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Collection Development Strategy

Introduction & Guiding Principles

The circulating collection of the Smith College Libraries has been developed and maintained for more than one hundred years to support the curricular and research needs of the Smith community. Librarians and faculty have worked together for generations to build the deep and expansive collection maintained by the Smith College Libraries today. 

The collection reflects the diversity of the curriculum, research and intellectual pursuits of our community, and the ever-changing resources needed to support them. Strategies to acquire and maintain these resources are always evolving and we are continually adopting new acquisition models to provide the most economical and efficient access to needed curricular and research materials.

This document outlines the principles and strategies used to guide the full life-cycle of materials purchased for the Libraries amidst a dramatically changing academic environment. The ever expanding scope of available materials in a range of formats, along with continually increasing costs, make it necessary to have a written plan giving guidelines which emphasize fiscally responsible and strategic management to support the curriculum and the research pursuits of the Smith community. The Libraries are committed to ensuring that all subjects receive equitable distribution of collections resources from the annual budget.

The Libraries seek to be representative of the community we serve and purchase resources that reflect a culturally diverse and global population. With this in mind, the Libraries also seek to support smaller vendors and emerging voices from non-dominant populations as well as working to expand the collecting of Black, Indigenous, and other authors of color. Accessibility is also a factor in decisions related to format as well as long-term use and short-term licensing.

The following guiding principles provide a framework for the selection and retention of materials for the Smith College Libraries.

Support the Smith College and the Smith College Libraries mission statements

  • Support the current curriculum and research interests of our community
  • Offer collections in multiple formats, providing access to information worldwide

Affirm and operate in accordance with principles set forth by the American Library Association

Reflect and support diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and social justice in the collections

  • Recognizing that collections support the teaching, research, and work of individuals from a multiplicity of racial and ethnic backgrounds, economic backgrounds, educational experiences, genders, sexualities, ranges of abilities, among other historically marginalized populations, the Smith College Libraries build collections that mirror and support this diversity.
  • We are committed to examining past practices that did not address issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and social justice. As the first principle of our Toward Racial Justice plan states: “Because Smith was not originally designed for the diverse students, staff and faculty that we have now, we are called to reflect on our past and present to build a more just and inclusive future.”

Evolve our collections and collections strategies to reflect our scholarly environment

  • Pursue avenues for new material formats such as open access and open educational resources
  • Continually assess and respond to the information needs of the Smith community through transparent management of the libraries’ collections

Collaborate to provide broad access, for fiscal responsibility, and to streamline collections strategies

  • Partner with the Five Colleges to continue the development of the shared collection
  • Select strategic local and national partners that allow access to a range of materials through reciprocal borrowing, shared retention plans, and inter-library loan (ILL) services

Selection Priorities & Objectives

In order of precedence, priorities for collection and acquisition of materials include:

  1. Resources aligned with the curriculum and research needs of students, e.g. course reserves, undergraduate reading level materials that reflect the subject matter of current courses and are likely to be used by students for papers or projects, and course preparation materials that are likely to receive ongoing use by students and multiple faculty members/departments
  2. Support for the curricular and scholarly needs of faculty, e.g. materials needed for faculty research or course planning. Materials for faculty research unrelated to the curriculum are acquired as funds allow. Some requests may be met through Five Colleges borrowing or other resource sharing options.
  3. Materials that provide broad or enduring subject coverage and generally support a liberal arts education
  4. Materials not explicitly needed for curricular or research purposes. Requests for materials in this category may be met through inter-library loan, Five College borrowing, or local public libraries

In addition to the criteria above, the points below are also factors in collection decisions:

  • Anticipated use balanced against cost, quality of content, and accessibility
  • Uniqueness of content within the Libraries collections and the Five College Consortium
  • Electronic vs. physical format decisions will consider the availability of the desired format, the needs of the subject/discipline, material type, as well as the urgency of the information needs.
  • Preference is given to electronic resources that allow unlimited or multiple user access.

The Libraries are committed to establishing a sustainable collection that serves the current and future information needs of the Smith community. All library materials, including one-time purchases and perpetual access collections, represent ongoing costs in the form of space (electronic or physical), staff time, and fees. With this in mind, the Libraries employ a variety of acquisition models that seek to balance use and enduring scholarly relevance against budget constraints. These purchasing models include one-time purchases, perpetual access, demand-driven acquisition as well as licensing and subscription models. Requests for new acquisitions, particularly those with ongoing licensing or subscription costs, must be weighed against existing resource costs and may require cancellation of another resource.

Funds for the Libraries’ collection come primarily from the operating budget allocated by Smith College. Endowed and gift funds are used to offset purchases as appropriate and are part of the budget planning process. These funds often include restrictions that require the Libraries to purchase specific formats or topics.

Faculty and academic departments are encouraged to work closely with their Subject Librarians as they develop new curriculum or areas of research so that significant resource requests can be included in the budget planning process.

As part of building sustainable collections, the Libraries use a variety of methods to ensure long-term access to relevant materials. These methods include high-density storage options for print collections, perpetual access purchase models, retention agreements as well as regional and national lending partnerships. The combination of these strategies aims to provide long-term access to materials needed to support the information needs of the Smith College community but also allow us to make decisions that enable future growth and development of the collection.

New acquisitions and other high-use print materials are kept on campus. Print materials that are used less frequently but retain relevance to the collection are stored at the Annex. This facility, opened in 2017 and located a short distance from campus, allows us to store over 2 million volumes in a high density, climate controlled environment. The movement of materials between campus and the Annex will be routinely evaluated.

The Libraries collaboration with the Five College Consortium libraries on purchasing and retaining materials has proven an important and successful collection strategy, having a tremendous impact on the philosophical and practical aspects of collection development at Smith College. In conjunction with the Five Colleges, the Libraries have developed an additional copy procedure as well as a last copy in system procedure (Sec. 6.1.4) that allows each college to develop collections that serve their individual communities while providing ready access to a much wider breadth of materials than is possible to acquire as individual libraries. In addition to agreements regarding access to print materials, many core electronic resources are purchased as a consortium, which allows for considerable cost savings.

Five Colleges, Incorporated manages the Five Colleges Repository collection. This collection is made up of lesser-used and infrequently circulating journals, series and books. These items were identified as having enduring research value for our community and remain available for members of the Five College Consortium.

The Libraries are a member of the Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust (EAST). This program is a collaborative effort to encourage retention of specific materials in each member libraries’ collection and allow for deselection of other titles that are held elsewhere. The program includes over 100 libraries who have formed a collaborative agreement to retain unique, scarcely held, and frequently used scholarly books and journals in support of scholarship, research, and teaching.

The Libraries also seek out robust inter-library loan agreements that allow for access to an enormous network of lending partners. These partnerships are routinely evaluated for their effectiveness in terms of speed and responsiveness. New partnerships and delivery methods are formed as needed to further expand access for the Smith community.

In addition, Smith College has partnered with Forbes Library. Smith students are eligible to sign up for a library card which allows them to use and borrow physical materials as well as digital items from the extensive Central/Western Massachusetts public library network, such as ebooks, eAudiobooks, databases, streaming video content, and more. This partnership provides access to leisure materials that might otherwise be out of scope for the Libraries collection.

Roles, Responsibilities & Methods

Primary responsibility for collection development is shared between the Libraries’ Teaching, Learning, and Research (TLR) Subject Librarians and the Serials, Electronic Resources & Acquisitions (SERA) unit, with regular input and feedback from faculty and students.

The Libraries acquire materials and resources through a variety of methods including Subject Librarians’ selection activities, approval plans, demand-driven and evidence-based acquisition plans, subscriptions, the purchase of perpetual access licenses, and more. These plans and procedures are continuously reviewed and updated as needed.

Libraries staff with collection responsibilities select materials that meet the needs of the current curriculum and research interests on campus and are in alignment with the guiding principles of this policy. Subject Librarians work closely with faculty and students from their subject areas to facilitate the selection of a range of materials within their subject area as well as materials with cross-circular applications. SERA works in close collaboration with the Subject Librarians to provide additional information about how materials impact collection considerations including space, budget, and access. These teams work to identify collection priorities and to determine one-time and subscription-based purchases that fit within these priorities. One-time purchases for course reserves or for material requests that fit within the collection strategy guidelines may be purchased at the discretion of SERA. The Scholarly Communications Librarian also provides input on new Open Access projects and agreements. Material selections/deselections that have broader implications for the budget and overall collections may be reviewed by the Collection Development Team which will include the Head of Collection Strategies, Head of Teaching, Learning, and Research, Director of Collections, Discovery and Systems and the Director of Learning, Research, and Technology.

The Libraries value the close relationships that faculty have with both collections and their Subject Librarians. Collection building and management are directly informed by faculty actively bringing forward questions, concerns, suggestions, and research priorities. All Smith faculty are invited to participate in the collection development process at any time through consultation with their academic department’s Subject Librarians or by submitting requests directly via the Faculty Services page on the Libraries’ website. Requests are reviewed by the SERA unit and the Subject Librarians.

Faculty are also able to provide collection feedback through their Committee on the Library representatives and by participating in electronic resource trials.

The Libraries accept suggestions from students, alumnae, and other Smith community members that they feel would be of benefit to the Libraries collection. Titles can be requested using the Book & Media Suggestion Form or by directly contacting a Subject Librarian. All requests will be reviewed according to the considerations outlined above. The Libraries endeavor to review requests on a regular basis, but may suggest ILL or other forms of access for materials needed within a specific time frame or materials that are outside of the collections scope.

Scope of Collection

The Libraries license a variety of online databases and electronic resource packages, including bibliographic and statistical databases, primary source collections, and aggregated e-book, e-journal, and streaming audio and video collections. These types of resources generally require an ongoing financial commitment and technical maintenance by staff, so selection must be more deliberate than one-time purchases.

As part of the initial evaluation process, access to a resource may be provided on a trial basis. Feedback from the Smith community during the trial period is a critical part of the evaluation process. Trial periods are set by the vendor and are generally between 30-90 days. Resources that are currently in the trial phase can be found on the Databases page. If the trial period is successful and the subscription process moves forward, the resource will be closely monitored for the first 2 years of access. If use of a resource does not appear to be meeting the needs of the Smith community after the initial 2 year period it may be considered for cancellation.

In addition to the considerations outlined above, factors considered when evaluating whether to add a new database or e-resource collection to the Libraries collection include:

  • Campus-wide IP range and proxy authentication
  • Compliance with industry accessibility standards
  • Integration with discovery interface and general usability
  • Vendor responsiveness
  • Availability of standardized statistics
  • License terms that allow for unlimited simultaneous use of a database; when unlimited is not an option or is cost prohibitive, the Libraries may opt for a limited simultaneous user model
  • Ability to add a financial hardship clause for multi-year agreements

In addition to large journal packages, the Libraries subscribe to many individual journals, magazines and newspapers as well as standing orders. These subscriptions include both electronic and print subscription models. Subscriptions to these ongoing resources often represent greater long-term fiscal, space (in the case of print), and staff commitments. Annual price increases for journals are historically higher than for other materials, and therefore have a dramatic year over year impact on the overall materials budget.

The Libraries seek to provide a balanced portfolio of titles that reflect the wide variety of campus teaching, learning, research, and leisure needs, and provide the greatest access to scholarship. To maximize both budget and space resources:

  • The Libraries subscribe to individual journals only in one subscription model: print or online. Electronic format is preferred as it provides the greatest on- and off-campus access
  • Print format will be selected only when institutional online subscriptions are not available, the electronic content does not adequately meet the needs of users (for example when important editorial material is omitted or visual materials are poorly reproduced or not included at all), or when there is a significant embargo on articles being published online
  • The Libraries will not typically purchase single issues of journals; exceptions may be made in the case of a special issue on a specific topic
  • The Libraries generally avoid short-term subscriptions (under 5 years) as they create fragmented access
  • Availability of adequate post-termination access via the vendor platform or Portico is a consideration for new electronic subscriptions
  • New standing order subscriptions will take into account the availability of a publication plan, number of anticipated volumes, and availability of single volumes as an individual purchase

New subscriptions are generally started with the next complete volume/year after selection is made. If backfiles are needed, they may be requested. New requests will be reviewed bi-annually to determine if they meet the criteria outlined within this document. In order to maintain a sustainable funding level for subscription resources, adding a new subscription may require the cancellation of other titles.

Subscription materials will be reviewed on a regular basis using available metrics, such as usage statistics and budget considerations, along with input from TLR and faculty to determine if subscriptions continue to meet current teaching and research needs. The Libraries may opt to cancel subscriptions and provide access through another format or process (such as ILL). In addition to this criteria, standing orders may be canceled if the agreed upon publishing schedule is not kept.

The Libraries acquire books in multiple ways including individual purchases in electronic and physical formats as well as within larger packages. Selections of physical and electronic books are made primarily by the Subject Librarians and SERA unit with input from faculty and the Smith community. Approval plans and other purchasing methods are reviewed and revised to best match focused collecting areas. Though electronic is the preferred purchasing format, availability, anticipated use, subject, and relevance to the Five Colleges collection are also considerations. E-books are purchased with the highest level of access possible within the constraints of anticipated use and budget.

Currently e-audio books are not collected. Similarly, Kindle, Nook, and other ePub formats intended for private/individual use are generally not available for institutional purchase.

The Libraries maintain a small leisure reading collection called the Burack Collection. This collection uses endowed funds to purchase current fiction or nonfiction books, chosen specifically for the reading pleasure of Smith College students and other members of the college community. The collection is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to offer Smith readers a sampling of widely reviewed titles or other books that are likely to be of interest to members of the Smith community. Suggestions for titles to add to the Burack Collection are invited from students, faculty and staff members. Suggestions may be submitted via the Book & Media Suggestion Form. Many leisure reading needs are best met through Forbes Library, which has a special program for Smith students.

The Libraries currently purchase or acquire access to audio and films in both physical (e.g., CD, DVD) and electronic (e.g. streaming) formats in support of the curriculum and research. As with other formats, the Libraries will purchase the highest level of access that is reasonable in relation to budget and anticipated use and may choose to purchase both physical and electronic access as needed. When available (primarily for educational media/documentaries), the Libraries will purchase Public Performance Rights (PPR) and the media will be labeled as holding PPR.

The Libraries are unable to purchase streaming media subscriptions from consumer sources such as HBO, Hulu, Netflix, and Spotify, etc. These subscription models facilitate individual use and are not available to the college for institutional use. Some formats, such as VHS tapes and LPs, are present in the collection but not actively acquired. The Libraries do not rent physical media; however, ILL may be an option for individual research.

The majority of the Libraries collection is in English, however the Libraries may purchase material in any language appropriate to a given subject area for research and curricular purposes. The Libraries actively collect materials in languages taught at Smith College and may choose to grow non-English collections in support of languages taught at the college or for specific curricular projects.

Dictionaries for languages not taught at the college are added selectively to the reference collection. The purchase of works translated from one non-English language into another is generally avoided unless an English translation does not exist. Translations from English into other languages are rarely acquired, unless they are to be used in coursework.

Formats not described in this document will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Library staff will review requests for other format types and determine if the material can be managed by library staff through existing systems and can be accessed at an acceptable level by the Smith community.

The Libraries generally do not purchase spiral-bound, library bound, or loose-bound print items and do not license information resources or cloud-based information services/software for campus that are available exclusively to a particular group (department, unit, discipline, etc.) or set of individuals. Examples include many e-textbooks, workbooks, coursepacks, software, or subscriptions that are priced or delivered on a per account basis.

The majority of the Libraries collection is in English, however the Libraries may purchase material in any language appropriate to a given subject area for research and curricular purposes. The Libraries actively collect materials in languages taught at Smith College and may choose to grow non-English collections in support of languages taught at the college or for specific curricular projects.

Dictionaries for languages not taught at the college are added selectively to the reference collection. The purchase of works translated from one non-English language into another is generally avoided unless an English translation does not exist. Translations from English into other languages are rarely acquired, unless they are to be used in coursework.

In order to maximize space and budget, the Libraries generally will not purchase multiple copies for the collection. This includes purchasing materials in multiple formats and circulating print materials already available within the Five College system. Requests for duplicate copies/formats are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Considerations include:

  • The material is deemed especially relevant for the Smith Collection
  • There is an accessibility related need for a particular format
  • The requestor prefers a particular format but the cost of buying multiple versions is not prohibitive
  • The electronic version includes use limitations and the cost of buying additional e-copies or physical copies are not prohibitive
  • Anticipated use requires the purchase of an additional format

Support for Open Access Materials

The Libraries support open and free access to information. In keeping with that priority, the Libraries support Open Access publishing projects and agreements that fall within the current collection development strategy and budget. Additional criteria for Open Access models include:

  • Ability of library staff to provide access and to monitor initiatives as they progress
  • Cost to content ratio, the Libraries should anticipate access to content that is in line with the investment
  • Availability of metadata or means of facilitating discovery
  • Articulated plan for long term preservation of access or ability for the Libraries to preserve content
  • Information regarding funding shortfalls and ability to add a financial hardship clause for multi-year agreements
  • Stated commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion

Participation in new OA projects will be discussed with TLR and SERA with input from the Scholarly Communications Librarian to determine recommended participation and priority level. Existing OA projects will be routinely evaluated to make sure they continue to provide access to the agreed materials.

In addition to supporting external OA projects, the Libraries also maintain ScholarWorks, the Smith College institutional repository. Smith faculty have approved an Open Access Policy to allow for the dissemination of their research and scholarship as widely as possible through ScholarWorks while retaining copyright.

Collection Evaluation

As part of the Libraries commitment to developing a sustainable collection, the Libraries will routinely evaluate the collection to ensure that the resources in it are within scope and are serving the Smith community.

Collection evaluation utilizes a variety of data and metrics including input from Subject Librarians, SERA unit, faculty and other members of the Smith community.

The Libraries seek to identify high-use items, gaps in the current collection, as well as underutilized resources that could benefit from promotion or that could be removed from the collection.

Physical materials are reviewed in terms of use, scope, and relevance. Commitments to long-term retention of physical materials include materials that support the curricular and research needs of the Smith community as well as those identified in print retention agreements.

Databases and other subscription-based electronic materials are considered in the context of a variety of factors, including changes in curriculum, feedback from faculty, usage statistics, price increases, and platform stability.

Lost or damaged materials that fit within the scope of the collection strategy will be replaced as staff time and budget allow.

Donations

Currently the Smith College Libraries do not accept donations for the general collections. More information about how to support the Libraries, including donation policies for Special Collections, can be found on the Support the Libraries page.

Material Reconsideration

Materials in the Libraries’ collection are selected to support the teaching, learning, and research activities of the Smith College community. If a current student, faculty, or staff member would like to request a review of an item in the collection they may email deanoflibraries@smith.edu .

Related Policies

Course Reserves Smith College Copyright Policies Collection Development Strategy for Special Collections

Definitions

Approval plan: libraries work with a vendor to create a set of parameters known as a profile. Based on the profile, title announcements (notification slips) are sent for review.

Demand-driven (or Patron-driven) acquisition plan (DDA): a method of e-book purchasing that allows libraries to offer a wide range of content to their patrons but only purchase items as they are used.

Embargo: The length of time a publisher blocks access to a resource such as a journal article or library purchase options for e-books.

Evidence-based acquisition plan (EBA): Similar to DDA plans but generally show patron use over the course of a year to guide purchasing decisions.

License: Licenses in libraries are legal agreements that define the terms and conditions for using digital content.

Material(s): Used to describe any type of resource purchased for the Libraries collection

One-time purchases: Resources that are purchased once such as a single copy of a book (e-book or physical).

Open Access: Materials published with no financial, legal, or technical barriers to access or use.

Open Educational Resources: Teaching, learning, and research materials that are free to use, reuse, and share. They can be in the public domain or released under an open license.

Perpetual access licenses: Licenses that allow for an up front purchase of digital content and unlimited access. Often these agreements include an Annual Access Fee (AAF) and so have ongoing costs.

Post-termination access: Any level of access to subscription materials after the subscription period has ended. Generally provided via the vendor platform or through preservation partners such as Portico.

Public Performance Rights (PPR): License that allows a film to be screened in public.