Duplicates

Duplicates are not normally purchased. Duplicate materials will be purchased or added as gifts only if warranted by heavy usage of copies already held by the Library. The Library will not normally purchase more than one additional copy of a publication. If faculty require multiple copies to put on reserve for a class they must provide their own.

Due to a standing agreement with the School’s Senior Intelligence Officer, second copies of intelligence related materials may be purchased and added to the Intelligence collection. Money for the second copy is generally provided by the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Fiction

The Library will not buy fiction that is anticipated to have only short-term interest. The Library will attempt to select established fictional literary works that support the Buckley Collection, the Intelligence collection or may have some military relevance or interest (e.g. the works of Tom Clancy). Those that are not specifically appropriate for the Buckley or Intelligence collections will be cataloged for the Leisure collection. Classic works will be added if received as gifts.

Foreign Language Materials

Except for dictionaries, the Library will collect primarily English-language materials but will evaluate others as needed, requested or donated.

Gifts

Gifts are encouraged and accepted for review with the understanding that they will only be added to the collection if they meet collection development requirements and guidelines. After content appropriateness has been determined, the condition of the items will be considered before being added. Works in poor condition will not generally be added unless they are considered rare or are classics in specific research fields or in the area of naval or military history. Those that contain mold or mildew will not normally be added unless they are particularly valuable and conservation methods can prevent further deterioration. Gifts are accepted without any restrictions or promises of immediate or future disposition. When requested, the Library will acknowledge the gift with a letter of thanks and a gift plate. The Library will only acknowledge the number of items donated but will not, and cannot legally, provide an appraisal or estimate of the value. Gift serial subscriptions are encouraged but the items need to be addressed directly to the Library. Gift donors will be referred to the Collection Development Coordinator or the Associate Provost for Library & Information Resources.

Nonprint Materials

Nonprint materials (such as videotapes, audio tapes, laser discs [DVDs], compact discs [CD-ROMs], etc) that are considered of appropriate research and/or instructional interest will be evaluated and added on the same basis as book materials.

Electronic Products

The Library will provide access to electronic journals and databases that it purchases and/or are freely available on the Internet via BOSUN, the Library’s online catalog and the appropriate Library Web pages. The purchase of specific electronic journals or databases will follow the present collection policies for general and subject area specific needs. Responsibility for the recommendation of electronic subject specific materials falls to the individual Subject Specialists and the Collection Development Coordinator with suggestions from other Subject Specialist, staff and faculty. General resources that cross disciplinary boundaries will be discussed by all appropriate Subject Specialists with suggestions and input from faculty. Annual reviews, including reviews of usage statistics, will be undertaken to consider the continued importance of specific journals and databases before renewal of existing journals or databases or the addition of new resources. As appropriate, the Library will notify faculty, staff and students of any pertinent database trials available via the Library’s “Current Database & Ejournal Trials” Web page and solicit input regarding usefulness for possible purchase.

Out-of-Print Materials

The majority of materials purchased are to be current publications. However, the Library recognizes the need for some retrospective purchases to fill in for collection gaps or losses and such purchases will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Reserve Materials

The Library maintains an area known as the Reserve Collection. This collection of materials includes both permanent and temporary reserve items. The permanent collection consists of items which experience high usage, have experienced great theft in the past, or are of significant value and would be expensive to replace. The temporary or faculty course reserve area consists of items placed on Reserve by faculty in support of their class syllabi. These materials may be library copies or their personal copies and are usually only on reserve for one quarter at a time. Some temporary reserve materials, which are in support of the various Professional Military Education programs, may be held longer.

Textbooks and Laboratory Manuals

Due to the continual revision of these types of materials, textbooks and laboratory manuals will not normally be purchased. Those that are received as donations or considered to be “classics” in their field may be added as well as those that may be the only or best source of information on a particular topic.