This policy guides the systematic development and maintenance of the Leeward Community College Library’s print, media, and electronic resources. Supporting the mission of Leeward CC is the primary objective of collection development. The library commits itself to developing and maintaining accessible and balanced collections at the Puʻuloa (Pearl City) campus library and the Wai'anae Moku Education Center, in support of its commitment to becoming a Native Hawaiian place of learning.
The library fully endorses and adopts the Library Bill of Rights developed by the American Library Association (ALA).
Librarians have a primary responsibility for collection development. They consult with instructors to acquire new titles and resources. Instructors are encouraged by librarians to review library collections in their subject areas. Additionally, recommendations by library staff, other Leeward CC faculty and staff, Leeward CC students, and non-affiliated library users are encouraged.
Librarians are assigned responsibility for areas of the collection based on their education and expertise. Each librarian is responsible for selecting and weeding materials in assigned areas, coordinated by the Technical Services Librarian.
Suggestions and inquiries on materials in the collection are welcome. Any comments or concerns regarding the materials in the collection should be addressed in writing to the Head Librarian, Leeward CC Library.
Librarians select resources in all formats based on the needs, interests, and input of faculty, staff, and students. In making final selections, librarians are guided by the composition of the present collection and by the following standard criteria, as appropriate to the type of materials under review.
This selection policy applies equally to all resource materials, whether acquired by purchase, gift, or exchange.
Normally purchased in paperback for general circulation and leisure reading. If regular use is expected, a hardback should be purchased unless it is prohibitively expensive. Books that require frequent updates, such as computer applications and test preparation, are usually purchased in paperback.
A limited number of popular fiction books that are requested by instructors, staff, or students will be purchased as funds allow.
Not routinely purchased. Exceptions can be made and might include:
Purchased only when warranted by heavy use of copies already held or viewed as having significant educational value. Duplicate copies are commonly purchased for titles in the Hawaiʻi-Pacific subject area.
Purchased to meet curricular needs.
Purchased by subscription in various formats, including print and electronic. Acquiring and canceling periodicals are determined by the librarians collectively with input from instructors, the needs of the curriculum, and the interests of students.
Evaluated collectively by librarians before the decision on a subscription is made. Feedback from trials of new databases and input from instructors and students are considered. In addition to using the same basic criteria as print materials, the following criteria will be considered in evaluating a new database:
The library does not actively maintain multilingual collections but may purchase resources in languages other than English and Hawaiian based on the needs of instructors, staff, and students.
Gift items are accepted if the library is given complete authority to dispose of them as the library deems appropriate. Gifts will be added to the collection using the same criteria used for evaluating materials for purchase. Unused gifts may be donated elsewhere or discarded. The library will acknowledge the receipt of the gifts by a form letter when requested by the donor, but the librarians do not place monetary value on any gift items.
Librarians and library staff periodically evaluate the collection to identify materials for withdrawal. The same guidelines apply to the existing collection as to new purchases. Materials no longer meeting the collection development criteria will be removed from the shelf. Lost and damaged books are replaced at the discretion of the Technical Services Librarian.
Librarians, with input from instructors, review, evaluate, and weed the collection to maintain its relevance.
The following criteria will be used when evaluating and withdrawing materials.
Date of Revision: July 30, 2024
