The purpose of the Collection Development Plan (“the Plan”) is to provide
The aim of the Plan is to provide a working tool to
Criteria & Priorities:
The Library complies with copyright laws and regulations when acquiring, circulating or duplicating materials and in its other internal processes. However, the Library does not assume responsibility for verifying copyright compliance by staff or circulating or duplicating materials. Neither does the Library assume responsibility for verifying copyright compliance by users, whether staff or visiting researchers, who operate the public copy machines, scanners and/or computers.
First priority is given to the research needs of the Field Museum staff.
Secondary priority is given in support of the professional development of staff.
For those members of the Field Museum community whose informational or research needs are beyond the scope of this policy, librarians will help to identify, locate, and borrow materials through inter library loan.
The Marie Louise Rosenthal Library is located on the third floor of the Field Museum. Its stacks are closed except to registered users. The Library catalog is freely searchable from any computer anywhere with Internet access. Subscription databases, e-books, and many other electronic resources are accessible from both on and offsite to staff; however, offsite users must have a password to access these proprietary resources. Email grings@fieldmuseum.org for remote access to resources.
The collection emphasizes those subject areas most directly related to Field Museum research:
The Museum Librarian is administrative head of the Library. The Museum Librarian monitors expenditures for library materials, renders decisions on costly or questionable items, and is the final authority for all selection and purchasing decisions. The Library accepts recommendations for library materials from any user; however, ultimate responsibility for the overall quality and balance of the Library collection rests with the professional librarians. Staff are encouraged to request Library materials to support their research or instructional needs, to recommend general items for the Library’s consideration, and to incorporate Library materials and online resources into their work.
Under the general supervision of the Library Director, the Library expends its budget allocations at its own discretion.
The Field Museum Library is part of CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois), which is a membership organization for libraries, providing services at scale to Illinois academic and research libraries. Beyond CARLI, inter library loan is possible through the WorldCat Discovery, which identifies holdings at millions of libraries worldwide.
The following environmental factors will be taken into account in all selection decisions:
The following general criteria will be used for the selection of resources:
The following criteria influence the choice between print, non-print or online/digital formats:
Major emphasis is on acquiring new or current titles, although older titles may be collected when retrospective subject coverage is desired, or in the cases of classics in literature or in a subject field. The Library will generally attempt to acquire the latest edition of a title, providing that edition contains new content or added value over earlier editions.
Materials will be made in English, and/or bilingual, or multilingual purchases.
The Library will focus its acquisitions on subjects related to current research focal points at the Museum. Generally, materials are collected with intent to provide a broad overview of subjects with balance as to various viewpoints. Online resources providing journal access will usually suffice to cover niche topics and leading-edge information. Interlibrary loan should be considered in support of the occasional exception, especially when the need is of limited duration.
The Library does not purchase:
The Field Museum Library acquires materials that support the current research, education and public outreach interests of the scientific, education, and exhibitions staff. Each year, the Library provides a report/evaluation of the subjects found in the collection, and looks at the current distribution and rank along collection and research priorities. With consultation of Collection Area Teams (CATs), we can further define subject collection priorities for the institution.
The Library also ensure that existing collections continue to be developed through strategic acquisitions in such a way as to retain and increase their research value. For example, the Library may prioritize the acquisition of a particular item that will complete a series, or volume. Acquire materials in both print and digital format that document the history of The Field Museum.
FORMAT: Hardback books are preferred if all considerations, particularly price, are equal. If there is a substantial cost difference between the trade paperback and hardback formats, the trade paperback format may be preferred, except where size of the item or anticipated heavy usage makes the hardback format a better choice for longevity. Mass market paperbacks are not purchased.
REFERENCE: The Reference collection should be somewhat limited in size; preference is given to materials that can circulate. However, there is still a need for basic factual information, introductory or overview information for specific subjects, and/or direction to further information and resources. Such titles which exist as multi-volume items or expensive items should be placed in Reference to help ensure against loss, since items in this collection do not circulate.
The collection of general print reference materials is expected to diminish as more and more trustworthy sources of general information are made available on the Internet. This may become true as well for more specialized reference information since online databases are more accessible to remote users, and the prices of print resources continue to escalate. The price of reference materials warrants serious consideration of the projected return on investment in such titles, especially if alternative, less expensive or free sources exist.
Types of materials included/excluded in Reference:
The Reference Collection should consist of materials that contain short, relevant “bursts” of information that are easily noted or copied. Materials which require the user to sit and read at length are better placed in the circulating collections. However, the Library needs to protect its investment in expensive items and in multi-volume titles where loss of a volume renders the remainder of the set void or less usable. Multi-volume sets and single volumes costing more than $150.00 should be assessed for placement in reference.
READING LEVEL: The Library primarily collects books at college or undergraduate reading level.
SERIALS: Print serials are acquired via subscription. Individual issues will not be purchased. Factors to be considered in the acquisition of print serials are:
PAMPHLETS: Pamphlets are generally not collected due to their ephemeral nature and likelihood of theft or loss.
EBOOKS: Electronic books are purchased as part of the Library's membership in CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries Illinois). Individual electronic books are not purchased at this time.
DATABASES: Subscriptions to proprietary online databases are considered when such databases provide the most current and/or cost-effective resources. Possibilities for new database acquisitions may be set up for trial at any time, but decisions about subscribing are generally made annually in the summer by the reference librarians as a group. These resources may include electronic books; citation, abstracting, and full-text databases covering journals, magazines, newspapers, or reference materials; and databases providing information portals for specific subject areas.
In addition to general selection criteria, the following criteria will be used for selecting online databases:
The Library is not a governmental depository at any county, state, or federal level.
Print items with minor damage may be repaired in-house. Major repair of damaged books is a highly technical and time-consuming process that the Library has neither the staff nor the resources to undertake. If an item with major damage is still in demand, it may be replaced or updated based on availability of funds and other collection priorities. If demand is low, the item may be withdrawn without replacement.
Lost or withdrawn items are not automatically replaced. Factors considered in replacement decisions are:
Deselection, also known as “weeding,” is the removal of materials from the Library collection, and this dynamic process is an integral part of collection management. Excess duplicate copies, seldom used titles, older editions with out-of-date or incorrect information, and badly damaged copies having an appearance that might discourage use are all candidates for weeding. When applicable, decisions to remove materials are made after consultation with the CATs most directly affected.
Materials will be evaluated for deselection by applying the MUSTY formula developed by Joseph P. Segal in Evaluating and Weeding Collections (Chicago: American Library Association, 1980): Misleading, Ugly, Superseded, Trivial or You no longer need it. The Illinois state library is our local Regional Depository library, their holdings will be consulted for any state/federally produced publications. https://catalog.gpo.gov/fdlpdir/FDLPdir.jsp
Obsolescence
Usage
Condition
Any item withdrawn from the collection will have its information removed from the Field Museum catalog, with the exception of items which have outstanding patron transactions linked, such as overdue fines. Any item not in its home location nor checked out should have its current location modified to reflect the appropriate setting (e.g. “missing,” “repair,” “in process,” “lost,” etc.). These non-location “locations” should be investigated periodically for resolution of anomalies. Non-replaced lost, missing or discard items should be treated the same way as deselected titles.