Library Policies

Collection Development Policy | AUA Library Usage Policy

Collection Development Policy:

AUA LIBRARY

I. Collection Development Policy Overview

The AUA Library's mission is to collect, preserve, and provide access to information resources, which support the instructional, research, and public service programs.

Goals and objectives

The primary goal of the AUA Library efforts is to provide the information and instructional resources needed by students, faculty and staff. The library attempts:

1. to acquire, within its financial and other limitations, materials required by the library community;

2. to provide books, periodicals, newspapers, and materials in electronic formats, etc. in support of instruction and research;

3. to provide carefully selected resources in subject areas not presently covered by AUA academic progams, both instructional and research programs;

4. to maintain a reference collection adequate for facilitating local instructional and research programs, and serving as a gateway to additional resources worldwide;

5. to provide a collection of recreational reading material to the University community.

Selection Responsibility

The ultimate responsibility for the selection of library materials and the policy decisions related to Library functions rests with the Library Director, in general. This responsibility is shared with other librarians and faculty. Faculty participation in collection development is actively solicited as it represents an invaluable aid for making appropriate selections.

Acquisition emphasis is placed on obtaining current materials. Outdated works and superseded editions are retained only to the extent that they contribute to a research collection. Emphasis is also placed on the acquisition of bibliographic materials such as indexes, abstracts, which provide access to published materials.

Collection Guidelines

1. Subject. Relevance to AUA curricula and appropriateness to the users.

2. Language. Publications in the English language are given highest priority. Publications in other languages (Armenian, Russian) are normally limited to those directly supportive of institutional programs.

3. Geographical Areas. Selection is limited on the basis of geographical consideration.

Emphasis is on the U.S., Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

4. Timeliness. Primary emphasis is on recently published materials.

5. Edition. Variant editions of a title held are acquired only if they contain substantial

changes which are needed for instructional purposes.

6. Format. Although the collection focuses on books and periodicals, CDs and other formats or print media are utilized as necessary.

Types of Materials Collected

Books

*Standard works of general reference (publications which have as their subject matter the total universe of knowledge).
*Standard reference works in individual subject fields.
*Textbooks collected for any given course.

Serials

*Academic serials from the core of the collection, but trade journals and business newsletters are selectively acquired.
*Legal and corporate tax publications are acquired and are available at the Legal Research Center.
*Electronic resources on compact disk are selectively purchased.

Final projects

*The library retains one copy of AUA students' final projects.

Career Materials

*The Library maintains reference books relating to college programs and career fields.

Special collection

*The Papazian library maintains a donation of an outstanding art collection.
*Government Documents and publications of:

United Nations
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
Unites States Information Services
International Research and Exchange Board.

Gifts

The development of the AUA Library collection and services depends not only on purchases but also on gifts. Donations of materials deemed useful in supporting instruction and research are encouraged. Donors should contact the Head of Collection Development if they have material they wish to donate or with questions about the appropriateness of their gift. The library will acknowledge the number of items and estimate the value of the donated materials. Gifts that are not considered relevant are donated to other libraries or offered for sale. Monetary donations are also encouraged. Such gifts enable the library to purchase extraordinary items or support programs that are beyond budgetary allowances but which are essential for the library.

All gifts are subject to the following stipulations:

· Must correspond to AUA academic requirements and be beneficial to the Library.

· Must be relevant to the Library's mission.

· In the case of periodicals, must be complete files.

· Once accepted, gifts become the property of the library and may not be reclaimed by the donor.

The library is free to dispose of any unneeded material in the most appropriate manner.

Weeding

Weeding of library materials is essential for the maintenance of an active, academically useful collection. This process is carried out on a continuous basis. Weeding provides quality control for the collection. The criteria applied to weeding includes:

a. Outdated materials - books that contain outdated information;

b. Superseded editions;

c. Duplicate copies - no longer needed for the academic program;

d. Worn out or damaged items;

e. Materials out of scope for the collection;

f. Broken sets, incomplete and short runs of serials.

Replacement is a regular and ongoing processes at the library and is based on an evaluation aimed at renewing out of date and worn out materials. As new editions are ordered, superseded ones are removed from the collection for a subsequant action to discard or to retain them. As worn out or damaged items are identified after circulation, they are evaluated for replacement or repair.

Library materials are expensive to purchase, process and house. The AUA Library acknowledges the necessity of preserving all holdings -- traditional and nontraditional. In general, all periodicals and journals are bound on a regular basis. The number of issues bound together is determined on a title-by-title basis depending on the size and the number of issues per volume. Paperbound books may be rebound when a heavy use is anticipated.

Intellectual Freedom and Confidentiality

The AUA library recognizes that free access to ideas and full freedom of expression are fundamental to the educational process. Accordingly, the library subscribes to and complies with the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights.

The Librarians protect each patron's right to confidentiality and privacy with respect to information sought, received, and materials borrowed.

II. Disciplines

BUSINESS and MANAGEMENT

Description of the Collection

To support present and anticipated University teaching and research at the master's degree level, as well as advanced faculty research in the following areas: Accounting, Finance, Marketing Administration and Management.

Language: English is the primary language of the collection. Works published in other languages are selectively considered for purchase in the original or in English translation.

Chronological guidelines: Emphasis is on recent developments in the field. However, certain areas, such as money, foreign exchange, and labor management relations also require materials dealing with historic conditions and developments.

Geological guidelines: Emphasis is on the United States and Western Europe.

Types of materials: Included are textbooks, dictionaries, handbooks, encyclopedias, atlases, directories, transactions and reports of conferences, and government documents.

Date of publications: Current publications are emphasized, but retrospective materials are purchased selectively.

Classed Analysis

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

Description of the Collection

The collection supports teaching and research in Industrial Engineering at the master's degree level. The program relies on the application of rigorous mathematical and logical approaches to theoretical and practical problem solving in traditional engineering activities. The collection further supports concentration in operations research and interdepartmental specialization in Information/Software Technology. The Engineering collection includes textbooks, monographs, encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, proceedings, journals, and indexes.

Language: English is the primary language of the collection, but works in Russian are also purchased.

Chronological guidelines: Primarily the 20^th Century.

Geographical guidelines: Primarily the United States, with emphasis on Industrial and Earthquake Engineering.

Treatment of subject: Textbooks are purchased. Legal aspects are primarily related to materials on industrial engineering, and building codes for architectural engineering. Books on techniques such as engineering graphics are purchased selectively.

Date of publication: Primarily published in the past 10 years, though earlier publications are also sought.

Classed Analysis

FF – First Flour
LL –Lower Level

PUBLIC HEALTH

Description of the Collection

Purpose: To supply the medical literature needed to support teaching and research at the master's degree level in the fields of Epidemiology, Public Health, Health Education, Health Planning, Medical Statistics, Environmental Health and Health Management.

Language: English is the primary language of collection.

Chronological Guidelines: Emphasis on current practice.

Types of Materials: Includes textbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, monographs, journals, government publications and online databases.

Date of Publication: Emphasis is on recent publications.

Classed Analysis

POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Description of the Collection

Purpose: To support teaching and research at master's degree level in the following fields: Public Administration, Civil Rights, Democracy, Political Culture, Political Ethics, Political Sociology, Economic Policy.

Language: English is the primary language of the collection. Works published in other languages are purchased selectively.

Chronological Guidelines: Primary emphasis is on the 20^th century and especially contemporary conditions.

Geographical Guidelines: There is emphasis on society in the United States with secondary emphasis on Europe and the Middle East.

Treatment of Subject: Textbooks and works written on a popular level, including autobiographies are purchased selectively. History of sociology and works on methodology are collected broadly, as are works on legal aspects.

Types of Materials: Dictionaries, monographs, textbooks, statistical materials, journals, annual reports of agencies.

Date of Publication: Emphasis is on current materials, but older works of historical significance are acquired.

Classed Analysis

FF – First Flour
LL – Lower Level

Law

Description of the Collection

Purpose: To support teaching and research at the master's degree level in the following fields of law: Comparative Law, Criminal Law, Environmental Law, Constitutional Law, Human Rights, International Trade, and International Law.

Language: English is the primary language of the collection. Russian and Armenian are secondary.

Chronological Guidelines: Emphasis is on law in the 20^th century.

Geographical Guidelines: Primarily the Unites States. While no area is specifically excluded, the subject matter would limit the areas of interest to those countries with a well-developed aspects of law.

Types of Materials: Includes textbooks, monographs, journals, reference materials, government publications, dictionaries, and handbooks.

Classed Analysis

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Description of the collection

Purpose: The primary purpose of the collection is to support research and instruction leading to a certificate and master's degree level in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language.

Language: The primary language of the collection is English.

Types of Materials: Includes textbooks, grammars, dictionaries, literary texts, online journals and encyclopedias.

Date of Publication: Emphasis is on the acquisition of current publications.

Classed Analysis

IED - Intensive English Department