The primary purpose of the Kreitzberg Library Collection Development Policy is to provide guiding principles in the selection of materials for building a collection supporting the undergraduate and graduate programs at Norwich.
Several principles guide the selection of material added to the collection, primary among them are equity, diversity, scope, balance, and freedom of intellectual pursuit. These are outlined in the following statements, devised by the library community.
Select a heading below to learn about our policies regarding specific types of information sources and collection management practices.
We maintain an active program to acquire recently published materials for the general collection. Requests submitted by patrons are also considered for purchase. Course textbooks, workbooks, and study guides are purchased only as exceptions; out-of-print materials will be purchased if available. It is general practice to purchase only one copy of a title.
We will license access to remotely accessible collections of material to support curriculum needs. These collections can include indexing and abstracting services, full-text databases, specialized reference works, collections of digitized archival material, online journals, and ebooks.
The deselection (weeding and removal) of library materials is important for the maintenance of a current and usable library collection. It improves the collection by eliminating outdated, inaccurate, and worn-out materials. Subject selectors are responsible for deselecting and may choose to involve faculty in the process. In cases of disagreement or controversy, the final arbiter in the deselection process is the Library Director.
We maintain an active program to acquire recently published materials for the general collection. Requests submitted by patrons are also considered for purchase. Course textbooks, workbooks, and study guides are purchased only as exceptions; out-of-print materials will be purchased if available. It is general practice to purchase only one copy of a title.
Many films are purchased out of subject allocations and are in direct support of the curriculum. Feature films and series television collections are purchased to support recreational and cultural interests on campus.
Electronic books are licensed both individually and in publisher packages. When available, we prefer to license ebooks as part of a package rather than individually. Additionally, we employ a demand-driven acquisition model for obtaining permanent access to new titles. When possible, we prefer to license ebooks from providers that allow for unlimited simultaneous user access and unrestricted downloading, copying, and printing.
Donations or gifts of books must meet one or more of the following criteria:
The Library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government Documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code)
Norwich University has been a member of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) since 1908. As a selective depository, Norwich receives publications per the Legal Requirements and Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program and select print materials not available in electronic format.
Our journal subscriptions include both individual titles and publisher packages.The library prefers to subscribe to digital journals, only obtaining print subscriptions when digital is unavailable or prohibitively costly.
We are very selective when starting new journal subscriptions as they represent a significant long-term commitment of institutional resources. We can provide access to individual articles on an as-needed basis in most cases.
Lost or damaged items are not automatically replaced. Subject selectors review lists of lost and missing titles and make decisions about purchasing replacements based on the following criteria: continued value of the material, patron demand, existing coverage in the collection, availability of newer or better material, and cost.
In rare circumstances, we will license academic software and applications, such as writing support tools and language learning tools, to meet academic needs.
We provide access to streaming video through subscription collections and faculty-driven purchasing of semester-length or annual licenses to individual film titles for course use.
The purpose of the reference collection is to support the curriculum at the University. A limited number of materials are acquired to support the general information needs of the Norwich community. Print/physical reference materials are noncirculating to ensure constant availability. Although resources are collected in both print and digital formats, we prefer to obtain items in digital formats for our collection.
Guidelines used by librarians in selection include current user needs, usefulness of the publication considering the existing collection, currency of the topic and material, date of publication, cost, authority, and favorable reviews.
Sources used for selection include standard reference guides (Reference Resources for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries, etc.), professional literature, book review sources, publisher’s catalogs, and annual lists of reference books.
The Norwich University Archives collects, preserves, and makes available the written and still photographic records of the university and its affiliates. Our collections include both official records documenting the development and growth of Norwich University and personal papers of Norwich students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Formats in our collections include letters, diaries, photographs, manuscripts, scrapbooks, student papers and theses, and Norwich publications.
Special Collections includes rare books and other published materials relating to military history and the history of Norwich University, her founders, faculty, staff, and alumni. These printed materials are stored in a closed-stack, controlled environment and do not circulate.
While many of the general collection development policies and guiding principles apply to our University Archives and Special Collections, certain additional criteria are used for building and maintaining them: