Updated October 26, 2006

General Introduction
The collection development policy is divided into two parts. Part 1 consists of a general statement, collection strategy, and separate statements for specific curriculum areas and units of the library. In Part II, statements are offered covering the specific academic programs at the University of Texas at Dallas. One of six possible collecting levels (defined in Appendix I) from the RLG Conspectus is assigned to the appropriate subject component, which supports each curriculum area.

Part I: General Statement and Collection Strategy

• provide guidelines for the selection of material for purchase;
• provide a master plan for the growth and development of the Library's collection;
• facilitate the allocation of budgetary resources;
• communicate to deans, faculty, librarians and others the library's collection policy;
• allow comparison between UTD policy and that of other institutions to assist in cooperative collection development;
• assist in reaching selection decisions on electronic materials and large microform research sets;
• provide guidelines for weeding;
• assist in the selection and retention of gifts and other free or inexpensive sources;
• codify several unwritten policies.

The primary collection development objectives of the Libraries are to support instruction and faculty research. A limited effort is undertaken to supply customers information about current social, political and economic events in the Dallas area, Texas, the United States, and throughout the world. No effort is undertaken to develop the collection to meet the needs of library patrons not affiliated with the University of Texas at Dallas except in the case of the U.S. Depository and Texas State Depository programs.

Development of the depository collections, as required by law, takes into consideration the needs of the local community in the selection of material. University faculty and staff who require books and periodicals for their own use are expected to spend personal funds for their acquisition. Other units on campus, which require books and periodicals for their University operations, are expected to spend their own funds. Because the library cannot collect comprehensively in all subject areas, a high priority is placed on providing bibliographical access to material not necessarily held in the collection so that a patron may obtain it by alternate means, such as interlibrary loan.

Due to the fact that the University of Texas at Dallas is a rapidly expanding institution that frequently adds new courses and programs to its curriculum, it is recognized that it will be necessary to periodically update the policy statements for individual curriculum areas. Ideally, they should be reviewed and updated each time new university graduate and undergraduate catalogs are issued.

Finally, it should be understood that the assigned collecting levels in Part II represent the desired level of support rather than the actual level of the present collection.

B. Collection Development Strategy

The basic collection development strategy of the University of Texas at Dallas library system is composed of the following components when full funding is available: an approval plan, liaison selection, serial and electronic subscriptions and standing orders as well as gifts, wholesale purchases and trading with book dealers. Each of these elements is summarized below.

An approval plan with a reputable vendor is employed to bring into the library the current output of North American university and commercial presses (including foreign published books distributed in North America). The approval plan profile should include all subject areas collected at level 3 or higher as well as a selection of pertinent areas collected at level 2.

The Collection Development Officer assigns each of the liaisons a yearly allocation for the purchase of library material. Each library liaison may use their allocation to purchase monographic materials and may not use their allocations for ongoing encumbrances, such as periodicals, electronic subscriptions, or standing orders. Material purchased with library funds must be housed in the library.

The Collection Development Officer allocates funds to the Reference Services Department. This allocation is used to purchase general reference and legal resources, maps, and subject bibliographies. A separate fund is made available to the Government Documents Librarian to purchase government document materials not received through the depository programs.

A high priority is placed on university press publications. It is a goal of the library to collect almost all twentieth century North American university press publications in all relevant areas.

Upon occasion large purchases are made from vendors or other libraries. Subject to the availability of funds, these purchases are made when the following criteria are fulfilled:
1) the subject content of the material meets a collection need; 2) the average cost per book represents a substantial savings to the library; and 3) the duplication rate with present holdings is not excessive. In practice, the criteria must be balanced to determine the real cost per item.

New serial titles or standing orders are reviewed by the Collection Development Officer and are purchased as funds are available. The Collection Development Officer oversees the current subscription list to ensure that required materials are retained and not dropped through faculty requests.

C. General Policies, except for Non-Print

The policies outlined below apply across-the-board to all curriculum areas and library units.

ABRIDGED EDITIONS:
The library seeks to collect the complete text of a scholarly work. Therefore, abridged editions are generally not added to the collection.

BRAILLE:
The library does not collect material in the Braille format except as received through the depository collections.

DUPLICATES:
The library makes every attempt not to purchase duplicate copies of the same edition. It should be pointed out that English translations of a single foreign language literary work by two or more different translators are not considered duplicates.

EDITIONS:
It is the library's policy to acquire the latest available edition of a monographic work. Unless there are compelling reasons to the contrary, such as a specific faculty request or in the case of a particularly noteworthy edition, an edition earlier than the most recent one held by the library is not added to the collection. For example, if the library holds the third edition, the first and second are not added.

FORMAT:
Depending upon the materials being acquired, the Librarian selects the format based on: the type of material (book, periodical, index, map, etc.), the longevity of the format, the intensity of projected use, the ability to use the material from outside the library, cost, the ability to reproduce the material, the anticipated vandalism rate of the format, and the ability to convert the title to a new format as technology changes.

HARDCOVER VERSUS PAPERBACK FORMAT:
The library prefers hardcover to paperback when there is a choice between the two formats. Paperback copies are acquired if they are specifically requested by the library liaisons or if the desired title is available only in paperback. Paperbacks are also preferred to an often-replaced expensive hardback serial.

ELECTRONIC BOOK FORMAT:
The Library supports the acquisition of Internet-based electronic books. The acquisition of electronic book format depends upon the subject discipline, access and connection issues, and readability.

MICROFORM FORMAT:
Silver halide microform is preferred over other types of microform. Microfilm is preferred over microfiche (when both formats are available) to be consistent with past practice and because microfilm is less vulnerable to loss or theft. Electronic format is preferred over either microfilm or microfiche. For the sake of consistency, 35mm positive film is preferred. For microfiche, silver halide is preferred.

FORMAT FOR PERIODICAL HOLDINGS:
The delivery of a periodical in electronic format (imaged) is preferred to microform. Any standard format: electronic, microfilm, microfiche, or hard copy is added if a needed item is available only in that format. A paper subscription is not added if an electronic subscription is already available unless the electronic format is incomplete. If, due to budgetary or space reasons, a choice must be made between formats, the following factors are considered:

DELIVERY-A title in full image is available electronically outside the Library walls.

ILLUSTRATIVE MATTER-Titles in which plates, drawings, photography, art reproductions, graphs, maps, or scientific illustrations constitute an important part of the work are poor candidates for a format which does not reproduce color.

COST-Other factors being equal, if one format is significantly less expensive than another, the more economical format will be purchased.

USAGE LEVEL-Frequently used materials are not good candidates for microform.

JUVENILE BOOKS
The Library acquires a small collection of juvenile materials in support of classes in children's literature.

LARGE-PRINT TYPE:
The library does not collect books in large print type.

LEASING PRINT:
Whenever possible, the Library opts to purchase material rather than lease. Leased material generally must be returned to the publisher and cannot be retained except by special arrangement.

LICENSE AGREEMENTS AND CONSORTIAL AGREEMENTS:
The UTD Libraries adhere to all signed license agreements for acquired (generally electronic) materials. These contracts normally specify the user group allowed access to the products. The Library strives to provide access to all electronic products. If the license agreement restricts access to selected groups, the Library complies with all contracts.

Whenever possible, the Library maximizes access to materials through participation in consortiums. Consortial pricing normally benefits the Library by expanding access to materials. In addition, consortial pricing can provide for an expansion of the information base or content available to the University. Besides the subject content, connectivity and pricing are of greatest importance when entering into consortial agreements.

All legal documents are reviewed by the Collection Development Officer, signed by the Dean, and where applicable signed by a School Dean or the Vice President for Business Affairs.

NEWSPAPERS:
The library collects newspapers from Texas, the United States, and the major cities of the world. Criteria for selection of newspapers include: relevance to the UTD academic programs and faculty research, user demand, quality and prestige of the paper, and availability of indexing. Whenever possible, the library purchases electronic full-text versions of newspapers in preference to microfilm as the title would be fully indexed. If the library wishes to maintain a newspaper with graphics, microfilm is purchased.

PERIODICAL BINDING:
If a periodical title is to be permanently maintained in the collection, it will be bound or preserved on microform or in electronic format. Some paper subscriptions are bound. The following categories of periodicals are discarded after a set period of time rather than bound (or preserved in microform): non-indexed titles, newsletters, and issues that are superseded by cumulated volumes. The Library continues to purchase electronic journal archives in preference to binding.

PERIODICALS REPRINTS:
Reprints of journal articles are not added to the collection.

PREPRINTS:
The library does not collect preprints, i.e. printed drafts of individual conference papers.

RARE BOOKS, ARCHIVAL SOURCES & UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS, ETC.:
No attempt is made to collect rare books, limited editions, fine printing, archival sources or manuscripts for the circulating (Main Stacks) collection. These types of material are collected by Special Collections.

REBINDING:
Many types of materials are considered for rebinding. Common situations include: If the item is to be heavily used, if the item has been highly used and cannot withstand average use, if the item is to have additional information supplemented to the original volume and it is to remain intact, or if preservation of the material is required.

REMOTE ACCESS:
Most electronic Internet-based materials are available remotely to currently enrolled UTD students, faculty, and staff. All other library users are restricted from remote access.

REPLACEMENTS:
The Library selectively replaces lost, stolen or damaged materials depending upon such factors as the item's availability, its intrinsic value, and its relevance to the UTD curriculum and research interests. If the Library holds a duplicate copy of the missing title, the book is not replaced unless usage is extremely high. A book will generally not be replaced if the Library holds a later edition of the title in question. Missing volumes of bound periodicals and single issues of periodicals designated for binding are replaced as funds are available. The library does not replace the missing issue of a periodical that will not be bound. The Library replaces missing/lost electronic resources as deemed appropriate by the Collection Development Officer.

REPRINTS:
A reprint of an edition is considered the equivalent of that edition (except in the case of rare books). Reprints are purchased if originals are not available. Similarly, if the library already owns the original of a requested item, the reprint request is considered a duplicate and is not purchased.

SUBSIDY PUBLISHERS:
The Library generally does not collect books issued by subsidy publishers, i.e. vanity presses, such as Exposition Press or Vantage Press.

SUPPLEMENTS:
A supplement is not added to the collection if the base volume is not held.

TEXTBOOKS:
The library does not collect UTD course textbooks. It is the student's responsibility to purchase the required textbooks. (This statement does not apply to supplemental course readings that might be supplied by the library).

THESES AND DISSERTATIONS:
The library automatically receives UTD dissertations in print and on microfilm. One print copy of each thesis and dissertation is cataloged for the circulating collection. All dissertations are digitized and the link is included in the bibliographic record for the item.

The library generally places a low priority on theses and dissertations submitted to other universities.

TRANSLATIONS:
The English translation rather than the original foreign language version is preferred for foreign language nonliterary works, except when the original version is of seminal importance and necessary for research purposes. Literature in the major Western European languages is collected in both the original language and in translation. The library does not collect foreign language translations of works originally published in English or translations from one foreign language to another.

UNIVERSITY YEARBOOKS:
Yearbooks from other universities are not collected.

WWW ACCESS:
The Library purchases WWW access to indexes, journals (full-text and imaged), reference materials and research collections in support of education. The Collection Development Officer monitors license agreements.

D. General Statements for NON-PRINT Media

Multimedia Services collects material in non-print formats such as DVDs, videocassettes, and audio compact discs. Most non-print material (with the exception of the bibliographic compact disc collection) is housed in Multimedia Services.

AUDIOCASSETTES:
McDermott Library does not collect audiocassettes at present.
Callier Library collects audiocassettes in support of the speech and hearing curriculum.

COMPACT DISC, AUDIO:
Multimedia Services and the Callier Library purchase compact discs in preference to vinyl recordings. All music sound recordings are purchased in this format. Currently, the libraries do not own vinyl records.

COMPACT DISC, DIGITAL FILES:
The Libraries purchase sources on compact disc that can be used in the Library (when software and equipment is available) U.S. Government depository CD-ROM's are added and circulated if software is unavailable in the Information Commons. In general, the disc format is being replaced by WWW access, the preferred electronic format. For discs, the Windows operating system is preferred. The Library does not maintain Macintosh compact discs.

DIGITAL VIDEODISCS (DVD):
Widescreen format for Digital Videodiscs (DVDs) are preferred over other media (VHS, Laser Discs, etc.).

FILMS:
McDermott Library no longer purchases films. The current collection of films is being replaced by DVDs as funds permit.

LASER DISCS:
This format is no longer purchased.

MICROCOMPUTER SOFTWARE:
The Library does not maintain application software programs for checkout. Periodicals and books that contain compact discs or computer diskettes are shelved separately.

No backups of this software are made and diskettes are not checked for viruses after checkout.

RECORDS:
Multimedia Services no longer collects vinyl recordings.

SLIDES:
The Libraries do not maintain a separate slide collection.

TEST KITS:
Test kits for achievement, intelligence, aptitude, and psychological and developmental testing are collected as appropriate by the Callier Library. The primary collection emphasis is on English language kits, although a limited number of Spanish language test kits may also be collected. Because these kits are used for classroom demonstrations and student assignments rather than research purposes, the library recognizes the necessity for acquiring multiple copies. In some instances, it may be necessary to replace lost or stolen parts of a kit, except for forms. However, all parts of a kit should bear the same imprint date.

VIDEOCASSETTES/VIDEODISCS:
Videocassettes (1/2 inch) are purchased and collected by Multimedia Services.

VIDEOCASSETTES VERSUS FILM VERSUS DVD:
The Library prefers to purchase widescreen DVD format. DVDs are preferred to film and videocassettes, due to its superior technical quality.

E. Reference Department Collection Development Policies

The reference collection of McDermott Library is developed to meet the academic/instructional and research needs of the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Texas at Dallas.

1. Objectives of this Policy

This policy is designed to set specific goals and standards for library personnel and the University regarding materials that will and will not be collected by the Reference Services Department. In addition, this policy should clarify what subjects or special interest areas receive the highest concentration and what formats are purchased. Finally, these guidelines provide specific information concerning the acquisition, processing, and weeding of the collections, in order to ensure that they are current and in good condition at all times.

2. Reference Materials Defined

The ALA Glossary of Library Terms defines a reference book as a book designed by its arrangement and treatment to be consulted for definite items of information rather than to be read consecutively.

The McDermott Library reference collection consists of other materials in addition to traditional reference books. Electronic information products, indexes and abstracts, microform materials, maps, and corporate reports are appropriate resources for inclusion in the reference collection. Changing technology will alter the format of reference sources in the future. The Reference Services Department strives to provide public service using these technological advances.

3. Responsibility for Collection Development

Liaisons are responsible for collection development of reference materials. The Head of Reference Services, in coordination with the liaisons and the Collection Development Officer, makes the final decision on selection

4. Acquisition of Reference Materials

a. Selection

Generally, current materials are acquired rather than retrospective sources. Reference items are selected on the basis of favorable reviews or notice in a reputable source. If selection is desirable before the publication date, the reputation of the publisher and the credentials of the author or issuing body are considered. The goal of acquisition is to acquire the most authoritative works available in all fields appropriate to the needs of the University.

b. Criteria

The following list of principles (in no particular order) serves as guidelines for deciding which titles are ordered.

Ability to be accessed electronically off-campus
Strengths/weaknesses of the existing collection related to the needs of the University
Favorable reviews or inclusion in basic reference collection guides
Reputation of the author
Currency of the topic
Date of publication
Price
Language
Format
Ability to withstand use in library setting
Availability of materials at local/regional libraries
Usefulness

c. Sources for Collection Development

It is the responsibility of the reference librarian to consult professional literature, both general and subject specific, so that important, relevant reference works are acquired. This process involves scanning the review section of journals or newspapers, examining publishers' leaflets and catalogs, reviewing annual lists of reference books, and checking standard reference guides.

d. Duplication/Replacement

Elements considered in the duplication of reference titles are the repeated requests of library users, currency, cost, and heavy wear. Generally, few titles are duplicated unless they replace existing or missing/lost items.

e. Size and Collecting Level

The Reference Services Department chooses not to limit the size of the reference collection. Prevailing demand, changes in the curriculum and student enrollment serve as guidelines to the relative growth rates of subject areas within the collection. The collecting level for each subject reflects the overall level designated in the McDermott Library Collection Development Policy for that subject.

5. General Collection Policy Consideration.

a. Language

For general and subject reference works, priority is given to materials in English. Titles in foreign languages are selected if they are superior to or complement the English works available.

b. Chronological Coverage

Chronological coverage is comprehensive.

c. Geographical Coverage

Geographical coverage is comprehensive.

d. Format

When both paperback and hardbound editions are available, the hardbound edition is usually selected. Hard copy is preferred to microform for reference books. Other electronic formats are also considered and preferred in support of distance education.

e. Special Considerations

The restrictions placed on the circulation of reference books makes photo duplication of portions of these materials essential in some cases and highly desirable in others. Materials are selected to withstand this activity.

6. Types of Materials Acquired

a. Almanacs and Yearbooks

1. The Department collects standard almanacs. The most recent general almanacs are located in the Reference area. Earlier volumes are sent to the main stacks.

2. The latest editions of yearbooks are collected. Earlier editions are transferred to the main stacks. (Only in exceptional cases are all volumes of yearbooks kept in the Reference area). Yearbooks, which are not reference materials, are shelved in the main stacks.

b. Annual Reports

1. the collection of corporate reports is housed in the reference or microform area, depending upon format.

2. The Department collects paper annual reports from standard annual lists.

3. Paper corporate reports are kept for 10 years. Microform reports are kept indefinitely.

c. Annual Reviews

The reference area keeps only bibliographic annual reviews. All others are shelved in the main stacks.

d. Atlases and Gazetteers

1. The Department maintains a representative up-to-date collection of quality atlases of the world.
2. The Department acquires authoritative gazetteers as well as current geographical dictionaries.
3. The Department will own a current globe.

e. Bibles/Sacred Works

The Department maintains a small collection of sacred works.

f. Bibliographies

1. The Department collects general bibliographies on broad topics. Those bibliographies with a narrow subject focus, such as single author bibliographies, are normally kept in the main stacks.
2. Trade bibliographies are maintained for the United States and the United Kingdom. These materials are ordered annually. Other in-print sources are purchased as funds allow.
3. Library catalogs are collected on a limited basis and are shelved in the reference area.
4. Union lists are generally purchased for ready-reference use. National serial sources (Union List of Serials, New Serial Titles, etc.) are shelved in the Materials Acquisition Department.

g. Biography

The Department acquires comprehensive works dealing with regional, national, and international figures, and includes both retrospective and current coverage. This category includes biographical indexes, encyclopedias, and dictionaries. Generally, the most recent editions of the source are maintained in the Reference area; all others are shelved in the main stacks.

h. City Budgets

The Department acquires city budgets from the major metropolitan areas within Texas. The largest cities in the state and the cities located in the Metroplex are retained in the reference collection. All other budgets are located in the main stacks.

i. College Catalogs

Catalogs from colleges and universities in the United States and many foreign countries are available electronically. All microfiche college catalogs are retained. Paper copies of the most recent edition of college catalogs from Texas public institutions of higher education are maintained.

j. Concordances

Only concordances of major authors or works are shelved in the Reference area. All others are shelved in the main stacks.

k. Dictionaries

1. Language dictionaries

The Department provides unilingual, bilingual, and polyglot dictionaries in as many languages as possible. In multilanguage dictionaries, English is preferred as one of the languages. The Department also purchases specialized dictionaries (slang, idiomatic expressions, abbreviations, acronyms, etc.).

2. Subject dictionaries

The Department acquires subject-specific dictionaries from those topics within the scope of the collection. Only the most current edition of most dictionaries is kept in reference; all earlier editions are shelved in the main stacks.

l. Directories

The reference collection contains directories of all types and maintains the latest edition in the Department; earlier volumes are sent to the main stacks. Directories are kept as current as possible, but because of budget restraints, every new edition cannot be purchased. Those directories, which are not on standing order, are purchased at intervals established by the reference librarian responsible for that subject area.
Telephone directory information is provided electronically. Paper copies of local phone books are retained in the Ready Reference Area for one year.

m. Encyclopedias

1. General

The latest editions of major English-language encyclopedias are shelved in reference or are available electronically. The exception to this policy is the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Many different editions (9th, 11th, New Werner, and current) are shelved in the Department. The encyclopedias are updated on a rotating basis.

2. Subject-specific

Specialized, authoritative subject encyclopedias are also maintained in reference until they are outdated or superseded by a new edition. If an older edition is considered to have significant value, it may be retained. All others are shelved in the main stacks.

n. Genealogy

No attempt is made to provide sources or materials necessary to conduct genealogical research.

o. Grants, Fellowships, Scholarships Materials

The Reference Services Department provides the basic tools for this area. Students and faculty are encouraged to visit the UTD Office of Sponsored Projects for grant and fellowship information and the Financial Aid Office for scholarship information.

p. Guides to Graduate Study/Departments

The Reference Services Department provides current guides to undergraduate, graduate, and trade schools. In addition, disciplines represented in the curriculum for which programs at UTD are preparing students (medicine, law, etc.) are covered with guides written by the major professional associations in the U.S. Previous editions of guides are shelved in the main stacks.

q. Handbooks

The Department maintains a highly selective collection of authoritative general and subject handbooks. Works that are extremely limited in scope are shelved in the main stacks.

r. Heraldry

A few carefully chosen basic titles are maintained in the reference collection.

s. How-To Manuals

The Department does not generally collect these materials; however, it does maintain a collection of resume books.

t. Indexing and Abstracting Services

1. General

The Department maintains a collection of basic indexes/abstracts in electronic format. Generally, print indexes are maintained if the material is not available electronically or is to be used for demonstration purposes. Every attempt is made to provide the broadest coverage to topical literature, although the majority of the publications index only English-language material. The Reference Services Department provides the most efficient access to this literature.

2. Newspapers

Whenever possible, the Department provides electronic indexes for newspapers currently subscribed to by McDermott Library. Full-text databases of newspapers are preferred to print or electronic indexes.

u. Legal Sources

Major legal encyclopedias and dictionaries, as well as some digests, citators, and codes are kept in the LAW section within the Reference Department. The majority of the materials are on standing order, but the reference budget is available to purchase new materials for the collection. The materials available are oriented to the classes and research being conducted. Concentrations include materials on federal and Texas law, and taxation. Some legal sources are also available electronically.

v. Plot Summaries

Plot summaries (Masterplots, Cliff Notes, Monarch Notes) are not acquired or maintained by the Reference Services Department.

w. Quotation and Proverb Books

The Department collects compilations of quotations and proverbs. Previous editions of this type of material, if superseded, are available in the main stacks.

x. Reference Desk Collection

A small number of materials within the reference collection have the special designation, ready-reference. Materials are selected for ready-reference because they receive such frequent use that it is convenient to have them near the reference desk, or because they are items that frequently disappear.

y. Standards and Specifications

The Department does not purchase technical standards and specifications. Some older standards are shelved in the main stacks.

z. Style Manuals

The collection provides major style manuals. Earlier editions are added to the circulating collection.

aa. Travel Guides

Travel guides are not collected by the Library.

6. Weeding of Reference Collections

Periodic evaluation of the works in the reference and documents collections is as important as acquisition of new materials. Careful, regular, and systematic weeding removes older, less useful works from the collection.

Liaisons follow the same principles and guidelines in weeding as in the acquisition of new materials. Since each discipline requires different types of materials, it is impossible to establish absolute standards to be followed in weeding. For some areas, the collection should provide retrospective and historical works. For others, only current materials should be available in the Department.

When weeding materials, the following criteria are considered:

1. Usefulness
2. Currency
3. Availability of later editions
4. Physical condition
5. Duplication of the information in other reference sources
6. Language
7. Suitability of format

F. Government Publications Collection Development Policy

The government documents collections of McDermott Library exist to meet the academic/instructional needs of the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Texas at Dallas, and to serve the general public as required by law.

1. Collection Guidelines

A. Federal documents

The federal government designated McDermott Library a selective depository in 1974. The Government Documents Librarian is responsible for the selection of all government documents.

B. Texas documents

The Texas State government designated McDermott Library a depository in 1975. In addition to depository items, the Government Documents Librarian selects microfiche items using the Texas State Documents Index.

2. Criteria for Additions and Deletions of Federal Documents

Once a year, each depository is allowed to add item numbers to the list of requested materials. A depository can drop an item at any time. The following factors should be considered when adding or dropping government publications.

a. Usefulness to the University and community
b. Strengths/weaknesses of the collection
c. Favorable reviews or inclusion in basic reference collection guides
d. Currency of the topic
e. Format of the publication
f. Ability to withstand use in library setting
g. Availability of material in local/regional libraries
h. Off-campus accessibility

The Government Documents Librarian will handle all collection changes with GPO and Marcive.

3. Deletion of Government Documents

Periodically, it becomes necessary to cancel the receipt of selected government documents. All deletions of government publications are the responsibility of the Reference Librarian for government documents. Disposal of documents will be in accordance with depository law. The Government Documents Librarian handles the deletion of items.

4. Marcive

The addition and deletion of item numbers has a direct impact on the receipt and usefulness of document records received from Marcive. The Government Documents Librarian maintains this coordination.

5. Gifts

The Government Documents Librarian or Collection Development Officer makes all gift decisions for both federal and state collections.

6. Maps

McDermott Library acquires maps to meet the academic/instructional and research needs of the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Texas at Dallas.

Maps are acquired through federal and state depository programs, by purchase, and as a result of periodical subscriptions. The collection consists of topographic, geologic, CIA, National Geographic, road, wall, and census tract maps.

a. Criteria

The following principles serve as guidelines for deciding which maps to select:

1. Usefulness
2. Strengths/weakness of the existing collection
3. Reputation of the publisher
4. Currency
5. Price
6. Ability to withstand use

b. Weeding

Most maps are kept for historical purposes. Some maps are weeded when their usefulness, currency, or condition warrants. If depository maps are weeded, disposal lists are created as outlined in the Procedures for Weeding and Creating Disposal Lists.

G. Weeding Policy

The library collections of the University of Texas at Dallas support the research and curriculum needs of the students, faculty, and staff. Materials received through government depository agreements support the community as well as the University. With time, the content of collections can become dated and inaccurate. Research and curriculum changes make portions of some materials obsolete and unnecessary. Heavy use of the materials can prove detrimental to the piece and can make the item unusable. Systematic evaluation of the collection and removal of materials no longer useful is essential to maintaining the purpose and quality of the Library.

1. Criteria for Removal of Library Materials

Many factors are considered in removing material from the collection. The authority of the work and author, the quality of the publisher, the currency of the material, the condition of the item, the number of additional copies of the piece, the relevance to the curriculum and research needs of the University community, format, and compatibility of the material to standard bibliographic tools (indexes, user guides, etc.).

While electronic methods can be devised to retrieve a list of materials which meet the criteria mentioned above, weeding is inherently a subjective process. No automatic formula can be applied. Each item is a potential candidate for weeding and must be individually examined.

The Collection Development Officer supervises the removal of library materials. Members of each library department assist in weeding projects.

2. Removal of materials for Reference and Government Documents

Statements concerning the removal of materials from these collections follow the guidelines specified above. Special policies concerning weeding of these collections are provided in separate weeding sections within their respective collection development policies.

Part Two: Special Collections

The Special Collections Department collects in three areas. These areas are: History of Aviation Collection, Wineburgh Philatelic Research Library, and the Belsterling Botanical Book Collection. Each area has specific needs regarding collection development.

A. The History of Aviation Collection

The focus of this collecting area is the history of aviation from its development to present and includes military and civilian aviation. The collection is divided into five groups; the General James H. Doolittle Archives, History of Aviation Archives, CAT/Air America Archives, George Williams WWI Aviation Archives, and the Lighter-Than-Air Archives. In addition to the archives, serials and monographs are also collected to help support the archival collections.

Materials Collected:

Historical manuscript collections that relate to aviation donated by individuals or organizations, and on occasion, purchased.

Documents
Images in the forms of photographs, negatives, glass plate negatives, lantern slides, slides, and electronic
Motion picture film
Video tape
Microfilm
Microfiche
Artifacts
Artwork
Cartographic material

Monographs related to aviation obtained through purchase or donation
Reference books related to aviation through purchase or donation
Serials related to aviation through subscription and donations
Electronic journals related to aviation through subscription

Materials Not Collected:

The History of Aviation Collection does not collect space-related material.

The focus of this collecting area is the history of philately and to promote philatelic research.

Materials Collected:

Monographs through donation and purchase;
Catalogs through subscription;
Journals through subscription;
Serials through subscription and donation;

Materials Not Collected:

Manuscripts and archival materials
Artifacts such as first day covers and stamps
Artifacts

C. The Belsterling Botanical Collection

The focus of this collection is rare botanical books for research.

Materials Collected:

Monographs
Journals
Catalogs
Reference works

Materials Not Collected:

Archival manuscript collections
Artifacts

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