I. Introduction
I. Introduction: Purpose, Function, and Context of Collection Management
The Ronald Williams Library both collects informational resources and provides access to information that it does not own in order to support its community engaged in the University's academic programs and to supplement the research needs of its community. Its primary community includes the faculty, students, and staff of Northeastern Illinois University.
As the University's academic programs respond to changes in teaching and scholarly activity, the Library's collection must continuously reflect the dynamic nature of the University. In addition, the Library's collection must adjust also to technological advances and online and networked environments. This collection management policy establishes priorities concerning ownership and access to the record of knowledge in order to communicate current practices and future directions. Since the collection management policy is a reflection of changing university academic programs, ongoing review of it is necessary by the Library and its community.
Collection management at the Northeastern Illinois University Libraries is a process of gathering information concerning the community's needs and translating those needs into decisions about the selection, acquisition, retention, preservation, storage, and provision of access to information resources and materials in order to optimize existing local resources and to develop new resources. Communication, coordination, policy formulation, budget allocation, collection evaluation, and planning are integral to the process. The availability of shared resources and cooperative collection management initiatives made possible by technology and electronic services are major considerations especially in a current environment of limited staff, limited space, limited financial resources, and changing higher education policy. The librarians and library staff engaged in this process are essential to provide the human aspects of leadership, the intellectual expertise for their subject specialties, the collaborative efforts needed for interdisciplinary scholarship, and the provision of service to users.
The Ronald Williams Library first developed a collection development policy in 1988. That policy was extensively revised in February 1996 to include specific policies on individual subject areas. The current policy is a revision of the 1996 policy. It addresses issues resulting from changes in the University's organization structure, updated policies on individual subject areas, the increased use of electronic information, and dependence on the Internet to deliver library services.
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