Policy

Collection Development Guidelines

As provided in the Library Development Policy, library staff implement these guidelines when selecting and deselecting materials for the library.

The William M. Brish Library at Hagerstown Community College is committed to supporting the research and study needs of all post-secondary education students attending the college. Support is given for study in all curriculum and program areas of the college. Recreational materials are also provided. Students, faculty, and staff at the college are given priority. The community may use and borrow from the collection. 
The library collection includes books, periodicals, audio-visual materials and electronic resources. The size of the collection varies, but generally speaking, includes about five thousand physical items, hundreds of thousands of e-books, and millions of electronic journal and periodical articles. The collection can best be described as containing materials at the basic information level, both introductory and advanced, in support of the college curriculum.

These Collection Development Guidelines are designed for use as a planning tool and as a means of communicating the library’s goals and standards as they relate to the collection. The guidelines reflect the fact that the William M. Brish Library is constrained from accumulating all informational materials, in all subject areas, by limitations in funds, space, staffing, and need.

Philosophy 

Recognizing that access to education and information is a primary need and goal of a democracy, the William M. Brish Library is committed to developing a collection that provides choice in a wide variety of subject areas. The support of the curriculum and instructional needs of the college are essential and always the first consideration. 

Objectives & Scope 

1. The William M. Brish Library seeks to offer a collection that supports the academic programs and curricula at Hagerstown Community College. This role requires that materials made available to students, faculty, and staff must be appropriate in terms of coverage and depth, be timely, factual and relevant, and when applicable, offer clear and contrasting viewpoints on controversial issues. 
2. Students, faculty and staff at Hagerstown Community College represent a wide range of needs, interests, abilities, and levels of background knowledge. The collection must reflect these differences while offering each individual appropriate material for their learning style, needs, and ability.  Most of the collection should be maintained at either the instruction (or teaching) level or the introductory or advanced level of basic information.
3. It is understood that given the need for a current collection, and given space limitations, that all additions to the collection will be in tandem with an on-going discard/weeding program. See the library development policy for details.

General Selection Guidelines

The following general guidelines for selection apply to all materials regardless of format. They are:

• Relevance to the curriculum
• Accuracy, objectivity, and a balance of opinions
• Needs of present holdings in a specific subject area
• Availability of materials on the subject through other sources
• Authority of author or issuing body
• Appropriateness of the vocabulary or level of treatment for this subject
• Frequency of requests for material in this subject area
• Timeliness
• Lasting value
• Format to include indexes, bibliographies, etc.
• Cost effectiveness
• Physical characteristics and/or durability
• Suitability of format to subject
• Reputation of publisher or publishing agency

Specific Materials & Formats

Electronic Resources

Electronic or digital materials will be preferred, in general, unless a print version specifically meets the needs of readers in offering more timely availability, greater functionality, and/or economic savings.

Children’s Materials

The children’s collection is a minimal collection designed to support the early childhood education certificate and the transfer education major which both include a course in children’s literature. Emphasis is given to recognized authors and titles in the field such as Caldecott and Newbery award winners.

McNaughton Collection (leisure/recreational reading): 

The McNaughton rental collection is selected with the recreational reader in mind. The McNaughton Company allows the library to add dozens of titles a year to the permanent collection. Care should be taken to note and select with this in mind—biographies, award winning fiction and non-fiction titles that support both recreational reading needs and research needs can then be added to the permanent collection. 

Easy Reading Collection

In support of Adult Education programs, a small selection of easy reading texts are acquired. Emphasis is placed on Hi-Lo texts and materials of interest to English language learners.

Textbooks

In general, textbooks are NOT systematically purchased for the collection. Textbooks are added to the collection for subject areas where the material is not found elsewhere. The nursing collection, for instance, has a significant number of textbooks. At faculty request, textbooks currently in use for a given course may be placed on reserve.

Reference Collection

Electronic reference resources are generally preferred unless a print version specifically meets the needs of researchers in offering more timely availability, greater functionality, and/or economic savings. 

College Archives

Items referencing the college’s direct history will be referred to the college archives. See the library’s development policy for further details.

Research Materials:

Although exceptions can be made, research materials for faculty will be purchased only if these materials also meet the criteria for use by students. Interlibrary loan will be used to supply faculty research materials. 

State & Local History

The collection does give some emphasis to state and local history materials including the Civil War; however, the Western Maryland Room at the Washington County Public Library in Hagerstown is the primary source for this subject.

Multiple Copies

With few exceptions, multiple copies of any title will not be purchased. Occasionally it can be anticipated and/or demonstrated that additional copies of a title are needed. If so, they can be purchased.

Audio-Visual Materials

Current digital formats will be preferred.

Donations

Gifts of books and other materials are welcome. See the library development policy for details.

• Donations must be delivered during regular hours of operation as there is no pick-up service available. 
• An itemized list of donated materials is greatly appreciated. 
• Written acknowledgement will be sent to the donor and may be used as proof of donation for IRS purposes. 

Replacements

It is not the library’s intention to routinely replace all materials because of damage or loss. The following criteria will be considered on a title-by-title basis:

• Strength of present holdings in the same subject
• Lasting value of the material
• Historical significance of the title
• Availability of this title and of other materials on the subject through other sources
• Demand for the specific title or subject
• Number of duplicate copies 

Materials Not Collected

Although isolated exceptions are made, the following materials are not acquired for the library collection:  

• Computer software
• Pamphlets
• Artwork
• Tests
• Dissertations/theses
• Outdated audiovisual media