Collection Management Policy Thesaurus
The Thesaurus is organized according to
the policy outline described in the
Collection Management Manual, Bulletin 6.1
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Introduction 1. The purpose of the collection. |
Identifies the purpose of this policy and makes reference to policies for related areas which might be consulted. Identifies why the collection exists. Except for Special and Format Collections, collections normally support the curriculum and research needs of an academic program. A program is defined as an organized body of research or instruction which can be associated with specific degrees, or tracks or emphasis within degrees. A program should be defined so that it can be linked to an identifiable bibliographic universe. |
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2. The history of the program. |
Identifies when the program began and significant information about the associated department, such as when the department achieved departmental status, significant department chairs and scholars in the program's history. Derived from Program Profile; see "Preliminary Program Profile," Collection Management Manual, 6.2. |
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3. A description of the current program and perceived trends in the program. |
Identifies what degrees are currently offered and what program specializations, tracks, or emphases are provided; the number of faculty and majors in the program; associated research centers, laboratories, and institutes; the official body which accredits the program; the State University System program review date, as appropriate. Gives overview of curriculum and faculty research efforts. Identifies anticipated changes in the program such as new degrees to be offered, research or service initiatives, new instructional intitiatives such as laboratories, proposed research centers. Derived from Program Profile; see "Preliminary Program Profile," Collection Management Manual, 6.2. |
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4. History of the collection (all formats). |
Identifies when the collection began; how materials for the collection were selected and how the collection was managed; where the collection is and has been housed; what changes (as in funding or gifts) have influenced the development of the collection. |
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5. A description of the current collection. |
Identifies where the current collection, in all formats, is housed and serviced. |
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6. Estimate of the number of holdings. |
Provides an approximate number of holdings as a preliminary suggestion of collection strength. |
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7. Primary collecting responsibilities. |
Identifies the unit which has primary responsibility for developing and managing the collection. See "UF Collections Link to LC and Dewey Classifications," Collection Management Manual, 6.7. |
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8. Secondary collecting responsibilities. |
Identifies the unit which has secondary responsibility for developing and managing the collection. See "UF Collections Link to LC and Dewey Classifications," Collection Management Manual, 6.7. |
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9. Coordination with format and special collections. |
Identifies format and special collections used by program clientele for which coordination in collection management is desirable. |
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10. Chronological guidelines. |
Identifies "chronological periods covered by the collection in terms of intellectual content, movements or schools, and specific periods excluded, as appropriate." Identifies "chronological periods collected in terms of publication date and specific periods excluded, as appropriate." (1) |
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11. Geographic guidelines. |
Identifies "geographical areas covered by the collection in terms of intellectual content or publication sources or both and specific areas, as appropriate." |
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12. Language guidelines. |
Identifies "languages collected and excluded. " (2) |
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13. Format guidelines. |
Identifies formats collected and excluded and where those formats collected are maintained and serviced. See "Videotape Selection Guidelines," Collection Management Manual, 6.5. |
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14. Location guidelines. |
Identifies other locations besides the collecting units listed above which may house materials supporting the program. |
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15. Cataloging guidelines. |
Identifies, in consultation with the Catalog Department, priorities or special needs for materials to be cataloged. |
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16. Preservation guidelines. |
Identifies, in consultation with the Preservation Office, "items to be preserved from among those identified as in need of physical treatment or reformatting." (3). The reports of the task forces of the University Libraries' Planning Preservation Program may be consulted to assess preservation priorities. |
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17. Other major ARL & Special Collections upon which the library should rely for support. |
Identifies collections of current or potential value in resource sharing activities or for evaluative information. |
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18. Selection guidelines. |
Identifies collecting aims and efforts. Expressed in a form which relates the program's curriculum and research interests to the way the materials are organized in library collections. Includes the following, explained below: a subject term, classifications associated with the subject term, a Conspectus code, and descriptions of collecting aims. Employs information used in developing the Program Profile; see "Preliminary Program Profile," Collection Management Manual, 6.2. |
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Key Word or LC Subject Heading |
Identifies a subject within the program's range of subject interests. The organization and specificity of subject terms should be meaningful and manageable. |
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Library of Congress Classification |
Identifies a Library of Congress Classification number associated with the subject. |
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Dewey Decimal Classification |
Identifies a Dewey Decimal Classification number associated with the subject. |
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RLG Conspectus Code |
Identifies the Research Libraries Group (RLG) Conspectus code which links the subject to the Conspectus, as appropriate. The Conspectus is a resource for reporting the collecting activities of contributing libraries for resource sharing information. |
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ECS (Existing Collection Strength) for each Heading |
Collection Levels are a "set of abstract collection qualities or characteristics used as a scale to describe or categorize collection strengths (and by extension, current and desired collecting intensities). " (4) Expressed in codes; see "Code Definitions for ECS's, CCI's and DLC's," Collection Management Manual Bulletin , 6.4. The collection strength is the "current condition of a subject collection in a particular library as defined by collection levels. The collection strength may be temporarily at a higher or lower level than that of the current or desired collecting intensity. " (5) |
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CCI (Current Collecting Intensity) for each Heading |
A collecting intensity is a measure "of the effort expended in developing library collections." The CCI is "the relative degree of effort presently expended on the development of a subject collection; the current collecting instensity is expressed as the collection strength (defined by collection levels) which will result if the present effort continues over time." (6) |
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DLC (Desired Level of Collecting) for each Heading |
The DLC is the "relative degree of effort which should be maintained for development of a subject collection in order for the library to achieve its mission. Also known as DCI (Desired Collecting Intensity) and CG (Collection Goal). "The extent to which a library is successful in achieving its mission is partially apparent at any time by comparing the Current Collecting Intensity and the Desired Collecting Intensity." (7) |
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[Scope Notes] |
Identifies "local holdings or policies that provide information in addition to the codes specified for each subject in a conspectus." (8) |
References
(1) American Library Association. Subcommittee on Guidelines for Collection Development. Guide for Written Collection Policies. 2d ed. Chicago: The Association, 1989, p. 11; (2) ibid.; (3) ibid., p. 23; (4) ibid., p. 22; (5) ibid.; (6) ibid., p. 21; (7) ibid.; (8) ibid., p. 23.