The primary purpose of the library collection is to support the current Assumption University curriculum comprised of all courses, majors, and programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. An effective collection should evolve over time to reflect changes in the curriculum, shifts in pedagogy practices, and the changing needs or preferences of the student population. Regular material purchasing, assessment, and weeding is required to ensure that the collection reflects these types of changes.
Department Resource Reviews:
In 2023, the Library started an initiative to meet with each academic department to learn more about faculty and student resource needs. In preparation of these meetings, the Library created a summary document which outlines the databases, journal titles, and books within the collection that support each department. Faculty were invited to review these resources and identify priorities for growth, as well as any superfluous expenses. This initiative led to many fruitful discussions between the Library and departments, and all faculty feedback has been carefully considered.
The Withdrawal List provides a current list of items within the library collection that have been selected for withdrawal. Items will remain on the list for at least 30 days before they are withdrawn and removed from the Collection.
Items may be added to the list for a variety of reasons, including low usage, duplicate content, outdated information, and physical condition. The list does provide a stated Rationale for each item, indicating the primary reason for withdrawal (see glossary below).
| Rationale | Definition |
|
Damaged |
The item is in poor physical condition. |
| Duplicate | The item is a duplication of material already present and available on campus. |
| Online | The item is freely accessible online. |
| Outdated | The content is considered no longer current within the field or is replaced by newer materials. |
| Outside Scope | The subject matter is outside the scope of our collection, with no clear relevancy to current curriculums or faculty research interests. |
Materials have been arranged according to the OCLC Conspectus, a subject hierarchy consisting of divisions, categories, and subject descriptors. Browse the entire Conspectus here.
Assumption University faculty and staff are welcome to review the list regularly and forward any questions or concerns to: libacq@assumption.edu.
This form is for the use of Assumption University faculty and staff only.
If you would like to recommend a resource for the library collection, please use the form below. Your recommendation will be forwarded for review. Not all purchase requests can be accommodated. Priority will be given to materials that are current, have a high probability of student use, fill a gap in the current collection, and can be acquired at a reasonable cost. Please direct any questions to: libacq@assumption.edu
There are multiple factors that the Library looks at when coming to a decision about adding or ceasing journals to the collection. No single factor is deciding, rather this is an exercise in weighing all the factors as well as understanding the overall context in which the decision is being made (including external circumstances that may be specific to the request - like program accreditation, etc.).
Broadly speaking the factors are intended to address costs (inclusive of handling and processing costs), content overlap, content availability, content discoverability, content accessibility, sustainability, expected use and intended audience.
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