English language materials comprise a vast majority of our holdings, but foreign language items are clearly necessary for curricular support and, on occasion, will be purchased for support of curricula outside foreign language courses. Multiple copies of an item are purchased only where need is convincingly demonstrated. Glaringly expensive items will be routinely questioned by library faculty liaisons. Books a. Hardcover binding or good quality trade paperback editions are preferred, but lesser quality paperbacks are purchased if no other edition is available. Textbooks are generally not purchased, though some disciplines require their inclusion in the collection if the literature of the field is routinely not disseminated in monographic titles.
Subscriptions are an ongoing commitment.
Therefore, orders are placed only for titles for which long-term need is projected. Expensive or little-used titles may be discontinued after adequate review. Approval of the department chair is required to initiate a subscription. Backfiles are charged to the department initiating a new subscription and are generally purchased on microform. Indexing in standard services is a crucial consideration in the decision to add a serial title to the collection.