JCKL Collection Development / Collection Management and Maintenance

The Collection Development Policy identifies and communicates the long- and short-term collection goals and policies of JCKL. The Policy states the principles and guidelines to be followed by librarians and departmental faculty in developing and maintaining balanced collections across disciplines. It also takes into account the mission and goals of the University while being responsive to the changing needs of a dynamic institution. When this policy refers to "collections," it implies all library resources, whether owned, leased, or borrowed, physical or electronic. The Collection Development Policy will be periodically reviewed in order to ensure that its provisions continue to reflect the current requirements of academic programs, collection needs, and the allocation of resources.

James C. Kirkpatrick Library Collection Development Policy

JCKL supports the mission of UCM through collecting, organizing, maintaining, and providing access to resources to support the instructional, research, and public service needs of the University of Central Missouri community with collections in a variety of formats. JCKL provides electronic access to materials through the JCKL website (https://library.ucmo.edu/).

JCKL strives to acquire, preserve, and provide access to all types of information sources necessary to meet the needs of its primary clientele. Through collection development, JCKL provides access to appropriate and diverse knowledge that facilitates and promotes scholarly inquiry. The Library must balance access to and ownership of information resources in accomplishing this primary goal. Considerations in planning are curriculum needs, funds, space, and availability of materials. Resources include, but are not limited to, books, periodicals, electronic databases, and other formats described in COLLECTING GUIDELINES.  

Acquisition goals for the Library are in the following priority order, in accordance with the collecting parameters of this policy:

1. To acquire or provide access to those information resources needed for the instructional programs of the University.
2. To acquire or provide access to those information resources required by the students and faculty for research.
3. To acquire or provide access to information resources for interdisciplinary information, which is not covered by the instructional and research programs, to ensure balance in the General Collection.
4. To acquire or provide access to those information resources as required under any consortial or system arrangements.

The Collection Development Policy applies to the General Collection of the UCM Library.

Some special collections of the JCKL have individual collection policies that are posted on their web page. The special collections are governed by the Collection Development Policy, but are allowed variance in primary and secondary clientele, selection guidelines, and collection maintenance. The variance will be determined by the Special Collections Librarian to meet the needs of the special materials and their clientele. 

To assure the prudent allocation and expenditure of monies for collections and other information resources, collections within JCKL consist of books, journals, and media collections supporting study and scholarship in the arts, sciences, humanities, technologies, and social sciences. In general, collections at JCKL adhere to the Advanced Study Level (level 3c) as set forth in Appendix A: Levels of collection density and collecting intensity of the Collection Development Policy to support the Carnegie classification of UCM. Certain collections with approval of the University Librarian and the liaison librarian(s) may be collected at the Research Level (level 4). Additional support for the College of Education is provided by maintaining a children’s and young adult literature section. Additional support for audio books is provided by the Office of the Provost to meet accessibility guidelines.

JCKL is dedicated to providing information for students and faculty at the point of need. Placement of physical collections is generally based on perceived needs and campus proximity of library facilities to academic department locations. In order to support online and distance learning activities, where students and faculty may be located away from campus, JCKL exercises a preference for selection of and access to digital resources thereby increasing user accessibility, regardless of physical location. Library collections are substantially supported by electronic resources acquired through the state consortium, and through membership in MORENET. 

Library collections will directly reflect and support its mission and the goals of the University. Specifically, the priorities for building balanced collections across disciplines include:

• Providing university-level scholarly resources that support the academic program and faculty research interests. Collections will reflect diverse viewpoints and areas of scholarship.
• Continuing JCKL’s tradition of meeting curricular changes and intellectual demands with thoughtful innovations that respectfully build on past achievements.
• Affirming JCKL’s commitment to enabling every person to engage in the lifelong pursuit of knowledge by supporting the open exchange of ideas, innovation, intellectual freedom, diversity, and equitable access to information.

In carrying out its collection development activities, JCKL adheres to the principles expressed in the following statements from the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/intfreedom/librarybill/lbor.pdf).