6.11.1 College Library Services

Policy TrackingDate
Approved
RevisedDecember 5, 2019
Reviewed

  1. The Library's mission is to provide quality resources, services, facilities, and instruction that support learning and promote success. To accomplish its mission the Library will provide relevant resources that support instruction needs; promote the Library to all that effectively seek, retrieve and use information; keep BRCC faculty, staff and students informed of all available resources; engage BRCC faculty in selecting and maintaining resources–including new collections and long range plans–that support academic programs; and participate in reciprocal borrowing with other libraries. 

  2. The Director of Library Services will facilitate and maintain a Library Collection Development Process as a guide to the selection and maintenance of library materials, purchased from the library materials allocation, that comprise the physical and electronic collection of the Blue Ridge Community College Library.

  3. Collection Development Process:
    Materials are being added continuously and thoughtfully removed from the collection according to the same criteria. To assure development of a collection in accordance with institutional goals, the following criteria have been established for evaluation of materials:
    1. Identified need
    2. Faculty Requests/Recommendations
    3. Accuracy and objectivity
    4. Scarcity of material available on the subject
    5. Appearance in indexes, bibliographies, or professional journals
    6. Appropriateness of format
    7. Relevance to College curricula
    8. Timeliness and/or permanence
    9. Quality of writing or production
    10. Reputation and significance of author or creator
    11. Reputation and standing of publisher or producer
    12. Intended audience
    13. Price
    14. Budget
    15. Accreditation requirement
    16. Recommendation in a professionally-recognized review source

  4. Materials Selection Responsibilities:
    The Director of Library Services, in conjunction with library staff, will be the primary selector of materials. Faculty and staff are encouraged to aid in the selection of books and materials by making requests and recommendations via the Library Materials Request FormOR by contacting the Director of Library Services.  This form is located on the College’s intranet site which is available to all Blue Ridge employees. Completed forms will be routed directly to the Director of Library Services.  Students are encouraged to make requests via Library Catalog page.  These requests also go directly to the Director of Library Services.  The Library Committee, chaired by the Director of Library Services, reviews and responds to all faculty, staff, and student requests and recommendationsfor major purchases eac h semester.  
    Additionally, to ensure that all materials are collected and evaluated systematically, all programs going through the College’s annual program review process will undergo a thorough re-evaluation of current library holdings and any additional material needs.

  5. Collection Maintenance:
    Collection maintenance includes the regular and continuous process of selecting material that is no longer appropriate or is damaged for withdrawal from the library collection. This process is as important as the initial selection of the material. In addition the following criteria are considered:
    1. Superseded editions, unless previous edition is still of value
    2. Worn, mutilated, or badly marked
    3. Duplicate copy
    4. Outdated or obsolete information
    5. Circulation record
    6. Historical value
    7. Curriculum relevancy

    Materials removed from the collection are disposed of in adherence to the North Carolina Administrative Code: 1H SBCCC 400.2

  6. Academic Freedom:
    The Library supports the academic freedom guidelines in the College’s Academic Freedom and Responsibility Procedure of the BRCC Policies and Procedures Manual by fostering “an environment where faculty and students can freely inquire, study, and evaluate in order to gain greater understanding.” In addition, the Library is committed to upholding the principles of intellectual freedom and intellectual property rights outlined in the ALA Code of Ethics, the ALA Library Bill of Rights, and the ALA Freedom to Read Statement.

  7. Budget Prioritization:
    The library does not allocate specific amounts of its budget to the individual subject areas of the collection or to specific departments of the College. This allows for the accommodation of unanticipated changes in the curricula or in patron needs.

  8. Branch Campuses and Centers:
    The Library extends its mission to serve students and community members at the Transylvania County Campus (TCC) Library and all off-campus instructional sites. The TCC library houses computers, a print reference and book collection, audio and video resources, as well as access to the collections and services of the Henderson County Campus Library and the Brevard College James A. Jones Library. Materials are selected for the TCC Library in the same fashion as for the main campus Library.

    Materials for the Health Sciences Center and all other off-campus instructional sites will only be purchased in digital formats as no physical footprint exists in these locations. Materials are selected in the same fashion as for the main campus Library.

  9. Textbooks and Faculty Reserves:
    Textbook purchases are only done with a faculty request and consideration of the budget. No effort will be made to purchase textbook without the above. Faculty are encouraged to provide Instructor copies of textbooks to keep on Reserve in the library. Faculty are also encouraged to place other items that will add strength to their courses on Reserve in the Library. Users must abide by the College’sCopyright Policywhen making copies of Reserve or any other Library materials.

  10. Gifts:
    Gifts are accepted when they add strength to the total collection and when it is understood that such gifts may be used anywhere and in any way needed. Storage space and staff time requirements are also considered in accepting gifts.

  11. Materials Reconsideration:
    Abiding by the Collection Development Procedures and BRCC’s Academic Freedom Procedure, materials may still be considered offending to certain parties from time to time. Library Material Reconsideration involves the completion of a form, given by a professional staff member, by the individual or group requesting the reconsideration. After completion of the form and appropriate signatures affixed, the form and the material will be referred to the Library Committee. Each Committee member will read or view the material and discuss during a meeting. A decision will be rendered. 

Blue Ridge Community College Policies and Procedures Manual