Reed Library: Library Policies

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.

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.

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

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 electronically.
• 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: 11/28/2023

Introduction

Collection Summary

Reed Library’s 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 13,000 compact discs and 15,000 LPs.

Who We Serve

The Music Collection primarily supports the curriculum of SUNY Fredonia’s School of Music, providing materials for School of Music students, faculty, staff, and visiting musicians. However, we welcome any and all users interested in learning more about music.

Mission Statement

Reed Library’s Music Collection strives to facilitate learning and engagement for all users via extensive collections of books, scores, and sound recordings.

Collection Objectives

The main objective of the Music Collection is to provide materials that supplement the curriculum of SUNY Fredonia’s School of Music.

Purpose of Collection Development Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the resources and materials available in the Music Collection are topically relevant and appropriate to the subject needs of its various components, so that the patrons of the Music Collection have access to the best possible resources.

Selection

Intellectual Freedom

The Daniel A. Reed Library Music Collection supports the American Library Association “Library Bill of Rights.” The Music Collection primarily serves a student population that requires access to materials that represent a wide range of topics and points of view within the broad topical spectrum of our collections. As long as materials meet the criteria in the General Selection Guidelines, they will be considered appropriate for the library collections. The Music Collection will consider adding materials if there is a question of failure to adequately represent a point of view. Requests to remove materials representing a particular point of view on controversial or sensitive topics, however, will be denied. Specific instances of objection to materials within the library should be addressed in writing to the Music Librarian, who will bring a written statement of objection to the attention of the Library Director; the objection will be considered and a written response revealing any decision will be provided.

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.

• Suggesting Materials

Those wishing to suggest materials for the Music Collection can do so by completing the Suggestion Form located on the Reed Library website.

General Selection Criteria

Daniel A. Reed Library acquires materials for its Music Collection according to the following priorities:

• Whether the material supports the current curriculum of Fredonia’s School of Music;

• Comprehensiveness of the material as it relates to the curriculum;

• The potential impact of the materials on the understanding of a given topic in comparison with extant materials in the Music Collection; 

• Appropriateness and approachability of the materials as related to the general level of scholarly activity in the Music Collection;

• Affordability of the materials as it relates to their potential contribution to scholarly engagement and understanding; and,

• Uniqueness and overall quality of the material.

• Whenever possible, representation of diverse populations (e.g. underrepresented races, cultures, genders, and/or sexual orientations)

Library Collections

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.

Music Reference Book Collection

The music reference book collection focuses on the following areas: dictionaries/encyclopedias, bibliographies of music literature, bibliographies of instruments and voice, composer research guides, composer thematic catalogs, and music education reference materials.

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.

Sound Recordings Collection

The sound recordings collection is closely tied to the scores collection, as it consists of recorded performances of musical repertoire. It consists of Long Playing vinyl records (LPs), as well as compact discs (CDs).

Historical Sheet Music Collection

The Historical Popular Sheet Music Collection at Reed Library is a collaboration between the Music Collection and Special Collections & Archives. The collection contains over 1,000 sheet music folios, consisting mostly of popular songs and instrumental music from the late 19th-century through the 1950s. Many of the items found in this collection are preserved by only a few libraries, and a fair number of the musical folios are unique to this library.

• While the Historical Sheet Music Collection is primarily digital, physical copies of the sheet music can be accessed via Special Collections & Archives.

Collection Maintenance

Deselection

Overall deselection procedures and practices in the Music Collection are conducted according to the CREW (Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding) methodology.

Donations & Gifts

The Music Collection will consider donations of the following materials, depending on their ability to meaningfully contribute to the areas of focus outlined above:

• Music Scores

• Books on Music (Library of Congress Classes ML & MT)

• Standard-Sized Vinyl Records (12”, 33 ⅓ RPM)

• Compact Discs

Materials in unique/specialized formats, such as Victrola records, and rare materials such as books and scores, may be considered for acquisition by Special Collections & Archives.

1. Unrestricted Gifts

The Music Collection is not obligated to retain any gifts that do not fit the normal selection criteria:

• Materials should be complete and in good physical condition (no mold, brittle paper, missing parts/pages, major rips/tears, irreversible rehearsal markings, etc.)

• Materials should be of intrinsic or informational value and should contribute to the existing body of knowledge contained within a collection

• Materials should be original, not photocopies

• For sound recordings, materials should not be currently available on streaming services provided by Reed Library (Naxos Music Library, DRAM, Music Online, etc.)

2. Restricted Gifts

The Music Collection may or may not accept restricted gifts (i.e. materials that must be retained, or placed segregated from other materials, etc.) because any restriction may contradict the mission of the Music Collection. All proposed gifts will be evaluated for scope and condition, as well as relevancy, by the Music Librarian in collaboration with the Library Director. Acceptance or refusal of restricted gifts depends ultimately upon the decision made by the Library Director.

3. Acknowledgments

A written statement acknowledging the donation of materials will be provided at the request of the donor.

4. Appraisals

The Music Collection is a part of the State University of New York at Fredonia and the State University of New York (SUNY) system, which is a tax-exempt organization. As such, under Federal Law, we cannot provide appraisals for materials that are donated to the Music Collection for income tax purposes.

Information on Special Collections & Archives Policies can be found on the SC&A Archives