The purpose and commitment of the Eunice and James L. West Library is to support the mission of Texas Wesleyan University1. The collection development policy governs the acquisition, disposal, placement, and access of materials to the Wesleyan community. Adherence to this policy seeks to serve the students, faculty, and staff of the Wesleyan community by building and maintaining a collection that meets present and future information needs.
The West Library adheres to the American Library Association’s documents on intellectual freedom. This includes, but is not limited to, the Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement, and the Intellectual Freedom Statement2.
3https://txwes.edu/media/human-resources/employees/Employee-Handbook-9.14.2022.pdf
This policy applies primarily to the print and digital aspects of the General Collection of the West Library. Other collections that will generally fall under this policy include Reference, Test Prep, Juvenile, Joe Brown Theater, Twyla Miranda, Game, and Audio/Visual collections. The degree to which other collections fall under this policy are determined by the Collection Management Librarian and the Library Director and may be subject to change based on the needs of the West Library.
Other collections within the West Library may be developed or maintained by other library departments, and may have their own collection development policies in place. For information on the collection development policies of those collections, contact the department assigned to them:
The primary goals of collection development at the West Library are to:
Regular funding for the West Library is determined yearly by the University and is subsequently allocated to library departments according to the Library Director. These allocations are made based on the current needs of the West Library and are subject to change as determined by the Library Director. The budget is intended to support the missions of both the University and West Library. Expenditures of the allocated budget are primarily determined by the Collection Management Librarian, though final responsibility lies with the Library Director. Additional funding may be provided through the use of endowments as determined by the University, and these allocations are subject to change based on the current needs of the University. Portions of the Prothro Perkins Endowment and the Eunice and James L. West Endowment are traditionally allocated to the Library for this purpose.
The growth and management of the General Collection is delegated to the Collection Management Librarian; however, final responsibility lies with the Library Director.
University Librarians will liaison with University Faculty/departments in the selection of proposed materials and resources, though recommendations are welcome from any member of the Wesleyan Community. It is the responsibility of the University Faculty and their corresponding University Librarian liaison to communicate the selection of proposed materials for acquisition to the Collection Management Librarian. Acquisition of each recommendation will be given equal consideration, but shall ultimately depend on the selection guidelines outlined in the next section of this document.
It is the duty of the West Library to provide reasonable access to materials and resources in all formats and subject areas, as well as reasonable means of discovery. The selection process of the West Library shall endeavor to implement, enrich, and support the educational programs offered by Texas Wesleyan University. Materials must serve both the breadth of the curriculum and the needs and interests of individual members of the Wesleyan Community (primarily students.)It is the obligation of Texas Wesleyan University and the West Library to provide for a wide range of abilities and to respect diverse points of view. To this end, the principles of selection must be placed above the personal opinions, biases, or prejudices of the selector. Criteria taken into consideration when selecting materials and resources are listed below; note that this list is not exhaustive and additional considerations may be made on a case-by-case basis as determined by the professional estimation of the Collection Management Librarian and the Library Director:
Deselection, or “weeding,” of the General Collection is delegated to the Collection Management Librarian, though final responsibility lies with the Library Director. The deselection guidelines cover all materials within the General Collection, including print and digital materials and resources that have been purchased or gifted. This process does not apply to materials that are rare or considered to be of high value, or that are within the jurisdiction of other Library departments and their collections. Criteria taken into consideration when deselecting materials and resources are listed below; note that this list is not exhaustive and additional considerations may be made on a case-by-case basis as determined by the professional estimation of the Collection Management Librarian and the Library Director:
Materials and resources that are deselected will be disposed of by the discretion of the Collection Management Librarian. This may include, but is not limited to, donation, selling to a third-party vendor, recycling, submission to Special Collections and Archives for assessment, storage, or general disposal.
Gifts and donations are accepted by the West Library upon the following conditions:
The evaluation of gifted and donated items shall be consistent with the above specified Selection Guidelines and Deselection Guidelines.
