1. Introduction
A. Purpose of Library Collection and This Policy
This collection development policy provides the academic community —Towson University faculty, students, administration, staff, and the community-at-large — with an understanding of the scope and nature of the Libraries’ collections. It governs the Libraries’ general collections only. Special Collections and University Archives have separate policies and procedures for their unique collecting areas.
The policy also serves as a planning tool, stating the priorities that guide the selection and deselection of materials in the collection.
Our academic library collection supports research and course-related use by university faculty, staff, and students. Much of our collection is academic in nature, with a small portion dedicated to general interest and personal / professional development.
B. Description of the Institution
Towson University (TU) began in 1866 as the Maryland State Normal School, evolving into the research-intensive university that it is today. TU offers strong academic programs in the traditional liberal arts, fine and performing arts, and sciences and strong professional programs in business, computer and information sciences, education, health professions, and communication. Today, TU offers more than 80 graduate degrees, including applied doctoral and PhD programs, with plans to increase this number as part of the university’s move to R2 designation. Towson University and seventeen other libraries belong to the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium, governed by the USM Board of Regents.
C. Library Values
We are proud to be a part of Towson University Libraries, the intellectual hub of our institution. Our mission is to support and enhance the learning, teaching, and scholarship of Towson University and the broader community, facilitating intellectual inquiry, inspiring innovation, and creating pathways to lifelong discovery. Towson University is one of only a small number of institutions nationwide that does not have an achievement gap, and the Libraries play a crucial role in fostering this inclusive environment in which all learners can succeed. We celebrate intellectual freedom and actively collect materials that represent diverse perspectives. We demonstrate this commitment by supporting open access publication and promoting free, affordable, and accessible course materials.
Albert S. Cook University Library strives to create a welcoming environment for all, free of hate and bias. We commit to developing our services, collections, physical spaces, technology, instruction, and hiring practices to embody our support of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.
We are committed to a culture of assessment and seek to use appropriately contextualized data to deploy our resources in ways that uphold our values. The Libraries uphold sustainability as a core value through responsible environmental practices and long-term preservation to make sure our collections remain available for future generations of learners. We pledge to communicate our initiatives and processes to stakeholders. We are natural collaborators, prepared to contribute our expertise in finding and analyzing information to the project of education and research, broadly defined.
D. The Priorities for Collection Development
The priorities for collection development are:
- To develop and make available a collection that serves the current and evolving curricular and research needs of Towson University undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff, as well as interdisciplinary and co-curricular materials.
- To build an inclusive collection by acquiring materials that represent a diverse range of voices and viewpoints, in order to support emerging scholarship and curricula as well as student, staff, and faculty research interests.
- To offer resources in a variety of formats that conform with accessibility and usability best practices to meet the varied needs of library users.
The Libraries offer services such as interlibrary loan and document delivery to complement the Libraries’ print and online collections and provide materials necessary for research and teaching.
E. Responsibility for Collection Development
Each academic department has a faculty representative who is responsible for requesting materials on behalf of their department. The liaison librarians, with input from the faculty representatives and with oversight by the Assistant University Librarian (AUL) for Content Management, will prioritize requests within the budget to build collections that support the curriculum.
All members of the academic community are encouraged to contribute their ideas concerning the nature and content of the collection. Individuals may contact their liaison librarian to make recommendations or use our suggest a purchase form.
F. Allocation of Funds
Division of the Libraries’ budget for collections is as follows:
- Funds to purchase materials that support academic programs and promote library initiatives such as textbook affordability.
- Funds to purchase materials that cross department subject areas and that promote general knowledge and diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Foundation money to purchase materials as designated by the donor.
G. Gifts
The Towson University Libraries welcome gifts of new, current material that fit the Libraries’ collection development priorities. Subject to the discretion of the AUL for Content Management, the Libraries accept older material selectively and only if the material supports the Towson University curriculum, is in good condition, and can strengthen the collection.
The Libraries do not appraise gifts; however, donors will receive an acknowledgement letter giving the number of items donated. The Libraries ask donors to sign a release form and, if requested, will affix a gift plate to each donation.
H. Collection Management
Deselection
Deselection, or the decision to withdraw items from the library’s physical and electronic collections, is an essential part of the collection development process. Deselection ensures that the collection remains in good physical condition, is up-to-date, and meets the content requirements as set forth in Cook Library’s Mission and Values statement. Deselection and acquisitions go hand in hand: both are necessary to ensure a healthy library collection that meets the varied needs of our users. Removing outdated and underutilized materials makes it easier for library users to find the information they need.
Towson University Libraries’ membership in the USMAI consortium facilitates access to materials through cooperative resource sharing. As a participant in the Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust (EAST) retention program, the library commits to long-term retention of certain materials. In return, our participation in EAST allows Cook Library to provide patrons with expedited access to print materials which have been removed from our own collections, but which are committed for long-term retention by our EAST library partners.
Review of the collection continues on an ongoing basis in order to determine usefulness and/or the possible relocation or disposal of items. The Libraries use a discipline-informed, data-driven approach to decide which print and electronic resources to withdraw or retain. Factors we consider in the deselection process include, but are not limited to, usage, format, currency, condition, maintenance / hosting costs, importance to the curriculum, representation of diverse viewpoints, and availability at other libraries in the USMAI consortium.
Preservation
Preservation is an important aspect of collection management to maintain the collection for both current and future use. We preserve items through repair, binding, replacement with new copies, and relocation to closed stacks or special collections.
I. Vendor Relations, Privacy, and Ethics
The Libraries work with a range of vendors to purchase and provide access to physical, electronic, and digital materials. Using a data-centered approach, and limited by what is available for purchase or subscription, the Libraries seek:
- To advocate with vendors and consortia partners for policies and shared decisions regarding collection diversity, accessibility, and user privacy in alignment with Towson University Libraries and University missions.
- To encourage vendors to implement best practices regarding accessibility, privacy, and user data. The Libraries give preference, when possible, to vendors that prioritize social responsibility and demonstrate ethical and transparent information and business practices.
- To encourage vendors to implement best practices regarding accessibility, privacy, and user data. The Libraries give preference, when possible, to vendors that prioritize social responsibility and demonstrate ethical and transparent information and business practices.
- To participate in transformative and transitional open access agreements that help defray the costs of open access publication when appropriate.
2. General Collection Management and Development Policies
The Libraries allocate a portion of the collections budget to support the curriculum in each academic department. These funds may be used to purchase print / e-books and audiovisual materials, including streaming video and audio. Liaison librarians have the primary responsibility for collections purchases in their subject areas, with priority given to requests received from departmental faculty via their departmental library representatives.
We endeavor to provide broad access to materials, but the Libraries are sometimes limited in what we can purchase based on the options each vendor provides for how they distribute their content.
In addition to materials we purchase, we also include open access resources and open educational resources (OERs) in our collection.
A. Books
In selecting books, the following policies ordinarily apply:
E-Books: An e-book is an electronic version of a traditional print book that users can read by using a personal computer or electronic device. The Libraries can only acquire e-books licensed for institutional use.
Duplicate Copies: The Libraries do not typically purchase duplicate copies, with limited exceptions. These exceptions include faculty publications, citation manuals, materials within the Children's and Young Adult collection, some textbooks, and materials to support university-wide programs or speakers.
Faculty Publications: If requested, the Libraries will purchase two copies of manuscripts published by faculty members at Towson. One copy will be part of the regular circulating collection, and the other will be held for in-house use in Special Collections and University Archives.
Textbooks: The Libraries want to support students in their academic endeavors. We purchase some textbooks through foundation funds received via donations to the Library Textbook Fund. We will consider requests for textbooks from our state-funded collections budget, but we cannot buy textbooks for every course on campus due to budgetary limitations. The Libraries may add to the collection current textbooks that have been donated, if the material supports the curriculum; however, outdated textbooks received as gifts will not be added. To support textbook affordability, the Libraries encourage faculty to consider adopting OERs in their courses. Liaison librarians are available to assist faculty in finding suitable free or low-cost materials that they may use in their courses.
Foreign Language: The Libraries primarily collect materials in English; however, we also purchase foreign language materials that support the Languages, Literatures & Cultures Department curriculum, the Baltimore Hebrew Institute (BHI) Meyerhoff collection, and the International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO).
Binding: The Libraries typically purchase books in hardback editions. The Libraries acquire paperbacks when a hardback edition is cost-prohibitive or unavailable.
Imprint Variations: The Libraries order the U.S. edition of materials published in two or more places in the same language.
Out-of-Print: If an item needs replacement, the Libraries will typically seek the newest available edition. When a needed title is out-of-print, the Libraries will search the secondary / out-of-print market.
Rare Books and Manuscripts: The Libraries may accept gifts of rare books and special materials that support the University’s mission. See Special Collections and University Archives statement, "What we collect."
Self-Published Books: The Libraries may purchase books printed and distributed through self-publishing services when content or perspectives we wish to include are available only in that form. The Libraries may accept gifts of self-published books that align with the Libraries’ collection needs and priorities.
Replacement Copies: The Libraries may replace items that are lost, damaged, mutilated, or withdrawn if the books are important to the collection. We have a special fund for purchasing replacement copies; these do not come from departmental budgets.
Reprints: The Libraries purchase reprints if the original edition is not available through the normal book trade.
Shared Print Retention Initiative: The Towson University Libraries participate in the Eastern Academic Scholars' Trust (EAST) Retention Initiative, which identifies specific books in the circulating collection the Libraries have committed to retain and not withdraw from the collection. Certain exceptions apply. Our current agreement with EAST runs through June 2031.
B. Periodicals
Periodicals include publications that publish new issues on a continual basis, such as journals, magazines, newsletters, and newspapers. Preference goes to periodicals in electronic formats. The Libraries add new periodical subscriptions selectively; in most cases, this necessitates cancellation of a journal of like value. Departmental allocations may not be used for journal subscriptions.
The AUL for Content Management will do an initial evaluation of periodical requests, in consultation with the librarian liaison from the discipline, and then make recommendations to the Dean of University Libraries. The Dean will approve recommendations for subscription on a title-by-title basis.
Format: Priority goes to e-journals; the Libraries purchase print journals selectively.
Open Access: Open access e-journals are subject to the same selection criteria as purchased journals. We pursue transformative and transitional open access agreements when possible to support open access publication, but we do not have a fund to cover article processing charges (APCs) for authors.
Content: Priority goes to titles that support the academic programs at Towson University.
Cost: The cost of the journal should be reasonable in relation to the use it will receive and the cost of similar journals in the same discipline. If the subscription cost of a journal is high, the Libraries will consider providing access via document delivery or interlibrary loan.
Duplication: The Libraries do not purchase a print subscription when a title comes electronically as part of an e-journal collection that provides full-text, up-to-date coverage.
Indexing: The Libraries prioritize periodicals that are indexed by an indexing/abstracting tool or e-resource accessible to the TU community.
Binding: The Libraries only bind periodicals that are part of the Baltimore Hebrew Institute (BHI) collection.
Microfilm: The Libraries replace older issues of the Baltimore Sun with microfilm.
C. Electronic Databases
The Libraries provide access to electronic databases through a variety of subscription, licensing and purchasing models. The Libraries do not typically own materials within electronic databases.
The AUL for Content Management, liaison librarians, faculty, staff, and students may recommend subscriptions to new electronic databases. Final decisions for database subscription and retention depend on the budget, feedback and usage analysis from the trials, cost per use (CPU) analysis, access-related technical considerations, vendor support, and approval by the Dean of University Libraries. The Libraries review database usage and CPU statistics annually.
The Libraries require a trial period or demonstration of an online electronic database before purchasing or subscribing to the product.
The Libraries consider the following when subscribing to electronic databases. The primary criteria for subscription decision-making are curriculum, support, user experience, cost-effectiveness, and resource management.
Access: The Libraries give preference to databases that can provide users with comparable ease of access on- and off- campus. The Libraries select products that require a separate login beyond University NetID, or that limit the number of simultaneous users, only when no comparable product with better access is available.
Accessibility: In line with our ethical and legal responsibilities to provide equitable access to content, the Libraries give priority to databases that embody accessibility best practices and are fully compliant with WCAG standards.
Interface: The Libraries give preference to databases that offer both basic and advanced levels of searching, permalinks, and the ability to save accessed material through user accounts or manual export.
Content: Content must support the academic programs at Towson University.
Duplication: The Libraries avoid acquiring databases that duplicate coverage. The Libraries make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Vendor Outreach and Support: The Libraries prioritize working with vendors who provide responsive and timely support in response to issue resolution, discussing license agreements, and other inquiries.
Cost: The Libraries consider cost in the context of the above factors. Free and open-access databases are subject to the same selection criteria as subscribed databases.
D. Other Media
The Libraries purchase materials from departmental budgets in the format selected by faculty if the Libraries have the technology to support it and the resources available for library purchase. The Libraries add new formats as they are developed and as demand requires.
Streaming Audio and Video: There is an increasing demand for streaming media which can be accessed either on campus or remotely. Users can find most of our available streaming resources through the database page and/or Cook OneSearch. We will research the availability of additional titles, although some films are exclusive to commercial streaming platforms and cannot be purchased by the library in any format. The Libraries use a combination of funds to support streaming audio and video, including database and departmental budgets.
DVD and Blu-ray: The Libraries will continue to add DVD or Blu-ray formats as requested by faculty members.
Public Performance Rights: Library funds are not used to purchase the public performance rights (PPR) that are legally required for screenings held on campus and open to the general public, unless PPR are already included in the standard purchase price of the streaming video or DVD/Blu-ray. Note: PPR are not required when films are shown in the face-to-face classroom for course-related purposes, as long as and the performance is given by means of a lawfully made copy of the film and the audience consists solely of the instructor and the students enrolled in the course.
Audio Recordings: In addition to streaming audio, the Libraries purchase audio CDs. The Libraries do not currently purchase vinyl records but do occasionally accept them as gifts.
CD-ROMs: The Libraries purchase CD-ROMs from departmental budgets upon request. CD-ROMs that accompany books are shelved in the stacks with the book.
Videocassettes: The Libraries own videocassettes (VHS) but no longer purchase this format.
E. Data Sets
To purchase data sets, the data must meet the following criteria:
- Have access terms that allow the data to be made available to the entire university community, including walk-in users. The Libraries do not purchase data sets that are restricted to specific groups or IP ranges.
- Have reasonable cost.
- Be in a public-use version, with no personal identifiers.
Access to data sets will be provided via a link in Cook OneSearch and/or the A-Z database list; the Libraries will not harvest this data and host it locally.