UWF Libraries Collection Development and Management Policy

The UWF Libraries offers a forum for information and ideas. We offer free and equal access to those ideas and resist censorship in all its forms. As an academic library committed to the principles of intellectual freedom as articulated in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and its documents on Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries, decisions about what remains in the collection are to be made by library faculty in a way that is consistent with these principles.

ALA defines a challenge to literature as “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.” Resources in the UWF Libraries may be challenged by UWF students, faculty, and staff, and those persons who are residents of the state of Florida. A challenge to a resource in the UWF Libraries must be based on the failure of that resource to fall within the Libraries’ selection and collection development policies, including the commitment to intellectual freedom. When challenging an item, the patron may request the library take one of two actions: (1) removal of an item because it is inappropriate, or (2) the addition of a source to balance the collection by providing alternative views. The Libraries may agree to take either action or no action at all. Challenged items will remain on the shelf and available to library users during the duration of the challenge.

See Appendix V for complete Materials Reconsideration Policy.

Deselection is undertaken on a systematic basis. Deselection constitutes the removal of outdated, out of scope, superseded, damaged, or duplicated materials from the collection, as warranted under the pertinent established collecting level and library selection criteria. University and library faculty involvement in this process is actively sought to ensure that publications of historical or research significance are not discarded. Weeded materials may be withdrawn from the collection or may be replaced or transferred to a new location.

Physical items may be weeded and withdrawn according to the following general criteria:

• materials are available in a “good enough” electronic format for which we have purchased perpetual access and have secured the means of providing that access to our students and faculty
• materials for which a programmatic commitment is not present (i.e. no degree or certificate granted, no focus enumerated) and for which we have secured online access to relevant content, whether recurring or perpetual
• materials that are clearly superseded, obsolete, or otherwise represent a disservice to our students or faculty, e.g. medical and legal resources
• materials that no longer serve the function for which they were originally acquired
• materials where the condition is below minimal standards
• materials in fields where programs have been discontinued and the field is no longer represented in the curriculum
• items that have multiple copies

Materials to be repaired, rebound, replaced, transferred, preserved, or withdrawn are reviewed by the appropriate librarian and Technical Services staff.

Preservation is the activity to prevent, eliminate, or halt deterioration of library materials, as well as to improve their condition or to update their format as necessary in order to preserve the intellectual content. The Libraries endeavor to protect the physical integrity of materials in the collection through conservation measures, such as temperature, humidity, and dust control. Where preservation of content is more important than the retention of the physical format, items are preserved by binding, the acquisition of electronic versions or microforms, or the creation of digital surrogates.

Materials in various formats that are missing, lost, or withdrawn are not automatically replaced. Potential replacements are evaluated using the same criteria for selection as regularly purchased items. Lost books that have been paid for may be replaced using an alternate funding source.