The purpose of the Leatherby Libraries Collection Development Policy is to guide the selection, acquisition, development, management, measurement, and evaluation of resources in all formats necessary to support the curriculum and research needs of the Chapman University community. The community shall include, but not be limited to, students, faculty, staff, and alumni of both Chapman University and Brandman University. The Leatherby Libraries is the physical and electronic repository of all resources acquired and these resources remain under its management and control.

The Collection Development Policy is consistent with the vision and mission of the library. The Leatherby Libraries supports the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Policies and the University’s Policy for Freedom of Expression.

The Collection Development Policy is reviewed annually by members on the Collection Development Committee, including:

• Chair of the Collection Development Committee: Chair of the Collection Management Division
• Associate Dean
• Members of the Collection Management Division, including: Coordinator of Electronic Resources and Serials, Coordinator of Acquisitions and Cataloging
• Coordinator of Special Collections and Archives, and other librarians on an ad hoc basis
• Dean; ex officio

Selection of materials is a shared responsibility between the librarian liaison and faculty. However, the primary responsibility of developing a collection in a particular subject area or discipline lies with the librarian liaison. The librarian coordinates the depth and breadth of the collection assigned to him/her, depending on funding and the needs of undergraduate and graduate programs and faculty research. The collecting density and intensity levels may include: comprehensive, research, study or instructional support, basic, minimal, or out of scope. Suggestions for new acquisitions may also be submitted by other members of the Chapman University community for consideration by liaison librarians.

See Criteria for Selection of Resources and Liaison Responsibilities

All formats will be considered for purchase. If content is available in different formats, the format predominately benefiting the curricula will be given preference. Formats include:

Monographs
Monographs are books, DVDs, Videos, CDs, maps, microforms, and other one time purchases of content.

Serials
Serials include journals, magazines, newspapers, and other materials that are issued periodically.

Electronic Resources
Electronic resources include eBooks, e-journals, and aggregator databases.

Serials and electronic resources require ongoing financial commitments, and as such they must be considered differently from monographic purchases. Subscription costs for serials and electronic resources have been increasing at higher rates than for other resources, and therefore, requests for new titles must be considered carefully as these resources could consume a disproportionately higher share of the ongoing acquisitions budget if not monitored. The Leatherby Libraries is a member of SCELC (Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium). Whenever possible and advantageous, the Leatherby Libraries will collaborate with SCELC to purchase access to electronic resources. The buying power of SCELC is substantial, and SCELC is often able to negotiate prices for electronic resources that the library could not afford to consider without membership in SCELC.

See Electronic Resources Selection

Special Collections and Archives
The Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives collects material of enduring value, for intellectual content as well as for historical significance. Special Collections serves as the repository for collections of historically significant papers, rare books, both antiquarian and modern, art work, periodicals, photographs, broadsides, media, ephemera, and realia. The University Archives is the repository for the records of enduring value officially made or received by Chapman University, and for other materials of historical value related to the functions of the university. The University Archives includes material documenting the history and growth of Chapman University; books (including faculty publications), manuscripts, Chapman periodicals and newspapers, ephemera, and audio/visual material.

See Scope and Active Areas of Collecting in Special Collections and Archives

The Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC) is managed by the Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives. MAGIC’s primary purpose is to serve the geographic information needs of the faculty, students, and staff of Chapman University.

See MAGIC’s Active Areas of Collecting and Services

Faculty Publications
The library actively collects monographic faculty publications and selected journal titles edited by faculty. Liaisons encourage faculty in their area to inform them of new publications. 

Criteria for selecting faculty publications are the same as criteria for selecting monographs, serials and electronic resources.

Alumni Publications
The library actively collects material produced by Chapman University alumni. Alumni authors are defined as graduates of Chapman University with earned degrees.

Criteria for selecting alumni publications are the same as criteria for selecting monographs, serials and electronic resources.

See Alumni Publications Guidelines and Procedures

Theses and Dissertations

The library retains one original print copy of theses and dissertations. The library provides access to electronic versions of theses and dissertations, on a volunteer basis, through its subscription to ProQuest’s Dissertations and Theses Full Text.

Peter and Mary Muth Library of Children’s Literature
The Leatherby Libraries maintains a library of literature written for children housed in The Peter and Mary Muth Library of Children’s Literature within the Edgar and Libby Pankey Library of Education. This collection ranges from picture books to K-12 books, fiction and non-fiction, and is intended to support the curriculum within the School of Education and children’s literature courses taught by the English Department.

Collecting priorities will be given to award-winning books such as, but not limited to, the Caldecott, Newbery, and Coretta Scott King awards and Children’s Notable Books identified by the American Library Association.

Gifts and Donations
Gifts-in-kind are an important way for friends and donors to give to the Leatherby Libraries. It is recognized that gift processing is time-consuming, and often not all parts of the gift donation are relevant to the library. However, if at all possible, it is the goal of the library to retain gift donations, especially out-of-print hardcover materials that supplement our current collections whenever they fall within the broader collection development goals. See Gifts, Donations, and Endowments Guidelines

See Selection Limitations, including Textbooks, Out-of-Print Materials, Replacements, and Rush Orders 


Collection management is an ongoing activity undertaken by librarians that assesses the collection in terms of its quality, condition, and usefulness. Deselection means removing physical materials or deactivating electronic resources from the collection. Ongoing review of the collection by the subject librarians identifies these materials. Faculty are notified of any significant changes.

See Criteria for Collection Evaluation and Deselection


The Leatherby Libraries is committed to preserving its collections of enduring value and scholarly interest; and supports the American Library Association’s Preservation Policy, including: remedial treatment of damaged and fragile items, preservation of materials in their original format when possible, replacement or reformatting of deteriorated materials. The library engages in digitization projects in order to preserve portions of its collections and create wider paths to scholarly discovery and accessibility.

Last Updated: August, 2011