In fact, the library would prefer that the majority of added materials originate from faculty, staff, and student requests. This arrangement should result in a library that is more responsive to the needs of the CMA community. In support of academic collection building, the library staff communicate regularly with members of the departments to exchange information about curriculum developments, library needs, departmental needs, library services, library policies and collection development. The library provides the departments with book and journal announcements, lists of new materials added to the library, lists of possible discards, and access to databases for finding new materials. Each department and the library also review periodical holdings occasionally in order to add to or delete from the periodical holdings list.
Top priority is given to supporting the teaching program at the undergraduate level.
Next priority is given to material for faculty research, which will be purchased if it can also serve the needs of the undergraduate community. For the most part it is expected that materials for faculty research will be obtained through Inter-library borrowing and document delivery. Textbooks are not purchased unless they are classics in their field or the only source of information on a subject. Hard copy is chosen over paper bound, unless the requesting faculty member feels that the information contained in the book has a limited life-span. If paper is the only available medium, the book will be purchased with a reinforced binding by the jobber.