This policy relates to items collected for the Main Circulating Collection. 

Purpose

This statement establishes the management guidelines for the continuing growth and maintenance of Fredonia's Library collections. By articulating collection goals and policies, Reed Library helps ensure that the collections support the needs of the Fredonia community. As Fredonia's information needs and the nature of our collections change, this document will evolve. We hope that it will provide structures and procedures for reviewing, interpreting, and implementing policies and for integrating new technologies into our collections.

Policies

General Philosophy

Reed Library collections are attuned to Fredonia's educational mission. Our collection development policies must be flexible to encourage creative ways of meeting Fredonia's information needs. We must be prepared to meet new collection management challenges, anticipate future needs, and take advantage of promising opportunities as they arise.

We intend to create a strong, coherent, balanced, dynamic and versatile Library collection. We aim to insure that Fredonia will have the resources required to support undergraduate programs.

The collection is also a resource for faculty research, but our budget does not allow us to collect at the "research" level.  However, institutions working together can provide access to a consortial collection which is both deeper and broader than could be developed without coordination. Reed Library will support faculty research through cooperative collection development with the SUNY campuses though collection development agreements.

Responsibility for Collection Development

Collection Development Committee

It is the purpose of the Collection Development Committee to monitor purchases in the Library, assess the use of collections, and allocate funds for cooperative collection development. The committee will decide database purchases, coordinate participation in consortial purchases, including on demand purchasing.

Cooperative Collection Development

While Reed Library strives to build a strong collection for Fredonia, we are also doing so in a consortial context. Reed Library, along with the other SUNY Comprehensive Colleges, recognizes that it is time to focus more attention on the SUNY Library collection. Reed Library will continue to reduce duplication of materials, to allow for greater depth of resources. We will strive to and reduce duplication of effort, to gain staff time for new projects.

It is the goal of Reed Library to collect materials that are not only unique for Fredonia, but also unique within SUNY. To this end, items owned by more than 5 (five) SUNY libraries may not be considered for addition to the collection, allowing for a more robust SUNY-wide Library collection.

Exceptions to the above guidelines may be considered on a case by case basis, in consultation with the departmental Library liaison.

Multiple Copies

Because some books or journals are either very popular, or are used as required reading, a single copy may be difficult to locate in the Library. To meet this demand, the Library will selectively purchase multiple copies of high demand items. Multiple copy purchases will be restricted to only one or two additional copies only. The decision to add additional copies will be made by the Collection Development Librarian in consultation with the liaison Librarian to the department. The Library does not acquire multiple subscriptions to journals.

Library Faculty Liaison Program (with respect to Collection Development)

Librarians and academic departments share responsibility for developing the Library collection, based on curricular needs.  The liaison program serves to coordinate their efforts to ensure that the Library collects to meet the needs of academic programs. Most librarians serve as liaisons to several academic departments. The main responsibility of the liaisons is to maintain communication between the Library and the faculty. The liaisons assist departments in the selection materials, and assess collection strengths and weaknesses. Liaisons may also review gifts, provide advocacy for their disciplines in the Library, study collection use, and endeavor to understand community needs. Faculty and librarians in different departments may collaborate on collection development in different ways, depending on the needs of the discipline and the resources available. Frequent and open communication is a hallmark of all successful collaborations.

Departments are allocated funds at the beginning of each academic year. They use these funds to request items to be purchased for the collection.

Dates to Remember

Please keep these dates in mind when selecting items for the Library’s collections:

• Initial notification of department allocations will be made by October 15th at the latest, but preferably by September 15th, given the Library’s notification of budget in a timely manner. If a budget has not been finalized, a notification will be sent that an interim allocation will be made to each department.
• Departments must submit their requests by November 30 in order to encumber 50% of their allocation by December 15th.
• The remainder of the departments' orders must be submitted by March 15 in order to have the funds encumbered by the end of the budget year.
• PLEASE NOTE: Failure to encumber the funds by deadline dates will result in the monies being allocated to the Library staff to purchase materials for that department to support the undergraduate curriculum.

The Scope of Fredonia's Collections

Formats

Reed Library collects a broad spectrum of information resources in a variety of formats. The formats collected encompass a variety of material types, which may include printed books, periodicals, sound recordings, scores and related music formats, video recordings, maps, microforms, and various electronic resources, including open access materials. The primary criterion for selecting any item is its relevance to Fredonia's undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Other concerns when we evaluate information resources include their content, accessibility, and viability.

Collecting books is still important at Fredonia, but we also collect electronic alternatives to hard-copy sources for all types of materials, including journals, indexes, databases, books, videos, images and sound recordings, in order to provide broader access to students both on and off campus. Digital vs. hard copy books will be determined at time of purchase and format preference will be part of a discussion between the collection development librarian and the faculty member requesting the purchase of the material(s). We will not purchase additional formats of book content unless approved by the collection development librarian.

Subscriptions to paper serials, generally, are for titles we could not access online or are deemed critical to the curriculum. Turning to electronic subscriptions has enabled us to add thousands of new serials titles, and gain access to numerous citation databases and electronic reference services which we previously could not afford. Therefore, preference is given to online formats and in aggregated database collections, in particular. When possible, we try to collect retrospective electronic collections which allow us to open the possibility of reducing storage space required to house the printed versions of these resources. We always refer to our consortial memberships in order to get the best available price for our online content.

Languages

The Library collects primarily English language materials, but also collects in other languages as required by the curriculum. Foreign language collection is undertaken primarily in support of the study of languages, literatures, and other cultures.

Collection Maintenance

Assessment

The Library assesses the usefulness, relevance, and physical condition of its collection on a continuing basis. Materials judged to be irrelevant, outdated, unused, in poor physical condition, or superseded by new editions will be removed from the collection as per our weeding policies. Books in bad physical repair, but still worth keeping, will be repaired if possible, or replaced with new copies if they are available.

Inventory and shelf reading are done on an ongoing basis. These activities assure that the Library catalog accurately reflects the Library's holdings, and that Library materials may be easily accessed.

Music Collection

About the Collection

Reed Library’s Music Collection primarily supports the curriculum of SUNY Fredonia’s School of Music. Serving over 600 undergraduate and graduate students and nearly 100 faculty members, the Music Collection is the largest single subject collection in Reed Library. The collection contains over 14,000 books on music, covering such topics as music history, theory, education, therapy, conducting, performance studies, criticism and biography. Over 25,000 printed music scores and parts are available, including miniature study, full-size, and piano-vocal scores, as well as performance parts for ensembles up to and including nine players. Sound recordings number over 8,000 compact discs, 15,000 LPs, and several hundred cassettes of both music and spoken word recordings. Videocassettes and DVDs are available on many different aspects of music--from full-length operas to music pedagogy.

Collection Development Responsibility

The overall development and maintenance of the Music Collection is the primary responsibility of the Music Librarian. Faculty members from the School of Music assist in this process by making materials’ requests specific to their areas of expertise. Decisions on music database requests and purchases are made by the Collection Development Committee.

Cooperative Collection Development

The Music Collection, though extensive, is not at the level of a SUNY university center or research institution. The primary focus of the collection is to provide music materials relevant to the curricular needs of the School of Music students, while also taking into consideration the research needs of the music faculty. As the Music Collection is a specialized collection, the general collection development policy of not purchasing items owned by more than 2 SUNY Libraries will not apply in every circumstance. When the general policy is followed, it will be limited to items in the music circulating book collection only (see following sections for clarification).

Collection Development Policies

Music Circulating Book Collection

The music circulating book collection is broad in its subject coverage, but is focused in several key areas: composer and performer biographies, general music history, music theory, music education, conducting, and music therapy. As music education is the largest subject area of the School of Music, music education books are purchased at a comprehensive level, as the budget allows. Important educational, biographical, historical and theoretical series are also purchased, such as the Oxford Music Education Series, Oxford Master Musicians Series, AMS Studies in Music, Cambridge Music Handbooks, Yale Music Theory Translation Series, and others.

Music Reference Book Collection

The music reference book collection, though not comprehensive, adequately serves the needs of the music students and faculty. Titles and series need to be purchased on a regular basis to keep the collection current and relevant, focusing on the following areas: dictionaries/encyclopedias, bibliographies of music literature, bibliographies of instruments and voice, composer research guides, composer thematic catalogues, and music education reference materials. Important music reference series include the Garland Composer Resource Manuals, the Greenwood Press Bio-Bibliographies in Music, and others.

Scores and Performance Parts Collection

Printed music scores and performance parts are the largest part of the Music Collection, supporting the performing and study needs of the students and faculty of the School of Music. Scores and parts are different from books in that they are considered musical repertoire (similar to literature in the regular books collection), and therefore are collected at a more comprehensive level. Multiple editions of standard instrumental and vocal repertoire are purchased (e.g., sonatas, concertos, symphonies, songs), and music is purchased in several different formats (e.g., full scores, vocal scores, miniature study scores, scores with parts). For important vocal works, multiple editions are purchased for the different vocal performance ranges (e.g., high voice, medium voice, low voice). Performance parts are collected for ensembles up to and including nine instruments. Where possible, repertoire purchased should have a corresponding recording available either from the sound recordings collection or one of the library's online music audio databases.

Sound Recordings Collection

The sound recordings collection is closely tied to the scores collection, as it consists of recorded performances of musical repertoire. Though the collection exists in multiple formats, only compact audio discs (CDs) are currently purchased. Like the scores collection, multiple performance versions of standard repertoire are purchased. The focus of purchases to this collection is new repertoire and current performers/ensembles. Where possible, there should be a sound recording of all standard repertoire that is part of the library's scores collection.

Video Recordings Collection

Video recordings are currently purchased in DVD format only, unless an item is available solely in VHS format (e.g., some pedagogical titles). The VHS collection is small, having been weeded of titles that were available in DVD format, and is not being developed. The focus of purchases for this collection is DVDs of current performances of standard musical repertoire (e.g., operas, orchestral and chamber music), conducting, vocal pedagogy and educational pedagogy.

updated 6/2015

Gift and Donation Policy

We value the donation of gifts to our collections and appreciate resources that support the mission of State University of New York at Fredonia.

The following are the guidelines for accepting gifts:

• The Library accepts materials that directly support the curriculum, enhance current research areas, support current curricular interests, add to the College archives or local history collections, or demonstrate literary merit.
• As with purchases, the Library will adhere to current cooperative collection development agreements in their decisions to add items to the collection.
• Gifts become the property of the College upon receipt, and the Library will determine the use or disposition of these materials.
• Materials must be in good condition.
• Materials not accepted into the collection will be discarded or donated.
• Bookplates will be inserted into materials at the request of the donor.
• Gifts will be acknowledged in a letter from the Library Director or the Collection Development Librarian upon request of the person donating the materials.
• Appraisals and/or lists of books donated are the responsibility of donors and must be completed before the donation is made to the Library. Donors should consult their tax advisors about the need for a professional appraisal.
• Questions about donations to the Music Collection should be directed to Katelynn Telford, Interim Music Librarian, at 716-673-4939 or katelynn.telford@fredonia.edu.
• For donations to the Archives & Special Collections, see the Archives & Special Collections website.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Archives & Special Collections Department (A&SC) of the Daniel A. Reed Library at the State University of New York at Fredonia is to collect, organize, preserve, provide access to and encourage scholarly engagement with a variety of unique manuscript and archival materials in primary support of the scholarship needs of both the academic community at Fredonia and researchers around the world. The A&SC provides a vital function in enhancing Fredonia’s reputation as a center for excellence in scholarship by working with faculty to integrate the use of unique manuscript and archival materials into the curriculum. To that end, the A&SC, in support of the overall mission of the university, embraces the initiatives to educate, challenge and inspire students, encouraging their development as skilled, connected, creative and responsible global citizens.

Collection Development and Donation Policies

The University Archives collects materials of enduring historical value and certain non-current records that document both the administrative activities of the State University of New York at Fredonia and its overall history. Decisions on collection development in this area are informed by the SUNY Records Retention and Disposition Schedule, as well as by the input of key university departments and individuals.

The Special Collections comprise a unique range of primary source materials in a variety of formats, as well as a small collection of rare books and other secondary sources. The manuscript collections encompass subjects of regional, national and international significance. Current collection strengths emphasize regional environmental history and activism as seen in the records of the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes; the activities of the Holland Land Company in the greater Western New York region, available on microfilm and, in part, online via New York Heritage; 20th-century American classical music, particularly as exemplified in the papers of preeminent classical saxophonist Sigurd M. Raschèr and Fredonia's own Walter S. Hartley; and the renowned Austrian Jewish author Stefan Zweig.

The Archives & Special Collections (A&SC) will consider donations of the following materials, depending on their ability to meaningfully contribute to the areas of focus outlined above: manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings, audiovisual materials, rare books, ephemera and other archival records deemed to have significant intrinsic as well as informational value as defined by the Society of American Archivists. Newspaper clippings are not actively collected by the A&SC. The A&SC requires a Deed of Gift agreement for all donations in order to establish clear transfer of ownership to the A&SC.

The Archives & Special Collections will generally not accept the following:

• Materials for which the donor does not hold the clear title or in which the donor’s ownership is in question or disputed
• Materials that fall outside the scope of the current collection development policy and mission in either format or content
• Photocopies or other alternate use formats of materials held by other repositories
• Photocopies or other alternate use formats in lieu of original source materials
• Duplicates of materials already held by the Archives & Special Collections
• Items in extremely poor physical condition requiring extensive conservation treatment
• Formats for which the Archives & Special Collections does not currently have either the technology or expertise to properly maintain
• Government records of permanent value or other original materials better suited to another repository

Unattended Child Policy

Pursuant to the Reed Library Unattended Child Policy, minors must be accompanied at all times by a responsible adult; unattended children are not allowed in the Archives & Special Collections area based on library and university policy.

How to Borrow from Reed Library

• Bring a valid photo ID to the Circulation Desk.
• Fill out a brief form to apply for a community borrower's card. There is no fee for your card.
• As a Library card holder, you are subject to fines and are responsible for any late, lost, or damaged items. Please refer to our circulation policies.
• Any fines must be paid in-person at the Circulation Desk.
• If you would like to renew an item, you will need to call the Circulation Desk at 716-673-3184. At this time, community members cannot renew materials online.
• Keep in mind that Library hours vary over the course of the year. Please refer to our hours.
• If you have any questions, please call 716-673-3184.

How to Make Photocopies

• Photocopy machines do not accept change.
• You can purchase a Fredonia gift card and have value placed on it at the college bookstore. Cards can also be purchased at the Vend Port machine on the wall near the McEwen Computer Lab.  From this source, $10.00 will give you $7.00 of value on the card.
• Swipe your card.
• Photocopies are $.10/page.
• Double-sided copies are not available.

How to Use Reed Library Computers

• Bring a valid photo ID to the Circulation Desk. You must be 18 or older. You are responsible for supervising any minors you may have with you. The library bears no responsibility for Internet content. (August 2008)
• Register for a one day username and password, or a longer-term username and password that will expire on February 1 or September 1.
• There are four computers for community use. If those machines are occupied, you will have to wait until one of the machines opens.
• These four computers have access to pre-installed software, Internet, the library catalog and library databases.
• Printing is available through the purchase of a top-up card at the Circulation Desk. Top-up cards can be purchased using bookstore gift cards, or at the kiosk in the lobby of McEwen Hall.
• When Reed Library is busy, community users may be asked to relinquish computers to Fredonia students at any time.

General Deselection Criteria

Items that meet any of these conditions will automatically be kept:

• Item appears in Resources for College Libraries
• Item appears in a recommended, discipline specific, professional bibliography
• Item has circulated in the past 8 years since the library's implementation of the Aleph Library Management System

The following criteria should be used in assessing an item's value for retention, and should be applied for all subject matter:

• Physical condition-- missing pages, text unreadable, water damage, poor paper quality, musty, beyond repair, or other factors which prohibit re-binding
• Superseded editions not containing unique information, data, or providing a historical reference not available in the most current edition
• Duplicate titles unless a proven demand exists for multiple copies
• Trendy ephemera-items such as handwritten or printed papers which were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity
• Currency or reliability of the resource's information has lost value
• Superfluous subjects no longer relevant to the SUNY Fredonia curriculum. Item has very little or no apparent relevance to current or anticipated college programs
• Copyright date-items that appear outdated based on the subject and scope of the work. Consult the Discipline Specific Criteria for further weeding guidance.
• Government documents-physical items currently in the stacks that are available via a ".gov" Internet site. The stable url must be located and sent to the Cataloging dept. for revision of the permanent cataloging record prior to weeding the physical item.
• Multi-volume sets- individual items under consideration for deselection should not be removed from multi-volume sets. Either the entire set should be deselected, or, all items in the set should be retained.

To summarize the criteria for weeding the acronym MUSTY serves:

M Misleading and/or factually inaccurate
U Ugly-worn, and beyond mending or rebinding
S Superseded by a truly New edition or by a much better book
T Trivial - of no discernible literary or scientific value
Y Your collection has no use for this material, irrelevant to the needs of your clientele

Last Updated: 7/17/2009

Discipline Specific Criteria for Deselection

For LC Call Number range G-JZ

Daniel A. Reed Library, SUNY Fredonia
Spring 2009

Note: The Discipline Specific Criteria for Deselection establishes guidelines for the copyright date of an item and criteria that acknowledges the uniqueness of various disciplines. This document should be used in conjunction with the document entitled General Criteria for Deselection. 

Geography: (G-GT)

Includes Subclass
G - General Geography (copyright before 1993)
GA – Mathematical geography (copyright before 1998)
GB – Physical geography (copyright N/A)
GC – Oceanography (copyright N/A)
GF – Human ecology, Anthropogeography (copyright before 1998)
GN – Anthropology (copyright before 1998)
GR – Folklore (copyright before 1998)
GT – Manners and customs (copyright before 2003)

(a) Note: Keep in mind MUSTY.
(b) Deselection criteria excludes: classics, primary works, and/or standard editions. Books in this area become dated rapidly and should be weeded unless they contain significant background or historical information not available elsewhere.

Athletics: (GV)

Includes Subclass 
GV 1-200 – Outdoor life, Outdoor recreation
GV 201- 555 – Physical training
GV 561 -1198.99 – Sports
GV 1580-1799 – Dance
GV 1800-1860 – Circuses, spectacles, etc.

(a) Books that have a copyright date before 1998 should be considered for deselection, excluding classics,  
primary works, or standard editions
(b) Superseded rulebooks maintained only to last two editions. Old instructional material considered for discard if new items exist.
(c) Note: Keep in mind MUSTY

Social Science: (H)

(a) Interdisciplinary needs are considered in the deselection process.
(b) Books that have a copyright date before 1998 should be considered for deselection, excluding classics, primary works, or standard editions.
(c) Note: Keep in mind MUSTY

Statistics: (HA)

(a) Interdisciplinary needs are considered.
(b) Sources in these subject areas the sources tend to be used in a supportive nature and as such should not be analyzed heavily according to circulation figures.
(c) Books that have a copyright date before 2006 should be considered for deselection, excluding classics, primary works, or standard editions. Unless they have an historical approach,many works are of little use after five years.
(d) Note: Keep in mind MUSTY

Economics: (HB-HJ)

Includes Subclass
HB – Economics, Economic theory, Demography (copyright before 2003)
HC – Economic history and conditions (copyright before 2003)
HD – Industries, Land use, Agriculture, Labor (copyright before 1998)
HE – Transportation and Communication (copyright before 1998)
HF – Commerce (copyright before 2003)
HG – Finance (copyright before 2003)
HJ – Public Finance (copyright before 2003)

(a) Consideration of economics interdisciplinary contribution to geography,history, management, social science and international affairs.
(b) Deselection criteria excludes: classics, primary works and/or standard editions.
(c) Note: Keep in mind MUSTY

Sociology: (HM-HX)

Includes Subclass
HM – Sociology, general and theoretical (copyright before 2003)
HN – Social history, Social problems, Social reform (copyright before 2003)
HQ – Social groups (includes family, marriage, woman, sexual life, erotica, feminism, sexual orientation) (copyright before 2003)
HS – Societies (includes freemasons, religious societies, ethnic societies, political societies, Boy Scouts, etc.) (copyright before 2003)
HT—Communities, Classes, Races (includes urban, rural, regional planning, social classes (e.g., middle class, slavery) (copyright before 2003)
HV – Social pathology, Social and public welfare, Criminology (includes charities, temperance reform) (copyright before 1998)
HX – Socialism, Communism, Anarchism (includes utopias) (copyright before 2003)

(a) Deselection criteria excludes: classics, primary works and/or standard editions.
(b) Note: Keep in mind MUSTY

Political Science: (J-JZ)

Includes Subclass  
J - General legislative and executive papers (copyright before 1998)
JA - Political science (General) (copyright before 2003)
JC - Political theory (copyright before 2003)
JF - Political institutions and public administration (copyright before 2003)
JJ - Political institutions and public administration (North America) (copyright before 2003)
JK - Political institutions and public administration (United States) (copyright before 1998)
JL - Political institutions and public administration (Canada, Latin America,etc.) (copyright before 1998)
JN - Political institutions and public administration (Europe) (copyright before 1998)
JQ - Political institutions and public administration (Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific Area, etc.) (copyright before 1998)
JS - Local government. Municipal government (copyright before 1998)
JV - Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration (copyright before 2003)
JZ - International relations (copyright before 2003)

(a) Political science interrelates with other fields such as social science, international affairs, geography, history, and psychology. Keep in mind the interdisciplinary nature of this field.
(b) Deselection criteria excludes: classics, primary works and/or standard editions.
(c) Note: Keep in mind MUSTY

*The discipline specific criteria established in this document are based on the American Library Association approved “CREW Guidelines for Weeding Your Collection”

Deselection Procedures

Last Updated: 7/17/09

This document provides a detailed outline of the process and procedures followed by Reed Library in removing items from the library's collection, in keeping with the Proposed Weeding Process approved by University Senate, Spring 2007.

Stage One: Librarians Determine Subject Areas to be Reviewed and Check Standard Bibliographies

1. Inventory of missing items completed.
2. Librarians identified that the area G-JV will be the first area to be reviewed.
3. If recommended by an academic department or program, the collection was also compared to available standard bibliographies. A note was added to the item's catalog record indicating the bibliography which cites the item as a "classic" title in the field.
4. The initial weeding reports are run with the following filters applied:
   • Item appears in Resources for College Libraries
   • Items classified Inventory Missing
   • Item has circulated in the past 8 years, since the library's implementation of the Aleph Library Management System
5. Weeding reports are divided up and assigned to librarians for review.

Stage Two: Librarians Review the Collection in the Stacks 

Procedures and Criteria:

1. Before going to the stacks, you will need to generate an Excel Spreadsheet reflecting the call number range you are responsible for reviewing. This spreadsheet should be generated from the unfiltered reports on the library share (Go to the library share- Weeding folder-First floor analysis-- unfiltered excel spreadsheets-choose appropriate files to generate a report for your range.)
2. It is recommended that you save your report to a jump drive as a 97-2003 workbook file.
3. You will need to bring the following items with you to the stacks:
   1. The Excel Spreadsheet call numbers for your assigned range (it is recommended that you save this to a jump drive)
   2. The General Deselection Criteria (see below)
   3. The Discipline Specific Criteria for Deselection
   4. Laptop and Scanner (available in circulation area)
   5. A book cart
4. Create a new Notepad file and save it with a name (e.g., WEEDING G1- 2009mmdd - Vince.txt) - WHEN YOU ARE DONE RENAME THE FILE AND PUT IN THE LAST CALL NUMBER REVIEWED (it is recommended that you save this file to your jump drive, since you may not be using the same laptop for your next weeding session)
5. Go through the items found on the list in call number order.
6. Check the circ data in the back of the item to verify that it has not circulated in the past 8 years. Also look for a DO NOT WEED stamp!... just in case the lists were generated before that book made it to that select group!)
   1. ILL is considered a valid circulation
7. The following criteria should be used in assessing an item's value for retention, and should be applied for all subject matter:
   • General Deselection Criteria
     • Physical condition-missing pages, text unreadable, water damage, poor paper quality, musty, beyond repair, or other factors which prohibit re-binding A. Note: if it is reparable (can be taped, has only a few loose pages that can be tipped in, etc.), put it aside and take to Sue for repair when you are finished with this session.)
     • Superseded editions not containing unique information, data, or providing a historical reference not available in the most current edition A. Check the shelves for other versions of that title... (1) Is this an edition of which there are others?
     • Duplicate titles unless a proven demand exists for multiple copies A. Are there other copies of this title and edition that we no longer need? (The library's policy is to have only one copy of most books, classics and materials that are in Special Collections excepted. Also we should have only the latest edition unless the work is a classic in its field, or the earlier editions are required (such as for The Age of Innocence, as Kerrie was telling us at one of our meetings.) If there is more than one copy of this title, check the circulation of all to determine if you think more than one copy is still needed. If not, keep the copy that is in best condition.)
     • Trendy ephemera-items such as handwritten or printed papers which were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity
     • Currency or reliability of the resource's information has lost value
     • Superfluous subjects no longer relevant to the SUNY Fredonia curriculum. Item has very little or no apparent relevance to current or anticipated college programs
     • Copyright date-items that appear outdated based on the subject and scope of the work. Consult the Discipline Specific Criteria for further guidance.
     • Government documents-physical items currently in the stacks that are available via a ".gov" Internet site. The stable url must be located and sent to the Cataloging dept. for revision of the permanent cataloging record prior to the deselection of the physical item.
     • Multi-volume sets- individual items under consideration for deselection should not be removed from multi-volume sets. Either the entire set should be deselected, or, all items in the set should be retained.
   • To summarize the criteria for weeding the acronym MUSTY serves:
     • M Misleading and/or factually inaccurate
     • U Ugly-worn, and beyond mending or rebinding
     • S Superseded by a truly New edition or by a much better book
     • T Trivial- of no discernable literary or scientific value
     • Y Your collection has no use for this material, irrelevant to the needs of your clientele
8. On the WordPad file, scan the barcode on the book (or books) you have decided can be made candidates for deselection.
9. Check the file to make sure that the scanned barcode got included correctly... sometimes (very rarely) a digit will be dropped.
10. On the Excel spreadsheet for your call number range, annotate why you decided to weed this volume in the column labeled: Deselection Criteria (note: if you generated your own Excel spreadsheet from the filtered reports, you will need to create this column within your spreadsheet). You will also need to create a column on your spreadsheet labeled Not On Shelf-to keep track of circulating/missing items.
11. Annotations should be based on the General Deselection Criteria. For example: Superseded Editions, Duplicate Titles etc... (Providing annotations will help faculty reviewers understand our decision-making process and will simplify the communication process between library liaisons and the faculty committees.)
12. If you come across damaged items that fall under the General Weeding Criteria of items that should automatically be kept (i.e. items that appear in Resources for College Libraries, Items that have circulated in the past 8 years, items appears in a recommended bibliography), place on a cart and take to circulation for repair. These items should not be considered for deselection.
13. Every so often, save the NotePad and Excel files you are working with.
14. At the end of your session, be sure to save the files (and rename them as instructed in Step 4. The example file might become WEEDING - G1-G251 - 20090112 - Vince).
15. Return the laptop to the Circ area

Stage Three: Faculty Review of the Items Being Considered for Removal

Procedure:

1. The library director will contact the chair(s) of the department(s) with expertise in the subject areas being reviewed. The department chairs will be asked to appoint a committee to conduct the review process. When appropriate, a faculty member who teaches the subject area as part of an interdisciplinary course should also be appointed to the committee by the departmental chair.
2. Once the librarians complete their review of the collection, a report will be generated for the faculty review committee indicating the items under consideration for withdrawal. This list will be made available electronically. The report will contain the following information: 
   1. Title
   2. Author
   3. Imprint (date, publisher)
   4. Call number
   5. Reason for withdrawal
3. The designated library liaison will be responsible for initial contact with the committee members. The liaison librarian will provide the faculty with the following items: 
   1. A short PowerPoint presentation highlighting the purpose and philosophy behind the deselection of materials
   2. The list of items under consideration for withdrawal.
   3. The "General Deselection Criteria" and the "Discipline Specific Criteria for Deselection" used for the area under review.
   4. The processes and procedures followed in our evaluation process
4. If a standard bibliography has been provided, the items under consideration will be checked against the standard bibliography.
5. The committee will have the opportunity to review the list of items for 45 calendar days, and the library liaison will act as a line of communication with the library, offering assistance, answering questions, and troubleshooting problems.
6. Once the faculty members complete their review, a finalized list of items to be removed from the collection will be provided to their library liaison.

Stage Four: End Processing

1. The item will be checked against the SUNY Union Catalog. Items which are not held by at least one University Center or two Comprehensive Colleges will be retained.
2. It will be verified that the item is not a faculty publication. Items which are identified as faculty publications will be retained.
3. All other items identified will be removed from the collection.

Weeding Process and Policy

"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." -from the American Library Associations' Bill of Rights.

In order to enhance the value and usefulness of Reed Library to the entire college community, care must be taken to insure that its holdings are as comprehensive as possible and are properly maintained. The vitality of a library collection depends on vigorous collection development as well as careful collection management. One aspect of this management is the judicious weeding of materials that no longer support the instructional mission of the college.

Like all collection development, the weeding of materials must be a consultative endeavor involving librarians, faculty members, and other parties as appropriate. The weeding process should rely on a well-defined plan through which the faculty and the librarians, in collaboration, identify materials that may be weeded. This process will help identify both strengths and weaknesses in Reed's holdings. Recognition of weak areas will subsequently be addressed, and whenever possible, appropriate new titles will be acquired after continued consultation with faculty and recommended bibliographies. 

Stage One: Librarians Determine Subject Areas to be Reviewed and Check Standard Bibliographies

Weeding is an ongoing process which starts by librarians identifying areas of the collection (according to Library of Congress classifications) that are in need of review. 

Once an area of the collection is identified for review, titles in areas identified for the weeding process will be compared against the most recent edition of Resources for College Libraries (RCL)[1] (either in print or electronically). If Reed Library owns a book listed in RCL, librarians will make a note of it in the library's catalog record.

If recommended by the academic department or program, the collection will also be compared to available standard bibliographies published by appropriate (i.e., discipline-specific) professional faculty associations for the subject matter being reviewed. A note will also be added to item's catalog record, indicating the bibliography which cited the item as a "classic" title in the field. 

Stage Two: Librarians Review the Collection in the Stacks

During the second stage of each weeding cycle, librarians will examine the titles within a designated area and generate a list of items that will be considered for removal. The criteria below list factors which, when used in combination, will help librarians make informed decisions about materials to be kept and materials which may be removed from the collection.

Items that meet any of these conditions will automatically be kept:

• Item appears in Resources for College Libraries
• Item appears in the recommended, discipline-specific, professional bibliography
• Item has circulated in a reasonable time period based on the subject and scope of the work, as determined by criteria developed by the Library Advisory Committee. (Note: An exception may occur if the item's physical condition is poor, particularly if it is not a suitable candidate for in-house mending or rebinding.)

Criteria for identifying those items that will be considered for removal by a process of faculty review (Stage 3):

• Items which have become outdated based on the subject and scope of the work, as determined by criteria developed by the Library Advisory Committee.
• Item has very little or no apparent relevance to current or anticipated college programs.

If librarians are undecided as to whether an item should be added to the list of materials being considered for removal, it will not be marked for withdrawal.

Stage Three: Faculty Review of Items Being Considered for Removal

When appropriate, a faculty member who teaches the subject area as part of an interdisciplinary course should also be appointed to the committee by the departmental chair. The faculty committee will be provided with a list containing the call number, author, title, and the imprint information (date, publisher) for the items being considered for removal. This list will be made available electronically via an OnCourse community group. The faculty committee members will have an opportunity to review the list of items for 45 calendar days, and the library liaison will be available to act as a line of communication with the library, offer assistance, answer questions, and troubleshoot any problems that arise. Once the committee has reviewed the items to ensure that the appropriate determination has been made for each title, they will provide their library liaison with a finalized list of items that have been selected for withdrawal from the collection.

Stage Four: Library End Processing

After all stages above are completed, the library staff will finish the weeding process. Materials will be retained by Reed Library, processed out of the library, or sent to the University at Buffalo for retention.

Resources for College Libraries (2006 edition) is used as a standard tool for collection development of academic libraries. RCL is published by the Association for College and Research Libraries division of the American Library Association and Bowker. It lists an established core collection of 65,000 titles in 58 curriculum-specific subjects, selected by 300 subject experts. The relentless growth in books published and the simultaneous decline in acquisition budgets make careful title selection essential for academic libraries. Using RCL as a collection development tool insures that standard titles will remain part of the collection regardless of local use, while other titles of generally accepted significance can be considered for possible purchase.