1. Introduction
This policy, designed as a working document, focuses on guidelines for evaluation and selection of information resources. The collection policy must be flexible in terms of both content and format. An effective policy reflects the changing vision, goals, and objectives of the University and of the libraries. Thus, the Libraries must continually evaluate resources and services as academic programs and as information technology choices evolve. The policy will serve as a framework for collection decisions in an environment of increasing costs and growth of digital information choices. The initial document and any succeeding substantial changes are subject to approval by the Collection Strategy Committee.
Implementation of the selection and management guidelines that follow, as well as every 4-5 years review of the policy, is the responsibility of the Collection Strategy Committee, with the support and assistance of the librarians and libraries’ staff.
The University of Waterloo Libraries follow a comprehensive collections strategy to support the research, scholarship, and teaching needs of its community. This strategy is informed by understanding the existing information needs of users, user interaction with resources, access to information resources, and preservation for future scholars. The policy emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balanced and dynamic collection that evolves with the changing academic landscape. We are developing a collection of long-term utilities.
2. Purpose and Objectives
The main purposes of the collection development policy are to:
Support academic teaching, learning and research needs: Provide resources that directly support the research, teaching, and learning needs of Waterloo’s students, faculty, and researchers, meet users demands, support quality and scholarly merit, be relevant to research and curriculum.
Align with University of Waterloo objectives: Such as Strategic Planning and Global Futures, and commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigenous Reconciliation and Anti-racism (EDIA/EDI-R).
Range of Formats: Offer a variety of research materials in a range of formats, such as print and electronic books, journals and periodicals, databases and other electronic resources, to accommodate different learning and research needs.
Adaptability: Review and adjust policies and strategies as these needs change over time, ensuring the collection remains relevant and valuable.
Other objectives:
- Develop a collection that supports interdisciplinary research and emerging fields.
- Ensure the inclusion of both foundational texts and innovative research materials.
- Foster an environment that promotes intellectual curiosity and academic excellence.
3. Scope
The scope of this policy includes:
General Collections: The policy covers the libraries’ holdings, including books, journals, and electronic resources that support academic teaching, learning, and research needs and general curriculum. Affiliated libraries and special collections are excluded.
General Collections are in various libraries’ locations and online. They are intended for direct immediate use by libraries’ users, with materials available for checkout or access via the Libraries' digital platforms. For University of Waterloo locations please visit Our Locations
4. Guiding Principles and Values for Collection Development
The University of Waterloo Libraries are committed to providing robust and inclusive collections that support academic teaching, learning, and research needs. The libraries’ collections development policy is guided by best practices in academic libraries and informed by standards for libraries in higher education. The guiding principles and core values of the libraries ensure that materials are relevant, of high quality, accessible, and reflective of the diverse intellectual and cultural perspectives of the university community.
Relevance:
Materials should be closely aligned with the current curriculum and research interests of the University. The libraries ensure that their collections meet the academic demands of faculty, students, and researchers by acquiring resources that directly support their academic and research pursuits.
Quality:
Resources must be of high scholarly merit, including peer-reviewed journals and reputable publications, while also ensuring a balance of traditional and emerging voices. The libraries place emphasis on including works from diverse perspectives to foster a comprehensive collection that encourages critical engagement.
Intellectual Freedom:
Intellectual freedom is fundamental to fostering an environment where diverse and sometimes controversial ideas can be explored. The libraries aim to develop collections that encompass diverse perspectives while fostering both scholarly discussions and civic engagement. This commitment includes counteracting cultural, historical, social, linguistic, and intellectual biases that have influenced academic institutions over time, ensuring space for non-traditional and marginalized voices.
Diversity of Collections:
The libraries actively seek to curate collections that represent a wide array of intellectual, social, and cultural perspectives. They promote the inclusion of works by underrepresented groups, support emerging areas of scholarship, and ensure that the collections reflect the diverse voices and experiences within the University of Waterloo community. By doing so, the libraries contribute to a rich academic environment that fosters critical thinking and broadens the scope of scholarship.
Accessibility:
The libraries are committed to ensuring that all materials are accessible to students, faculty, and researchers, regardless of format. This includes adhering to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and offering resources through accessible platforms. Equitable access to information is a priority, ensuring that the libraries’ resources are relevant and available to all members of the university and the global academic community, meeting diverse needs and preferences.
5. Context and Trends
Academic libraries are in a period of transition with more scholarly information available digitally, changing user needs, and the need for efficient budget allocation. The University of Waterloo Libraries stay alongside these trends to ensure the collections remain relevant and accessible.
Digital Shift:
More scholarly information is available in electronic formats, making libraries’ resources accessible 24/7. Furthermore, user expectations continue to evolve, with increased demand for remote access to libraries’ resources. The libraries must adapt their services and collections to meet these needs. This shift requires ongoing investment in digital infrastructure and electronic resources.
Interdisciplinary Curricula and Research:
Collection management decisions are assessed based on criteria that align with the diverse, evolving, and increasingly interdisciplinary nature of curricula and research.
Open Access Initiatives:
The University of Waterloo Libraries are committed to supporting Open Access (OA) initiatives that enhance the accessibility and dissemination of scholarly research. By promoting OA, the libraries help to ensure that research outputs are freely available to the global academic community, reducing barriers to information and fostering a more inclusive research environment.
Budget Considerations:
The rising cost of academic publications and budget constraints necessitate careful planning and prioritization to ensure the most critical resources are acquired and maintained.
Collaborative Efforts:
The libraries participate in consortia agreements to enhance access to resources. Membership in organizations like the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) allow for shared services and improved negotiating power with publishers.
6. Selection Responsibilities
Librarians cooperate and work with the Collection Strategy Committee and Collection Development department to manage existing resources, select new materials, and develop new ways of collecting, with decisions informed by subject knowledge, user feedback, and usage trends, as well as the knowledge of the scholarly communications landscape. A collaborative and team-oriented approach is essential for the effective management of the Libraries' collections.
Liaison librarians are organized into disciplinary clusters that reflect the various faculties of the University. They are responsible for building collections that support the specific research and teaching and learning needs of the academic departments they support, as well as upholding collections policy values.
In collaboration with other libraries’ teams, the Collection Development department manages the acquisitions budget and balances the acquisition of new resources.
Each liaison librarian serves as a liaison for faculty in one or more academic disciplines. Please visit the list of University of Waterloo Librarians by Subjects.
7. Faculty and User Engagement in Collections Activities
Effective engagement with faculty, their libraries’ representatives and users are critical to ensure that the libraries remain relevant and responsive to the academic needs of the university. The University of Waterloo Libraries employ a variety of methods to gather input and feedback from the academic community, ensuring that the collections support both current and emerging research and teaching priorities. This engagement is achieved through the following formal, informal, and occasional methods, fostering a collaborative environment where feedback is actively sought and valued.
Purchase Request Forms: Faculty, students and staff can reach out to their relevant subject librarians to submit requests for specific materials needed for their research or courses.
Curated recommendation lists from the leading providers of electronic and print books and workflow services to academic libraries: Librarians share lists of recommended resources and solicit feedback from academic departments.
Direct email: Faculty members/instructors can send their purchase requests via email to their relevant subject librarians for specific materials to be added to the Libraries' collection.
Consultations and Conversations: Librarians engage with faculty and students through informal discussions, classroom visits, and department meetings.
Department Meetings: Attending faculty meetings to discuss material needs and gather feedback.
General Calls for suggestions: Periodic calls for material suggestions, particularly towards the end of the fiscal year.
Frequent Faculty Requests: Responding to regular requests from instructors and adjusting purchases based on priorities and numbers of requests accordingly.
8. Collection Development – Policies, Principles, and Criteria
This section provides detailed guidelines and criteria for developing and managing the libraries’ collections. It outlines the specific policies, principles, and criteria used by librarians to evaluate and select materials for acquisition. This section also addresses the balance between physical and electronic formats, ownership vs. access considerations, and other factors that influence collection development decisions. The aim is to provide a clear and structured approach to ensure that the libraries’ collections remain relevant, comprehensive, and aligned with the academic needs of the University.
The process of selecting materials for the libraries involves assessing their immediate and long-term value to the University's academic programs. This includes considering the impact on current research and teaching, the reputation and credibility of the author or publisher, and the uniqueness of the material. Additionally, items that possess special physical characteristics or historical significance are given special consideration. By taking these factors into account, the Libraries aim to build a collection that not only meets present needs but also preserves valuable resources for future scholarships.
Immediate and Enduring Value: Investing in particular subjects or collections is evaluated within the context of serving the needs of the university’s programs and as a long-term steward of cultural and scientific heritage.
Key Criteria:
- Relevance: Impact on current research, teaching, and learning needs.
- Credibility and Representation: While traditionally respected sources are important, it is also crucial to include diverse voices and perspectives that may not have widespread recognition but contribute significantly to academic discourse.
- Uniqueness: Rarity in other libraries or cultural/scientific organizations.
- Condition: Quality and physical condition of the item.
Physical Formats vs. Electronic Formats: While electronic formats are preferred by most users, print formats are considered based on faculty preference, disciplinary needs, and cost-effectiveness. Electronic formats are prioritized for their accessibility and convenience, but print is used when cost-effective or required by faculty.
Duplicates and Multi-user Licensing: Generally, the libraries collect single copies of physical resources and multiple users’ access licenses for electronic resources, unless higher demand justifies additional copies or licenses.
Data-Informed Collections Decisions: Decisions are informed by data such as usage statistics and feedback from users, balanced with other considerations.
Accessibility: Ensuring that electronic resources are accessible to individuals with disabilities is a priority.
Ownership vs. Access: The libraries strive to acquire perpetual ownership of electronic content, considering leasing options when necessary.
Consortia Holdings and Interlibrary Loan: The libraries collaborate with consortia to enhance access to resources.
Course Materials: Upon receiving purchase requests from faculty members and instructors for course materials, librarians, Acquisition and Electronic Resources team members usually check the catalogue to ensure that the requested items are not already part of the general collection. This process helps prevent duplication. However, the acquisition of these materials may be contingent upon price and license agreement (e.g. cannot be secured under academic licenses).
Collections for Individual Researchers or Departments: Materials are acquired for access by the entire community, with rare exceptions.
New and Expiring Programs: Collections activities respond to the evolving academic programs and departments.
Budget Considerations: New material acquisitions are limited by the available acquisitions budget, influenced by various factors such as subscription price increases and currency variations.
9. Collection Management
General Overview:
Physical materials are classified by subject and placed in the appropriate libraries' locations based on discipline. Collection management decisions are made with care, following best practices in the field. These include, but are not limited to, regular assessments of the collections’ relevance, condition, and usage, as well as adherence to established preservation standards to ensure the longevity and accessibility of materials. Additionally, this process involves continuous collaboration with faculty and students to align the collections with evolving academic needs.
Deleting or Replacement of the libraries’ print materials: Lost, missing, or unusable materials are replaced at the discretion of liaison librarians.