The purpose of Gwinnett Tech Library Collection Development guidelines are to provide a framework for the Library in assuring quality and relevance in the selection, acquisition, deselection, and management of resources in support of the College mission. The guidelines inform the principles and procedures for maintaining the existing resource collection.
Teach every individual; serve every business.
Advance the knowledge of individuals to enrich lives and develop opportunities. Gwinnett Tech, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, is a public two-year college that serves the communities of Gwinnett and North Fulton by offering campus and distance learning for associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in credit programs as well as for adult and continuing education training.
What we have:
Integrity: We say what we mean, we treat people with respect and we honor our promises.
Commitment: We are devoted to our job, and accountable to our students, our peers and our leaders.
Excellence: We strive to excel in all we do.
What we provide:
Customer Focus: We believe that the students and businesses we serve are our customers and we strive to consistently meet or exceed their expectations.
Adaptability: We embrace diversity and are resilient in our goal to serve an all-inclusive audience.
Leadership: We recognize our duty to lead our students and serve our community.
Lifelong Learning: We believe education to be the paramount foundation for continuing success.
Innovation: We foster an environment that nurtures creativity and emerging technologies.
Gwinnett Tech Library partners with the College community to advance student learning and workforce readiness. The library engages students, faculty, and staff with ready access to customized research assistance and specialized research tools and resources.
The guidelines are intended to be a fluid document, subject to regular updating and review. Ongoing evaluation is necessary to keep this document vital and current.
The overall collection development and management is the responsibility of the professional library staff. Librarians are responsible for the content of the collection, for setting pirorities for all types of resources, and for coordinating the selection and purchase of resources. The library does not assign annual allocations to subject areas or academic divisions/departments, thus maintaining the flexibility necessary to meet both anticipated and unanticipated demands for resources and to be able to take advantage of the most economical purchase strategies. The library strives to achieve a well rounded collection that:
Gwinnett Tech Library collections are developed through collaboration between faculty, students, and library staff. Library customer input into the selection of materials is critical for ensuring a relevant and useful collection to support the mission of the College. Library staff actively solicits input with regular faculty meetings and ongoing curriculum and program assessments. Library staff uses selection aids including, but not limited to:
Cooperative Agreements
Gwinnett Tech Library expands the physical library collection through online resources and by participating in consortium agreements including OCLC and GALILEO. Currently enrolled students and currently employed faculty and staff have access to borrowing privileges at Georgia Gwinnett College, Gwinnett County Public Library, and the network of Technical College System of Georgia libraries. The extent of these privileges is established by the lending library.
The following considerations may be used to evaluate materials considered for addition to the Library’s collection:
The number and weight of applicable considerations may vary in specific professional decisions.
Selection Limitations:
Print Books
The book collection is intended to support the curriculum, although a small number of general interest titles are also collected. Hardback versions of books are preferred for titles with long life expectancies (such as general encyclopedic introductions and classic literature). Quality trade paper makes up a large portion of new titles which are of a more transitory nature and need to be updated frequently. The main textbooks currently used in Gwinnett Tech courses are not collected, but other textbooks that enhance information pertinent to the college’s programs of study may be added, especially those which represent the best sources of information in the field. Multiple copies of books are not normally purchased unless real or anticipated demand is noted. Out-of-print or rare books are not usually purchased. English-language books are preferred, although some titles are purchased in Spanish also. A small portion of books are cataloged as Reference titles which may be used in the library but do not circulate.
Graphic Novels
Professional reviews and critical recognition of graphic novels have increased greatly over the last few decades. Graphic novels are works of fiction or non-fiction presented as a combination of text and sequential images. Notable graphic novels include: Maus, by Art Spiegelman; the March Trilogy co-authored by Georgia Congressman John Lewis, and Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. Subject matter contained in graphic novels ranges from general fiction to adaptations of classic literature, biographies and memoirs, philosophy, religion, history and other areas of non-fiction including business and economics.
The library collection will maintain a small number of acclaimed and award-winning titles which support the curriculum of the college and support the overall development and lifelong learning of Gwinnett Technical College students. Graphic novels are provided at Collection Level 2 - Basic Information: "Current materials are collected to define and introduce the subject with the coverage level to meet general reference and reading."
Electronic Books (eBooks)
Electronic books are purchased to support online students and to provide 24/7 access to all students, faculty and staff. Duplication with print titles is considered when cost effective pricing is offered by the vendor or via consortia pricing.
In addition to general selection criteria, these special considerations apply to selection of electronic books:
Electronic Licensed Databases
Gwinnett Tech Library secures licenses for online databases that include remote access whenever possible in order to offer equitable service to online students and to offer 24/7 access to all faculty and students. Gwinnett Tech Library Director and Assistant Director select electronic products after initial investigation and trial. Library staff evaluate database statistics, student and faculty comments, and staff evaluation and compares prices and database contents to those of similar products offered by competing vendors before committing library funds by renewal of agreements.
In addition to general selection criteria, these special considerations apply to selection of electronic resources:
Serials: Magazines, Journals, Newspapers
The Library retains one year of print magazines and journals and the current month of newspapers. Due to the escalating costs of serials, individual titles are carefully reviewed before purchase or renewal. Serial titles are annually cross-checked in GALILEO to determine electronic access to the title. Electronic access allows multiple users access 24/7 and is more fiscally prudent. The small print serials collection supports the Gwinnett Tech curriculum and students’ research needs. The serials collection does not support the research needs of faculty pursuing advanced degrees. Interlibrary loan is provided to meet the needs of faculty research.
In addition to general selection criteria, these special considerations apply to selection of serials:
Periodicals/Journals
Newspapers
Books on CD
This format is no longer being actively collected. Faculty, Staff and Students have access to a wealth of titles available in CD and online audio formats through the public library.
A small collection of unabridged, language study or program presentations is collected. Budget for this collection only supports a narrow collection limited to:
DVDs
This format is no longer being actively collected. Faculty and Students have access via GALILEO to selected videos from Films on Demand and Academic Video Online.
DVDs are purchased when the information in the DVD format will be useful for meeting the information needs of students in a visual format. Additional criteria for the selection of DVDs include:
Picture Books and Easy Readers
Gwinnett Tech Library offers a small collection of Picture Books and controlled vocabulary Easy Readers. Titles in this collection support the Early Childhood Education curriculum.
Ongoing collection development includes removal and discard of materials which no longer meet the criteria for inclusion in the collection. Systematic and methodical examination of materials benefits the Library and its customers by ensuring that the collection accurately reflects the current needs and interests of the College community. Additionally, the orderly withdrawal of outdated and inadequate materials helps customers to access the more useful materials that remain.
Materials meeting the following criteria will be considered candidates for weeding:
The library regularly conducts a comprehensive inventory of the collection and resources. Throughout the year, materials are weeded in order to ensure the collection is current and relevant to the needs of the College community. Library staff makes professional recommendations and judgments during the weeding process. Faculty members are asked to examine collections in their subject areas on a regular basis to identify candidates that meet the criteria for weeding.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service through which print materials not owned by the Library may be borrowed from other library systems. The Library is a member of the Worldshare Interlibrary Loan network. Membership provides access to the collections of member libraries in Georgia and nationally.
Library customers initiate ILL requests by filling out an “ILL Request Form” and agreeing to all terms and conditions of the lending library. Requests for media such as videos, Books on CD or tape or music, cannot be accepted.
Loan period and renewal are determined by the lending institution and lending institutions may require that their materials be used in the library. It is difficult to determine the length of time necessary to fill an ILL request. Customers will be notified of the availability of requested materials within two to four weeks of submitting their request.
Gifts of new materials are accepted only when they meet Gwinnett Tech Library’s selection criteria, add strength to the collection and impose no significant limitations on their housing, handling or ultimate disposition/disposal. Accepted gifts become the property of Gwinnett Tech and Gwinnett Tech Library retain the right to dispose of any material, regardless of how it was acquired, and will use the same procedures for discarding all withdrawn materials. Library personnel can not issue value appraisals of gift materials for tax or any other purpose.
Not accepted as gifts:
Gwinnett Tech Library supports the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights and its concept of intellectual freedom. In making selections, the Library attempts to include material representing differing points of view on controversial issues and considers them without censorship or prejudice when determining the collection's balance. Should the suitability of particular material be questioned, a Materials Reconsideration Request Form with the specific objections must be submitted to library management.
Copyright
Gwinnett Tech Library complies with U.S. Copyright Law, Title 17 of the U.S. Code
