Collection Development Guidelines

Collection Strategies and General Guidelines

The Library acquires materials across formats and languages in several ways: through one-time purchases, ongoing subscriptions, or “just in time” pay-per-view models. In addition to acquiring newly published materials, the Library undertakes retrospective collection development, acquiring previously published materials where needed. Whenever possible, purchases and subscriptions are made in collaboration with other libraries, including Colby and Bates, or national consortia like the Center for Research Libraries. Borrowing materials from other libraries (interlibrary loan) serves as an important access strategy for specialized research when it is either unnecessary or impossible to acquire the materials for the collection.

Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to submit requests for new materials that will support their intellectual interests. We refer faculty to How Faculty Can Contribute to Collection Building at Bowdoin for specific ordering information. In all cases, the Library strives to acquire a diverse and balanced range of materials.

Accessibility

The Library aims to provide a collection which is accessible to all our users and we assess new purchases on several metrics. For electronic resources this includes specific file formats, compatibility with screen readers and other accessibility software, and the existence of subtitles, closed captioning, alt text, and other alternative access methods. Colby collects accessibility certifications for electronic resources on behalf of CBB. In addition, the library can purchase large print materials upon request and may scan and reformat print materials as needed. Accessibility is also supported by robust cataloging and a well-maintained public library catalog.

Withdrawing

Materials are not necessarily added to the Library’s collection in perpetuity. Due to changing curricular and research needs, damage, obsolescence of a particular format, or lack of use by our community, items are regularly withdrawn from the collection. Withdrawals are done deliberately and with full consideration of the item’s condition, the availability of replacement copies, relevance to current curriculum, and the availability of the item at other academic libraries. The Library works with other libraries and private companies to rehouse withdrawn materials whenever possible.

Languages

We acquire materials in all languages that are taught in the curriculum and generally rely on interlibrary loans for materials in non-curricular languages and specialized foreign-language publications.

Formats

As traditional material formats are supplemented or supplanted by new ones the Library may replace the older format when appropriate, generally preferring the latest format of any individual item.

Duplication

In general, the Library does not acquire multiple copies of collection materials or duplicate print and electronic formats. When considering duplication, we look at both our local collection as well as the holdings of other CBB libraries. Duplicates may be purchased at faculty request to support curricular access or when another format would improve accessibility.

Binding

Most physical titles are purchased in paperback and are bound when needed according to the item’s condition. Cloth-bound (hard cover) books are ordered when it is the only format available.

Replacements

Missing, lost, or damaged items are reviewed for replacement by Library staff. The decision to replace is based on multiple considerations including the nature of the work, the replacement cost versus the repair cost, the availability of copies at partner libraries, and the item’s circulation statistics.

Gifts

The Library does not accept unsolicited gifts for the general collection. Prospective donors may contact Tim Morton with a title list but should be aware that we generally accept very few offered titles. Unauthorized gifts will be disposed of in accordance with our withdrawal policies. Prospective donors to Special Collections & Archives should contact Anne Sauer.

Generative AI

The library does not collect works primarily authored by generative AI tools.

Strategies and Guidelines for Acquiring Books and E-Books

The Library acquires books in several ways:

• Working with two book vendors, the Colby, Bates and Bowdoin libraries share collaborative approval plans (CBB approval plans) which ensure the timely acquisition of new books from major academic and trade publishers, as well as musical scores. In collaboration with faculty, CBB librarians developed a profile of publishers and subjects that support our collective curricula. The book vendors automatically ship new books that meet the plans’ criteria, with shipments rotating weekly among the three schools. The goal of these shared plans is to limit duplication and to free up funds for purchasing additional, unique materials at each school. 
• Research librarians routinely order books and other materials to supplement the CBB approval plan. Faculty, staff, and students also play an invaluable role by submitting purchase requests for both new and old materials, which the library acquires from dozens of vendors around the world.
• The Library maintains standing orders for hundreds of print book series, automatically acquiring new volumes as they are published.
• Using a process of continual evaluation, the Library and CBB regularly purchase E-book packages when they offer a useful and cost-effective strategy for providing access to monographic content.

Faculty Books

The Library generally collects one copy of faculty books written during their employment at Bowdoin. These titles are put on display in the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library lobby for five years, after which time they are transferred to the circulating collection.

Recreational Reading

The Library maintains a rotating collection of newly published popular fiction and nonfiction titles for the enjoyment of the Bowdoin community. Titles with high usage or long-term interest may be transferred to the permanent collection.

Reserve Materials

See separate policy.

Self-Published Books 

The Library generally does not acquire or accept donations of self-published books.

Textbooks

The Library will acquire one print copy or an e-book version of all course adoption books whenever possible. These will be placed on reserve at the start of each semester. Faculty are also welcome to place personal copies of textbooks on reserve for their courses.

Strategies and Guidelines for Acquiring Journals

Journals require an ongoing commitment of funding, staff time, and shelf space. New journal titles are evaluated on a case-by-case basis in the context of curricular needs, faculty research, and financial commitment. New journal titles are always acquired electronically, unless only available in print.

The Library acquires journals in several ways:

• The Library (individually or in collaboration with Colby and Bates or other library consortia) subscribes to many large cost-effective electronic journal packages from both publishers and content aggregators. These packages are continually evaluated for their content, price, usage, and Open Access benefits for faculty.
• Faculty may request subscriptions to new journals and are asked to provide a justification of why this new journal content is needed at Bowdoin. 

The pay-per-view model, through which the Library pays for individual articles or book chapters for a single user, allows us to provide access to a larger range of journal titles without incurring the ongoing cost of full journal subscriptions.

Strategies and Guidelines for Acquiring Databases and Full-text Digital Content

As with books and journals, databases are acquired based on their ability to support Bowdoin’s curricular and research needs. They may be acquired as either one-time purchases or annual subscriptions, with a preference for perpetual purchases when available. As many valuable and competing products may be published in one year, we often evaluate products together, allowing us to compare and prioritize content. Given that the financial commitment required to license or purchase is considerable, the Library often requests a trial from the vendor for the librarians and faculty to review as part of the evaluation process. We are unable to purchase or subscribe to resources which are limited to single individuals rather than being generally available to the Bowdoin community.

Government Documents

The Bowdoin College Library is a selective library in the Federal Depository Library Program. With the FDLP’s transition to electronic distribution, we receive a very limited selection of print documents. Bowdoin College Library is also an official depository for Maine State Documents.

Ensuring Access to and Space for the Collections

To ensure long-term access to the electronic content in which we have invested, the Library maintains memberships in two digital archiving organizations: Portico and CLOCKSS, both of which will provide access to electronic content in the event of a publisher’s failure or closure. 

To ensure long-term access to print content, the Library is a member of the Maine Shared Collection Cooperative (MSCC), the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), and the Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust (EAST). MSCC is a collaboration of more than 40 academic and public libraries in Maine working together to retain, store, and preserve print materials in Maine libraries. Through formal agreement, MSCC libraries have committed to the long-term retention of 1.5 million print titles. Among its other benefits, CRL retains full print runs of all JSTOR journals. EAST is a collaboration of 190 academic libraries on the East Coast, who have collectively agreed to the long-term retention of more than 11 million books and 25,000 print journals. Our membership in these collaborations permits Bowdoin to borrow any retained title from the partner library, which in turn frees up valuable shelf space by allowing the library to withdraw rarely used and out-of-scope books which are retained by our partners.

The Library Annex, which opened in the fall of 2019 and is located a short distance from campus, furthers the library’s effort to accommodate its growing physical collections. This closed-stacks facility provides high-density shelving for 200,000 volumes in a climate-controlled environment designed to support long-term storage of materials. Materials housed at the Library Annex are generally low circulating, duplicated electronically, or fragile materials requiring the better conditions found in the Annex. They can be requested and are typically delivered to Hawthorne-Longfellow Library within 24 hours.