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I. General Description of the Collection and Its Users

The subject scope of this collection includes all aspects of Higher Education and crosses all disciplines. Monographic material related to distance learning, learning disabilities, organizations of higher education, educational technology systems, cultural diversity, managing institutes of higher education and total quality management in higher education are purchased.

The primary users of this collection are students, faculty, administrative staff and graduate students enrolled in the School Psychology Masters Program, Art Education Program, and
the Deaf Education Program.

II. Description of the Programs Served by the Collection

The on-going research of graduate students faculty and administrators accounts for the major portion of this collection's use.

Graduate Programs: School Psychology Masters Program, Art Education Program, Deaf Education Program.

III. Subject and Language Modifier

A. Geographic Areas

The geographic focus of the collection is primarily on the United States. Materials concerning Canada, South America and European countries are included but to a lesser extent.

B. Chronological Periods

No restrictions. Emphasis, however, is on current developments and analysis of recent events.

C. Languages

Material collected is in English.

IV. Date of Publication

General emphasis for acquisition of new titles is on current publications in all subject areas. Acquisition/retention of material older than ten years is based upon importance of the work to the discipline; usefulness for historical information/perspective; extent of current publishing in the discipline; curriculum needs for new program development; usage of existing material of same age; and physical condition of the material. Retrospective acquisition of serials to meet new program needs will be extremely selective and limited to the past five years. Document delivery will be utilized instead to meet these needs whenever feasible.

V. Treatment of Subject Matter

A. Level of Treatment

Emphasis is on a collection which supports curriculum driven needs of students and faculty. Materials to satisfy the research needs of faculty in comparison of institutes of higher learning, enhancing teaching skills, and educational management styles are also acquired. Major published source material appearing in core collection bibliographies or recommended lists are included. Pertinent reference sources are also acquired.

B. Scholarly Works

Material covering the history, practice, and current research in education is collected in all subject areas.

C. Textbooks

Textbooks are not routinely acquired unless useful as general surveys or handbooks for a particular area not otherwise represented.

D. Newspapers/Newsletters

Newspapers/Newsletters are selectively acquired.

E. Government Documents

Government publications are acquired when the content is appropriate to the subject scope of the collection, but not maintained separately.

F. Maps/Atlases

Acquired selectively when appropriate for specific representations.

G. Serials

Serials are of major importance in this field of research.

H. Other

Pamphlets are selectively acquired if sufficiently important to warrant cataloging; no pamphlet/vertical file is maintained.

I. Multiple Copies

Multiple copies of monographic titles are acquired only when heavy use is anticipated or demonstrated or at the curriculum-based request of a faculty member.

VI. Cooperative Collection Development Arrangements

No contractual cooperative collection development agreements for this discipline have been made between RIT Library and any other library. Informal working relationships with other members of the RRLC do exist.

Where faculty and student research needs fall outside the primarily undergraduate curriculum-based scope of the onsite collection, access to information will be provided through traditional, as well as, commercial document delivery services.

VII. Publication Formats

A. Microforms

Journals are routinely retained in microfilm. ERIC documents are acquired on microfiche.

B. Non-Print Materials

Acquisition of traditional non-print materials (slides, videotapes, video discs, films, sound recordings, slide/tape programs) is very selective and made in consultation with the Media Resource Center Media Specialist, usually at the request of a faculty member. Non-print materials are generally housed in the Media Resource Center.

C. Software and CD-ROM

Indexing and abstracting services and other specialized sources will be acquired in these formats where they meet subject collection criteria, as well as, the Electronic Resources Policy criteria (in process).

VIII. Collection Maintenance

Continuous maintenance of the collection is carried out based upon systematic evaluation of the collection in light of curriculum shifts, use statistics and core bibliographies, physical space limitations and alternative availability of information. Current periodical titles are reviewed annually prior to their renewal. All other areas of the collection should be reviewed every three to five years. The collection maintenance process includes weeding of materials no longer relevant to curriculum needs, elimination of superfluous titles where information is duplicated in more current or authoritative sources, and ordering replacement copies of damaged heavily used items still relevant to curriculum needs.

A. Weeding

1. Duplicated Only Weeded

a. Monographs
At least one copy in good condition of standard and classic titles listed in major general bibliographies, and special subject lists should be retained in the collection.

b. Serials
Only one copy of a serial in this subject area is to be retained in the format of microfilm or bound copy.

2. Selective Weeding

a. Monographs
In general, education materials should be reviewed every three to five years to remove materials no longer relevant to the curriculum, older materials where sufficient coverage is provided by more contemporary titles, and multiple copies of materials where high use is no longer a factor.

b. Serials

(1) Indexing and Abstracting Services
Bibliographic control of the periodical literature of education overlaps all areas. ERIC is the primary index used for educational information and should be retained indefinitely.

(2) Scholarly Publications
Long runs of key scholarly journals in all aspects of education that meet the criteria given in the introduction to this section should be retained indefinitely. Priority for retention should be given to titles accessible through indexing and abstracting services available at RIT Library and titles not available in any other Rochester-area library. Short runs and broken runs should be scrutinized more carefully and retention decisions should be based on collecting levels assigned in Section IX: Subject Divisions, usage statistics, importance of title to the discipline and alternative availability. ERIC microfiche should be retained indefinitely.

(3) Trade Journals
Retention of trade journals should be carefully scrutinized. Those that primarily provide timely information (industry news, new products, market trends, etc.) should be discarded after period of one to five years. Examples include: National Forum, Phi Kappa Phi Journal, EPIEGRAM: Equipment. Those that include articles of more lasting value should be considered for longer retention, particularly if they are accessible through indexing and abstracting services available at RIT Library.

3. Current Edition/Year Only Retained

a. Monographs
None (no monographs should be purchased that have only a value of one year).

b. Serials

(1) Newsletter, calendars, other current awareness services providing timely information about the events and activities of organizations and institutions, employment opportunities.

(2) Membership directories of organizations (Note: Due to limited funding, some older directories are retained until it is affordable to acquire newer ones).

B. Replacement of Materials

1. Lost or Mutilated

Every effort should be made to replace lost or heavily mutilated titles if they are judged to be of continuing relevance to the collection. When mutilation is confined to few pages, replacement copies of these pages should be requested through the Information Delivery Service. (See Bindery Policy/Procedure-Periodicals & Monographs)

2. Gifts

Gifts which duplicate existing holdings should be used to upgrade the condition of the collection by replacing worn circulating copies with more sound gift copies.

C. Stacks Maintenance

The condition of items shelved should be monitored to ensure those in need of repair and rebinding are attended to before they are irreparably damaged.

IX. Subject Divisions

rev. 7/94

Maintained by Sheila Smokey