Purpose:

These guidelines support general collection reviews to systematically refine a collection's utility for current and anticipated users and promote appropriate management of available resources. The guidelines emphasize the close relation between collections and the university's academic programs within a major, public, comprehensive, land-grant, research university.

The collections reflect a complex history of accumulating resources for students and faculty working within a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary groups. Collection reviews must be undertaken in full understanding that a collection will be used by a variety of scholars and students who work in diverse topics over periods of time and, therefore, a review can not be effectively accomplished by reference to a single group or a single time period. While reviews are organized by LC/Dewey/NAL classifications, collection managers undertaking reviews should be sensitive and creative when assessing potential use by students and faculty in various disciplines--older materials no longer important to a political scientist may have substantial current importance to an historian; older science materials may have become important to the history of science. Is there African, Jewish, Latin American content in the item? Does the item contain images? Is it a document or IGO publication? Does it contain maps? The key to quality review rests in the collection managers sensitivity to the general academic community needs and to the collections overall. Commonly, each class will be studied by several collection managers whose responsibilities overlap, but collection managers should continue the strong tradition of seeking additional opinions.

Collection reviews may be undertaken with a single specific purpose--to locate materials which no longer should be housed in the active collection--or combine several purposes--to locate materials for preservation, special, or limited circulation collections, etc. In any case, collection managers should use the opportunity to discuss and coordinate decisions with the faculty and students, with other collection managers who manage allied collections, with the Preservation Office, reference, and access services staffs. Since implementation of review decisions requires coordination, all pertinent library units, such as circulation and cataloging must be involved in the planning process prior to initiating a review.

Reviews

Individual guidelines to help collection managers reach review decisions have been created and should be reviewed prior to beginning a review project.

Active to Storage Collection (Blue)

Collection managers should be familiar with the "Storage Collection Management Policy" (CM Bulletin 6.19). Transferring material from the active to a storage collection is, obviously, a form of deselection. Such material, although having historical and research value, can be transferred to a remote area because of its low current use. While all formats can be considered, including single monographs, preference should be given to serials and monographic sets, since these transfers yield a greater quantity of space with the least amount of labor.

The potential use of material selected for storage, given current programmatic and research interests, should not exceed one consultation per year. If the ascertainable use is twice per year, then the item(s) should be kept in the active collection.

Ceased or canceled serials are among the likeliest candidates for storage, taking into consideration both the cessation date and the relevancy to the current programs. As earlier years of serials are less consulted than recent ones, serial runs can be divided, thereby transferring the older volumes to storage. General guidelines are:

• ten years or older for the sciences

• twenty years for the social sciences

• forty or more years for the humanities.

While these general criteria can be used in determining the retention span for particular areas or disciplines, each title should be assessed individually. The review should determine whether to divide a serial run in the first place and, if so, to determine the time span retained in the active collection. Regular consultation with faculty can obviously play a large role in these deliberations, as well as, time permitting, citation and/or user studies. Following any necessary consultation, the material selected for storage should be flagged with a blue slip and the collection manager should notify the appropriate circulation manager that the selection process has been completed.

Documents and Maps (red and yellow)

All official documents issued by US federal, state, foreign, or international governmental organizations should be reviewed by Documents collection managers prior to transfer or withdrawal. Collection managers should review "Regional Documents Depository Regulations and Tips for Identifying Federal Documents in the Collections" (CM Bulletin 6.17) and "Guidelines for identifying Foreign and International Documents (CM Bulletin 6.20). Collection managers should flag the items recommended for either transfer into a documents collection or withdrawal from the collection with a red slip and provide specific information to the Head, Documents Department so that the subsequent review can be accomplished.

Atlases and books containing maps selected for transfer or withdrawal should be flagged with a yellow slip and specific information should be provided to the Map librarian so that the subsequent review can be accomplished.

Latin American Materials (gray and tan)

Collection managers should be familiar with the location guidelines for Latin American materials (CM Bulletin 6.21) and recommendations for transfer into the Latin American Collection or withdrawals of materials with substantial Latin American content should be flagged with a gray slip and specific information should be provided to the Head, Latin American Collection so that the subsequent review can be accomplished.

Materials shifting out of the Latin American Collection should be flagged with a tan slip and the appropriate collection manager as designated in the LC/Dewey/NAL link list should be notified so that the subsequent review can be accomplished. Following the review, the appropriate circulation manager and the cataloging department should be notified that the review process is completed so that the implementation process can begin.

Limited Circulation Materials

The collection manager should refer to the "Limited Circulation Collection Management Policy" (CM Bulletin 6.12). As appropriate materials are uncovered, the collection manager should complete the form on page three of the policy, have it signed by the coordinating collection manager (bibliographer) if necessary, and forward it to the person responsible for managing the limited circulation collection in the location.

Preservation

The review process should incorporate the full range of preservation criteria contained in Preservation Bulletins 7.1-7.8 in the Collection Management Manual. While this may necessitate withdrawing the original and keeping a reprint; the original should be examined to determine if it may fall within the rare books or special collections review guidelines or contains colored images which are inherently important. Following several searches: 1) LUIS, to obtain the LUIS #; 2) RLIN, to determine that a master microform negative does not exist; 3) the appropriate tool to determine the title is not in-print, the brittle materials selected for reformatting will be charged out and taken directly to the Preservation Office

Special Collections Materials (green)

The collection manager should refer to the "Guidelines for identification of Materials for Rare Books and Special Collections" (CM Bulletin 6.14). As materials are uncovered for review by special collections staff, collection managers should flag the item with a green slip and provide specific information to the Head, Special Collections so that the subsequent review can be accomplished.

Withdrawals (white)

Given the research level of the UF collections and given the fact that there has been no systematic review, except in very limited cases, a withdrawal review should be a refinement of the collection rather than a radical weeding/deselection, especially since the possibility exists to store rather than withdraw materials. The ALA Guide to Review of Library Collections: Preservation, Storage and Withdrawals (1991) gives the following rationale or principles for withdrawals:

The most obvious value of deselecting materials is that of increasing the availability of stack space for current and future growth of the collection. Additional values to be gained through deselection are increased convenience for the library user, a higher proportion of materials that interest patrons on the shelves, and economy and efficiency in the use of time by library staff. Failure to deselect materials can diminish the vitality of a collection.

 

The decisions will be made by reviewing the shelves directly. Since the collections are unified, but split into Dewey and LC classifications, it will be necessary, when weeding the Dewey classes, to examine at the same time the corresponding call numbers in LC to determine whether the material does fall into the criteria in 1-6. Withdrawals should not be made if the title has been used during the past ten years or if the title has artifactual value. Determining the utility of an item as representative of a particular bibliographic universe, especially in reference to future need, is difficult. The collection manager should be aware that information is conveyed by image as well as text, and the significance of some editions, translations and works may lie in the unique illustrative matter they contain.

Withdrawals should include only the following types of material:

1. Duplicates: Retain from one to six [multiple] copies, considering the annual use of a particular title vis-à-vis the instructional and research programs, number of classes of the same course, possible use by other departments, etc. Multiple copies, usually more than two, are retained by large departments (English, Business) or because of specific policies advocating multiple texts; e.g. The Theater Department may need several copies of a play for performance.) When withdrawing duplicates, the selector should select the copy or copies in the worst physical condition and/or copies that are brittle. In general, a duplicate should be retained if a title has circulated more than twice within a year or if the title is frequently replaced because of loss.

2. Older or superseded editions: The criteria for duplicates should be applied. An older edition may be retained because of the number of circulation transactions within the year for that title. Older editions may have a historical or research interest, since they show a change or evolution in the author's thinking; e.g., some economics textbooks by Friedman, Samuelson, etc. and, in these cases and for all subjects, the first and/or subsequent editions should be kept. First editions of creative literature must be kept. Significant editions of a literary work should be kept as a record of bibliographic history, especially where variants occur, as with single or collected poetry titles. Earlier editions should be closely examined against the guidelines for rare books and special collections and for illustrative matter.

3. Commercial editions: The general guidelines for older or superseded editions should be applied to commercial editions, which have no historical or scholarly value and were published primarily for the general public. One overall principle to apply is to determine whether the edition was published during the author's lifetime or afterwards, especially with nineteenth century novels.

4. Manuals, textbooks, etc.: The publications are primarily printed for instructional use and are quickly superseded. In many cases, they still have instructional use and, depending on the quantity of related material, should be kept. Often they gain an historical or research interest for education, history of science, sociology or other disciplines. Collection managers, particularly in these cases, should consult with the faculty and other collection managers before acting on the withdrawal.

5. Works at the non-academic level: This category covers the gamut of publications whose academic levels may vary according to the subjectivity of the selector and the needs of the discipline involved. Before making a withdrawal recommendation, one should have no doubt that such a title is below academic level and contains no significant illustrative matter. Often these are bestsellers and serve as barometers for social change; i.e., Megatrends; I'm OK, You're OK; Vance Packard's works, etc. If in doubt, one should consult with other collection managers and the faculty. These titles may be useful for the Education or P. K. Yonge School Libraries. Juvenilia is an important component of several research programs and should not be withdrawn casually.

6. Translations: The collections hold English translations and translations into other languages of the same work. In some cases there are translations into other languages but not into English, and some of the languages are not the major Western ones. The collections need examples of good (and bad) translations and, in the case of area studies programs, the collections often contain local literature translated into a non-Western language. Before recommending a withdrawal, collection managers should determine whether the translation supports a particular language or area studies program.

Collection managers, following consultations, should flag the item selected for withdrawal with a white slip and notify the circulation manager in the appropriate location that the review process is completed.