(1) Book Collection
In keeping with the philosophy of Johnson County Community College, the Library
recognizes its responsibilities to serve as an instrument of the college's total
instructional program and to serve as an important community resource. The primary
objective of the JCCC Library is to support the approved programs of the college
through the acquisition of materials appropriate to each field and level of
instruction. Special effort also will be made to acquire academic works that are
broader in scope than any particular discipline or field of interest defined in
the curriculum.
Responsibility for Acquisitions
While final decisions regarding acquisition are made by the Library Director,
the responsibility for the selection of library materials lies with the entire
college community. The librarians assume responsibility for systematically reviewing
current and retrospective bibliographies and making selections from them. They
also are responsible for coordinating the collection as a whole, for providing
the faculty with bibliographic assistance, and for making judgments as to the
format, degree of completeness, and the number of copies to be acquired. Faculty
members, individually or through department representatives, are encouraged
and expected to recommend purchases pertinent to their teaching fields.
Contact the librarian who collects in your area to make suggestions.
Students may recommend purchases through the Library's suggestion box.
Selection Criteria
All recommendations are weighted against selection criteria that include:
- The author's reputation and significance
- The importance of the subject matter to the collection
- The scarcity of materials on the subject
- The timeliness or permanence of the materials
- The appearance of the title in special bibliographies or indexes
- Authoritativeness
- The reputation of the publisher
- The price
The Library budget is not sufficient to routinely purchase multiple copies
of materials. If the needs of our students and the continued demand for a title
become apparent, additional copies may be acquired.
The Library recognizes its responsibility to provide a resource where individuals
can examine issues freely and make their own decisions. In an endeavor to provide
materials that will help a patron to make choices, the Library may provide frankly
argumentative works representing a variety of conflicting viewpoints toward
controversial issues. The Library does not endorse all of the opinions expressed
in its collection. In the case of controversial questions, variety and a balance
of opinion are sought whenever available.
GIFTS
Gifts to the Library will be accepted through the JCCC Foundation, in accordance
with procedures established by that office. Gifts of materials or money to purchase
them will be accepted only if they meet the selection criteria and there are
no restrictions attached. The Library must be free to dispose of any materials
that are not needed.
WEEDING AND DISCARDING
In order to insure the quality of the collection, the Library will periodically
and systematically "weed" the collection. Obsolete materials, superseded editions,
broken files of unindexed journals, superfluous duplicates, and worn-out or
badly marked volumes will be withdrawn from the collection and will be discarded
in accordance with defined procedures.
(2) Media Collection
Purpose of the collection:
The purpose of the media collection is to support the instructional and informational needs of the JCCC faculty, students, and staff. The collection consists primarily of ½” videocassettes, digital videodiscs (DVD), audiocassettes, audio CDs, CD-ROMs, slide sets, and kits.
Types of materials purchased:
The collection currently consists of a wide variety of materials including documentary video recordings, instructional video recordings, musical performances, classical music, operas, jazz, and world music. The library is actively expanding the collection to meet the needs of the curriculum, educational programs, or informational requests of the faculty, students and staff. Because the media collection supports all academic programs of the college, it includes all subject classifications. However, the collection is not evenly divided among subject areas. Some subject areas are more frequently represented in the production of media or more suitable for media presentation.
English language materials predominate, but no language is excluded. Foreign language video materials with English subtitles are the preferred format, although materials in foreign languages taught at JCCC will be purchased without subtitles with faculty recommendation. The preferred media format for visual materials is DVD.
Use of Media Collection:
The media collection is housed behind the Reserve Desk and is designated as circulating or non-circulating. Materials in the non-circulating media category are purchased exclusively for curricular content and may be booked by faculty for classroom use. Faculty wishing to book media for classroom use should contact the Reserve desk (ext. 3276). Students, staff, and community members are welcome to view or to listen to these materials within the library.
The circulating media collection is selected for the educational and informational needs of JCCC faculty, staff, students, and community members. These materials are purchased for their informational and educational value and may circulate outside the library. The library also recognizes that many students are visual and auditory learners and that many assignments require an audio or visual component. The circulating media collection was established to respond to this learning style and to fulfill assignment requirements.
Selection Criteria:
Media is collected according to the same standards that apply to print or electronic materials. In addition, attention is given to the technical quality of the media and the campus-wide availability of equipment necessary to utilize these resources.
The library will purchase media that meets one or more of the following selection criteria:
- The audiovisual format enhances the understanding or appreciation of the content (i.e. plays, ballets, opera, speeches, etc.)
- The format matches the equipment available at the college
- The format meets ADA guidelines (i.e. closed captioned, described video, etc.)
- The content supplements the curriculum or meets the instructional needs of faculty
- The content is of educational value to students and community members
- The content is of significant or lasting value
- The content represents an important viewpoint, trend, or cultural movement
- The content is underrepresented in the media collection
- The content is of cross-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary value
- The content is of interest to a wide audience
- There are adequate funds available and the cost of the material is reasonable
- There are favorable reviews in professional selection periodicals
Ordering:
The choice between circulating or non-circulating status will be determined before media acquisition orders are placed.
Faculty Requests: In the case of faculty request, the librarian subject liaison will query the faculty member as to whether he/she wishes the item to be designated as Circulating (item may circulate to students, faculty, staff, and Johnson County residents) or Non-Circulating (item may be booked by faculty for up to seven days for class use and may be viewed in-library by all patron types). The preferred format for visual media is DVD and the faculty member will be encouraged to order media in that format if it is available. The librarian subject liaisons will then communicate the desired circulation status, format, and order information to the technical services staff responsible for placing media orders.
Other Requests: In the case of media requests from students, staff, and community members, the appropriateness of the request, the circulating status, and the format of the media will be determined by the library. All member of the JCCC community are encouraged to make suggestions for additions to the media collections.
Change in Circulation Status:
Library staff may move media items from one category to another as necessary per faculty/departmental requests, usage, cost, or other factors. When media items are changed from the originally assigned category to another, the library staff member will communicate the change to the technical services staff. Technical services staff will then process the item to indicate the changed circulating status.
Interdepartmental Mail/Courier Service for Media:
All media items may be booked for classroom use by JCCC faculty and sent via interdepartmental mail or courier service to requesting faculty or departments. This includes all JCCC satellite campuses.
Interlibrary Loan of Media:
Only circulating audio cassettes, audio CDs, and CD-ROMs, except those leased through the McNaughton collection, may be loaned to other libraries via interlibrary loan. Interlibrary loans for media will not exceed seven days.
Weeding:
Librarians will weed the media collection of materials that have outlived their usefulness. Materials will be weeded for the following reasons:
- Condition of the material
- Inadequate use
- Technical / content obsolescence
- Lack of space
Heavily used items will be considered for replacement when they are in poor physical condition, damaged, or missing. An item may be replaced in a different format from the original, if there is value added in selecting the newer format. Replacement format will be determined by the library.
