Information Services

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION ACCESS POLICY

This guide provides a brief overview of the collection development, collection management and information access policies in place at the Charles E. Shain Library.  Policies for the Greer Music Library are available on the Greer website. 

INTRODUCTION

Purpose of the Collection Development and Information Access Policy Statement

The primary purpose of the Collection Development and Information Access Policy Statement is to establish and articulate guidelines for the systematic development and maintenance of the library collections serving the Connecticut College community.   The policy also outlines strategies for supplementing the library’s collections through consortial arrangements, interlibrary loan services and document delivery options.  The policy statement is intended to clarify the goals of the collection management program and to serve as a guide for selectors in recommending materials for purchase or lease.  All policies are designed to reflect the academic goals of Connecticut College and the needs of the College’s users.

Connecticut College and its community

Connecticut College is a highly selective, coeducational, private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut.  While the college is primarily an undergraduate, residential institution, the Master of Arts degree is offered in psychology, music, botany, chemistry and zoology along with the Master of Arts in Teaching.    In addition to its departmental programs, the College offers certificates of achievement to students completing the proscribed course of study in the Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts, the Center for Arts and Technology, the Center for Community Action and Public Policy and the Center for Conservation Biology.   The College community consists of approximately 1850 students, 165 faculty and over 500 staff.   Library patrons also include local alumni, area residents and local teachers.

Information Services

At Connecticut College, libraries and computing have been merged into the Information Services Department under the leadership of the Vice President for Information Services with the following mission: “Keeping you CONNected: Partnering with the college community to provide innovative, reliable and universal access to information resources in support of academic and administrative endeavors”.  A major goal of the department is “to ensure access to books, periodicals, and other information resources for learning, teaching, scholarship, and administration”.  Librarians work closely with their colleagues in information technology to accomplish this goal.

Information Resources Team of Information Services

The Information Resources Team ensures the timely and continued availability of scholarly materials in all formats. Members of the team oversee the acquisition and maintenance of the library’s collections, the creation and management of the bibliographic database and the physical processing of materials added to the collections.

In addition, the team supervises the use of the library’s collections, obtains materials from outside sources as needed through interlibrary loan and shares resources with our extended community.

The CTW Consortium

In 1985 the Connecticut College libraries entered into a consortial agreement with Trinity College and Wesleyan University to share an automated library catalog and to participate in reciprocal borrowing of the collections represented in the catalog.   Materials are transported within the consortium on a daily basis.  Decisions to purchase materials for the Connecticut College collection are made within the context of the larger consortial collection in order to maximize the scope and usefulness of the shared collection.

GOALS OF THE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION ACCESS PROGRAM

Curricular Support:

The primary mission of the college libraries is to support the

instruction program of the college.  The library’s goal is to collect materials at the  Study or Instructional Support Level, as defined by the American Library Association’s Guidelines  for the Formulation of Collection Development Policies, in support of all academic departments, interdisciplinary programs and the Centers.  In support of departments offering graduate degrees, the library will collect selectively at the Advanced Study or Instructional Level.                             

Faculty research support:

A secondary goal is to provide materials in support of faculty research to the degree possible within the limits of the materials budget.  The library does not, however, collect in any area at the Research Level, as defined by ALA.   The CTW borrowing program and the library’s robust interlibrary loan program supplement the local collection for materials needed for faculty research.

Bibliographic access:             

The library will provide comprehensive access to the bibliography of all disciplines represented in the curriculum through the major electronic abstracting and indexing services and published reference bibliographies.    

General non-curricular support: 

The library will build basic collections at the Basic Study or Instructional Support Level  in areas of the liberal arts not directly represented in the curriculum.  It is important to collect the most significant works published each year across the liberal arts to develop a balanced collection that will remain relevant and responsive to changes in curricular emphasis over the years.

 Browsing collection:

Within the limits of the materials budget, the library will provide a selection of current fiction, poetry, drama, biography, history, popular science, recreational books and general non-fiction for its users.   A rotating selection of these titles will be displayed regularly on the New Book Shelf.

Administrative Support:

            The library will attempt to provide materials needed by the College’s administrative personnel to meet their responsibilities.  When funds are limited, however, the first priority will always be the purchase of materials in direct support of the curriculum.                              

INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM AND PROFESSIONAL CODES

The Charles E. Shain Library at Connecticut College adheres to the following professional codes.  Links are provided for access to the full text of these statements.

American Library Association Statement on Intellectual Freedom

American Library Association Resolution Reaffirming the Principles of Intellectual Freedom in the Aftermath of Terrorist Attacks

American Library Association Bill of Rights

American Library Association Code of Ethics

American Library Association Challenged Materials

American Library Association Freedom to Read

American Library Association Confidentiality of Library Records

American Library Association Access to Electronic Information

Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights

THE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Responsibility for the Selection of Library Materials: 

Collection development is a shared responsibility.  Library liaisons partner with the faculty to build strong and relevant collections in each discipline.    Students and other members of the College Community are encouraged to suggest materials for purchase within the guidelines of the selection criteria outlined below.  The Director of Information Resources is responsible for oversight of the collection development program.   The Reference and Liaison Group, which meets regularly during the academic year, serves as a collection development committee to adopt and review policies and consider major purchases for the Library.

The Library’s Approval Plan

Shain Library maintains a slip approval plan with Yankee Book Peddler.  This is designed as a current-awareness tool to advise selectors of the most recent books published by the major academic publishers in areas reflecting the College’s curriculum.  The approval profile will be reviewed periodically by the library liaisons with the faculty in their assigned departments to assure that curricular changes are reflected.  

Retrospective Analysis and Collection Building

The library materials budget is used primarily to acquire recently published materials.  When there are major shifts in the curricular offerings of an academic department, the library liaison and the Director of Information Resources will work with the faculty to fill in gaps in the collection.  In some cases, supplementary funds will be requested to address this need. 

Preservation, Conservation and Restoration

Members of the Information Resources Team have been trained to do basic book repairs and to supervise the binding of library materials for permanent retention. Most books added to the library are covered with protective Mylar coverings.  A departmental Preservation Committee has produced an emergency manual with instructions for dealing with the restoration of materials damaged by fire, water, etc.  This Committee also makes recommendations regarding the maintenance of appropriate atmospheric conditions for the proper storage of library materials.  Information Services does not have the staff to undertake major preservation, conservation or restoration projects.  Such projects are outsourced as necessary.

Replacement of Damaged and Lost Materials

Damaged and lost materials are often those that have been most heavily used by faculty and students.  The Library will review these titles for availability within the CTW Consortium and will make every effort to replace those which are unavailable within the consortium or which constitute core titles for a liberal arts collection.

Out of Print Searching

On request, the Acquisitions Supervisor will search out-of-print services such as Alibris to locate copies of out-of-print books in acceptable condition needed for the collection.  These materials can be difficult to find, however, and the Library cannot guarantee acquisition of OP titles.  Acquisitions staff do not attempt to review print lists of OP titles for acquisition.

Access to Collections

The Circulation Supervisor has overall responsibility for access to the Library’s physical collections. This involves oversight of the book and periodical stacks, management of circulation operations, attention to disability access issues and coordination of the physical maintenance of the building with College staff.   The Library is committed to shelving returned books as promptly as possible and reading the stacks regularly to assure access to the print collections.  Circulation and Reserve policies are posted on the Library’s website.

Shain Library, built in the late 1970’s, is close to maximum capacity in the book stacks.   To provide for the growth of current collections, little-used materials may be placed in storage in a shared Nelinet facility in Massachusetts.   The CTW Consortium is working to identify duplicate backfiles of journals with the goal of storing one consortial archival copy in the Nelinet facility.  Access to materials in the Nelinet facility is provided electronically for journal articles and by ground transportation for books.

The Serials/Electronic Access Librarian works with the technical staff in Information Resources to maintain access to the Library’s electronic materials.  Off-campus access to these products is provided through a proxy server.

Budget Structure and Allocation Procedures

Funds for the purchase of library materials are derived from three sources:  the annual institutional budget, income from endowed funds and occasional gifts received throughout the fiscal year.  Institutional funds designated for Shain Library are divided into two lines: Books and Periodicals.   The book funds are allocated internally to cover the cost of approval books, reference books, standing orders for sets, binding of books, postage, media purchases and firm-order books.  The periodical funds are allocated internally to pay for subscriptions to periodicals, serials, newspapers and electronic products.   Binding and commission costs come from this fund as well.   Gift monies and endowment income are used primarily to supplement the institutional book line.

The Director of Information Resources is responsible for oversight of the materials budget and allocation and management of the book funds.  The Serials/Electronic Access Librarian manages the periodical line and allocates the periodical funds.  Approximately 65% of all available book funds is allocated internally by academic department and managed by the individual library liaisons.  Allocations are designed to roughly mirror the scholarly publishing output in the field over the previous year as reflected in two sets of data:  Yankee Book Peddler’s figures for scholarly output across the disciplines and Choice Magazine’s data on books reviewed for undergraduate institutions.  Other factors that are taken into consideration include dependence of the discipline on books for research, size of the department, new programs, cost of materials and strength of the existing collection. The remaining 35% of the book funds are allocated for reference books, discretionary purchases and interdisciplinary programs such as film studies.  When possible, a sum of money is set aside in a “Major Purchase Fund”.  Liaisons submit order requests for costly materials to a Major Purchase Committee, which distributes the funds in the Major Purchase Fund.

Periodical allocations reflect the expected cost for journals currently received.  Because increases in the periodical budget rarely cover the inflationary increases in subscription prices for currently received titles, the list of journals must be constantly reviewed to identify little used titles for cancellation.  These reviews are managed by the library liaisons with the faculty.      

Acquisition Procedures:

The Supervisor of Acquisitions is responsible for acquiring library materials in the most timely and economical way possible.  The library will take advantage of all available consortial arrangements to negotiate the most favorable discounts for all library materials.   Materials needed on a rush basis, particularly for Reserve, will be either purchased locally from the Connecticut College Bookstore or from a source such as Amazon Books where rapid order fulfillment is the norm.  Routine academic purchases will be ordered from our major academic vendor, Yankee Book Peddler, and these materials can normally be expected to arrive within three weeks.  Trade books, such as current fiction and poetry, will be ordered from Baker & Taylor to accrue the largest possible discount.   Faculty, students and staff may leave requests for book purchases at the Reference Desk on the Main Floor of the Library. 

Interlibrary Loan and CTW Borrowing

The Interlibrary Loan and CTW Borrowing programs at Shain Library are an integral part of the services offered by the Information Resources Team.  Materials available within the CTW consortium are delivered via a shared van service on a daily basis during the academic year.  Interlibrary Loan staff will make every effort to locate and obtain materials not available within the consortium to meet the needs of faculty, students and staff.  Individual users can establish an account through ILLiad to track the status of their requests.

Document Delivery

Shain Library offers access to a substantial body of journal literature through its own collections, through the CTW Consortium and through the services of Interlibrary Loan.  When rapid access is needed to journal articles not available through these channels in a timely way, faculty, graduate students and undergraduate honors students may order articles directly through departmental accounts established with a document delivery service.  The library will provide limited funds for this purpose.

POLICIES AFFECTING ALL DISCIPLINES

Selection Criteria

The Library is committed to providing a multi-disciplinary, diverse collection of high quality materials across the liberal arts based on Section II of the Library Bill of Rights, which states: “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.  Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” The following general criteria are considered in making selection decisions:

                        Relevance to the teaching curriculum of the College

                        Lasting value of the content

                        Reviews in the professional literature

                        Reputation of the author/publisher

                        Appropriateness of the level of treatment, format and language

                        Availability within the CTW consortium

                        Strength of present holdings in the subject area

                        Importance to the literature of the discipline

                        Indexing in a product owned by Shain Library (for periodicals)

                        Presence on a core titles list for an accrediting agency (for periodicals)

                        Full-text searchability (for full-text electronic products)

                        Licensing requirements (for electronic resources)

                        Archival arrangements (for electronic resources)

                        Cost

Monographs

Duplicate Copies

The library will not acquire multiple copies of single titles unless needed for course reserve.  For reserve, one copy per 15 students will be purchased.  After the first copy, preference will be given to paperback editions if available.  If duplicate copies are available for reserve from Trinity or Wesleyan, these copies will be considered in the total count.

Textbooks

The Library does not normally acquire textbooks and their accompanying manuals, workbooks and media items for the collection unless they provide key information in the field that is not otherwise available.  In particular, the Library does not purchase textbooks required for classes and intended to be purchased by students.  In some cases, however, standard monographs required for courses MAY be purchased for Reserve if they meet the criteria for selection outlined above.

Juvenile Books

The library maintains a small collection of juvenile books and teaching materials with an emphasis on the teaching of social values to children in grades K through 8.  This collection is funded by a gift from Elizabeth Reiley Armington, Class of 1931, and is administered by the Armington Social Values Committee.  Award books and materials requested by the Committee and faculty in the Human Development and Education Departments make up the bulk of new acquisitions each year.  The Special Collections Librarian is responsible for acquiring new titles for the Helen O. Gildersleeve Collection, a collection of rare children’s books found in the Library’s Special Collections. 

Hardcover vs. Paper

Preference is given to the acquisition of books in hardcover unless purchasing a paperback edition will result in considerable savings.  Paperbacks are normally bound before they are added to the collection unless it is anticipated that the book will not be permanently retained or in cases where binding would result in the loss of content at the inner margins.  In some cases, laminate covers may be selected as an alternative to commercial binding.

Theses and Dissertations

The library will first attempt to borrow theses and dissertations requested by faculty members, graduate students and senior honors students through Interlibrary Loan.  If unavailable through ILL, the library will purchase from UMI those theses and dissertations needed for research if they meet the general criteria for selection outlined above.  Theses and dissertations will be purchased for senior honors students only upon the recommendation of the faculty advisor.  Foreign dissertations are not normally acquired unless specifically requested by a faculty member.

Electronic Books

The library will acquire electronic books selectively.  Preference will be given to reference titles such as encyclopedias and handbooks. Library staff will closely monitor the development of this evolving format and adjust selection policies as appropriate.

Standing orders

The library places standing orders for monographic sets where it is understood that acquiring the complete set is desirable.  Prime examples include critical editions of writers’ works and multi-volume histories published by major academic presses.  

Serials

Periodicals and Newspapers

Shain Library will maintain a core collection of journals in various formats to support the needs of undergraduate students and to a limited extent the research needs of faculty and graduate students.  This collection will be supplemented by access to the titles available from our CTW partners and through Interlibrary Loan.  Locally, a new journal will be added only if a title of equal or greater value is cancelled.  Library liaisons will work closely with academic departments to assure that current subscriptions accurately reflect the needs of each department.  Generally, the Library will subscribe to journals in one format only, and preference will be given to electronic format when available with the exceptions listed below.

A paper subscription will be acquired and retained if the electronic coverage of a title omits important information found in the print edition.

A paper subscription will be acquired and retained if on-going usage studies show steady use.

A paper subscription will be acquired and retained if the image quality provided electronically is not satisfactory.

A paper subscription will be acquired and retained when deemed essential by a faculty in consultation with the library staff.

A paper subscription will be acquired and retained when the stability of the electronic product is questionable.

A paper subscription will be acquired and retained for titles edited by Connecticut College faculty.

Two formats will be retained when electronic access is included as part of a subscription package at no additional cost.

Shain Library will maintain subscriptions to a selection of major national and international newspapers in print.  Foreign language titles will reflect the languages taught at the College and the programs of students enrolled in the Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts.  The Library will also provide electronic access to selected national newspapers through subscriptions to the major databases providing this access.  Newspaper retention policies are posted in the library near the newspaper reading area and are subject to change based on need.

Standing Orders

To assure the timely receipt of important monographic series and reference works published serially, Shain Library will maintain standing orders for selected titles with academic vendors. 

Maps and Atlases

Shain Library acquires most of its maps through the U. S. Government depository system and through its subscription to National Geographic Magazine.  Occasionally, maps of local interest are acquired and kept at the Reference Desk for consultation.  The Library collects a wide variety of national and international atlases, subject atlases, gazetteers and historical atlases for its Reference Collection.

Media Materials

Microforms

Historically, the Library has elected to retain the backfiles of newspapers and popular magazines such as Time and Newsweek in microform.  In addition, the Library has selectively acquired subject collections and individual publications in this format when it was most practical and economical to do so.  Most materials were purchased in either 35mm silver halide microfilm or microfiche.  The Library maintains reader/printers for microform use.

Currently, electronic formats are preferred whenever available from a reliable, stable vendor.   Therefore, microforms are collected only when digital equivalents are unavailable.

Video

Shain Library maintains a large and growing collection of video materials in support of courses taught at the College.  In addition, librarians routinely purchase copies of classic and foreign films for its general collection.   Materials are acquired in all currently supported media formats. The Library maintains individual viewing stations for all media formats included in its collections.

Audio

Shain Library does not routinely collect audio materials for its collection.  However, Greer Music Library in Cummings Arts Center has an extensive collection of music materials in this format.

Slides

Shain Library does not collect slides.  The Visual Resources Library in Cummings Arts Center maintains an extensive collection of art and architecture slides primarily for the use of faculty in their classes.

Electronic Formats

Abstracting and Indexing Services

The library is committed to providing at least one major abstracting/indexing database for each discipline represented in the College’s curriculum.  The Reference/Liaison Group in consultation with the appropriate academic departments selects these databases.

Full text products

The Library will take advantage of every opportunity to add high-quality full text products to its suite of electronic resources.  Preference will be given to those products, which are accessed with links from electronic databases, such as PsycInfo and PsycArticles.  While emphasis will be placed on full text periodical databases, other important full text products will be added as well.          

Websites

The library selects and maintains links to free, web-based resources for use in both general reference and subject specific web pages.  Recognizing that the quality of free web resources is at best uneven, some criteria in addition to the standard selection guidelines apply.  Overall, these resources are selected for their ability to support and enhance the academic needs of the various disciplines.  Specific selection criteria include the resource’s author or sponsor, the currency of the site, its stability, ease of navigation, objectivity and intended audience.  The resource should be scholarly in nature and have relevance to the discipline or class for which it is being used. Along with the subject guides, the library maintains a separate list of web resources grouped by subject.    

CD-ROM

The Library occasionally purchases CD-ROM products upon the request of faculty members if the material is not available in web format and if the product can run on the workstations in the Library with standard desktop configuration. 

Computer Software

Responsibility for the acquisition of software for campus use rests with the Academic Technology Team (academic software) and the Technical Support Team (production software) of Information Services.  The Library occasionally buys software that accompanies print materials or software packages where the need has been demonstrated to include such packages in the Library’s collection.  Shain Library does maintain a small collection of manuals for the use of software packages available on campus.

Government Documents

Shain Library is a selective depository for federal government documents and complies with all federal regulations governing this status.  The library selects 31% of the available documents, and selections are based on the general selection criteria outlined above.  Many federal documents are now available electronically, and the Library maintains a guide with links to many of these documents on its home page.  The Library is also a depository for Connecticut State documents.  Categories of materials received from the State include legislative publications, general academic materials and some items of interest to the general public.

Special Collections

The Connecticut College Library's rare books and unique collections of historical and literary value are kept in the Palmer Room of the Department of Special Collections on the second floor of the Charles E. Shain Library.   See the Special Collections website for information on collection guidelines.

Archives

The Connecticut College Archives is an information center for the history of the College.  It contains photographs, films, videos, audiotapes, artifacts, ephemera, publications, and official records of the college.  In addition, it contains scholarly works written by College faculty and staff and copies of most student honors and masters theses.  Collection guidelines can be found on the Archives website.

Faculty and Staff Publications

Faculty and staff are encouraged to donate one copy of each of their publications to the College Archives for permanent retention.  In addition, the Library will purchase one copy of all scholarly books written by College faculty for the general circulating collection.

Alumni Publications

Library staff will attempt to identify and add to the collection those alumni publications that meet the general selection criteria outlined above. 

Gift Policies

Shain Library welcomes gifts of scholarly and rare materials provided they are appropriate to the collection and are donated without restriction as to disposition.  Gifts will be added to the collection based on the general collection criteria applied to purchases.  Duplicate copies received as gifts may be offered to our CTW partners or sold to dealers with the proceeds used for the purchase of new materials.  The library does not accept gifts of textbooks, outdated materials, most backfiles of periodicals and materials in poor condition.  Materials added to the collection will be marked with a special bookplate indicating the source of the gift.

The Library may not legally appraise gifts for tax or inheritance purposes. Donors are responsible for arranging appraisals and for the costs involved.  Upon receipt of the gift, however, the Library will send an acknowledgment letter with a description of the gift.   Upon request, the Library may be able to suggest a professional appraiser or to assist the donor in arriving at a gift evaluation using reference sources available in the Library.

Monetary gifts to the Library provide an important source of revenue to supplement the annual materials budget.  The Library encourages these gifts and acknowledges them upon notification of receipt.  Every effort will be made to honor requests to purchase books in a particular discipline, and books purchased with gift funds will be marked with a special bookplate indicating the source of the gift or a memorial message as requested.

Deselection

In order to maximize it’s usefulness and relevancy to students and faculty, it is necessary to continually reevaluate the collection in academic libraries.  According to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Standards for College Libraries 2000 Edition, collection currency and vitality should be maintained through judicious, ongoing assessment of the collection with the faculty.  The retention of inaccurate or dated information can be particularly problematic in academic libraries, where underclassmen may not have yet acquired the research skills necessary to evaluate the quality or authority of a particular volume. 

The periodic removal (weeding or deselection) of extraneous and obsolete materials from the shelves facilitates browsing and makes the remaining collection more accessible.  It is generally accepted that proper weeding increases circulation.  Periodic collection evaluation provides an opportunity for librarians and subject specialists to identify subject areas that need updating; and the removal of obsolete or outdated information frees up shelf space for newer or more relevant titles.

Items to be considered for removal or replacement generally include outdated materials without historical or archival significance, volumes in poor physical condition, and subject areas no longer relevant to the curriculum of the college.  Library staff will work closely with departmental faculty to ensure that materials of historic or research importance are not removed from the collection.

General Weeding Criteria – Potential candidates for deselection will be identified using the following criteria:

1.  Duplicate copies of infrequently used materials.

2.  Items superseded by newer editions unless there is unique material in earlier editions.

3.  Items in poor physical condition should be replaced or discarded, as necessary.

4.  Obsolescence  - Items with dated, inaccurate information, with no historical importance, will be considered for withdrawal.

5. Circulation -The most widely recommended criteria for making weeding decisions is past use.  Past use is generally considered the best predictor of future use. 

6. Materials that do not support the curriculum.

The policies outlined in this document are intended to provide general guidelines for the development and management of the Shain Library collections.  They are intended to be flexible enough to allow for changes in the curriculum and in the patterns of scholarly publishing.  The Director of Information Resources and the library liaisons will be responsible for reviewing the statement periodically and updating it as needed.

APPENDIX I

Levels of Collection for Library Materials

The following levels of collecting for library materials are endorsed by the American Library Association and published in the following publication:

Anderson, Joanne S.  Guide for Written Collection Development Policy Statements.  2nd edition.  American Library Association, 1996.

Out of Scope: 

The Library does not collect in this subject.

Minimal Level:

A subject area in which few selections are made beyond very basic or introductory works.

Basic Information Level:

A selective collection of current materials that serves to introduce and define a subject and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere.  It may include dictionaries, encyclopedias, access to appropriate bibliographic databases, selected editions of important works, historical surveys, bibliographies, handbooks, and a few major periodicals.  The collection is frequently and systematically reviewed for currency of information.

Study or Instructional Support Level:

A collection that is adequate to impart and maintain knowledge about a subject in a systematic way but at a level of less than research intensity.  The collection includes a wide range of basic works in appropriate formats, a significant number off classic retrospective materials, complete collections of the works of more important writers, selections from the works of secondary writers, a selection of representative journals, access to appropriate machine-readable data files, and the reference tools and fundamental bibliographic apparatus pertaining to the subject.  At the study or instructional support level, a collection is adequate to support independent study and most learning needs of the clientele of public and special libraries, as well as undergraduate and some graduate instruction.  The collection is systematically reviewed for currency of information and to assure that essential and significant information is retained.

Basic Study or Instructional Support Level:

This subdivision of the Study or Instructional Support Level provides resources adequate for imparting and maintaining knowledge about the basic or primary topics of a subject area.  The collection includes the most important primary and secondary literature, a selection of basic representative journals/periodicals, and subject-based indexes, the fundamental reference and bibliographical tools pertaining to the subject.  This subdivision supports lower division undergraduate courses, as well as some of the basic independent study needs of the lifelong learner.

Intermediate Study or Instructional Support Level

This subdivision provides resources adequate for imparting and maintaining knowledge about the basic or primary topics of a subject area.  The collection includes a broad range of basic works in appropriate formats, classic retrospective materials, all key journals on primary topics, selected journals and seminal works on secondary topics, access to appropriate machine-readable data files, and the reference tools and fundamental bibliographical apparatus pertaining to the subject.  These materials are adequate to support advanced undergraduate course work.  It is not adequate to support master’s degree programs.

Advanced Study or Instructional Support Level:

This level provides resources adequate for imparting and maintaining knowledge about the primary and secondary topics of a subject area.  The collection includes a significant number of seminal works and journals on the primary and secondary topics in the field; a significant number of retrospective materials; a substantial collection of works by secondary figures; works that provide more in-depth discussions of research, techniques, and evaluation.  This level collection can support master’s degree level programs as well as other specialized inquiries such as those of subject professionals within special libraries.

Research Level:

A collection that includes the major published source materials required for dissertation and independent research, including materials containing research reporting, new findings, scientific experimental results, and other information useful to researchers.  It is intended to include all important reference works and a wide selection of specialized monographs, as well as a very extensive collection of journals and major indexing and abstracting services in the field.  Pertinent foreign language materials are included. Older material is usually retained for historical research and actively preserved.  A collection at this level supports doctoral and other original research.