Revised April 24, 2020
Collection Development means the selection, purchase, and processing of resources, both electronic and print, for the Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library’s collections.
Basic collection development decisions are initially discussed and recommended by the Library’s Collection Development Committee (CD-C). The committee is chaired by the Head of Resource Management. Members of the Team include the Executive Director, department heads from Research and Instruction, the McGovern Research Center and Circulation/ILL. The Team also includes two liaison librarians and other library staff.
A Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet March and August to provide budget review and feedback to the CD-C. This committee is chaired by the Head of Resource Management and is comprised of faculty leaders from each of the Library’s governing institutions, along with selected librarians from the TMC Library.
The Head of Resource Management schedules CD-C meetings and prepares the agendas. Meetings are generally scheduled, as needed, the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The Team discusses all resources, whether current or potential, to make recommendations for retention or purchase.
It is the responsibility of the Head of Resource Management, the Executive Director, and the Chief Financial Officer to ensure that total collections expense and capitalized collections do not exceed the Board approved budget without additional revenues to offset any increase in expenditures.
The Head of Resource Management provides Team members with up-to-date lists of the Library’s resources (electronic journals and databases), as well as usage statistics, pricing, license, renewal and cancellation information as needed, as well as information about potential new resources for the Team’s consideration.
Vendor demos are arranged for new resources of strong interest. A vendor demo does not guarantee acquisition of the resource.
The Research and Instruction Department and Head of Resource Management solicit feedback from faculty and students at the TMC academic institutions regarding potential new acquisitions. This feedback is acquired via email, webforms, classes, and invitations to vendor demos.
Faculty and student requests for new resources are vetted and approved by the CD-C, per availability of budget funds, and adherence to Collection Guidelines. The Library maintains a list of requested resources via their New Resource Request form.
The Resource Advisory Committee provides recommendations on purchasing and cancellation decisions, twice a year to the CD-C.
The CD-C typically makes purchasing and cancellation decisions in March and August. Patrons are notified by email if their resource requests are approved for acquisition.
These are print titles that are published on a regular and continuing basis, whether monthly, yearly, biennially, or on some other schedule.
The Library continues to acquire a minimal amount of print materials through its Standing Orders. Currently there are 22 titles on Standing Order. Some SO print titles are necessary for basic reference assistance. Other titles are part of a series, generally research-level monographs that have proven useful to Library users.
The library continues to move its print standing orders to online only-based resources when available.
Certain titles are automatic purchases (e.g., new editions of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine) because of their known value to library users and their reputation in their respective subject areas.
Firm Orders:
When funds are available for in-scope print books or ebooks, the Resource Management department places “firm” orders for these titles. Electronic or print orders will continue to be honored when applicable.
Electronic Journals, EBooks, Databases:
When funds are available for online journals, ebooks, or databases, the CD Committee will make appropriate purchasing decisions based on the Selection Criteria noted above. Ebook purchases must be placed with an established ebook vendor platform already supported by the Library.
Approved, June 1, 2020
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Joanne V. Romano, Head of Resource Management— Date
Approved, June 1, 2020
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Debbie Sibley, Executive Director— Date
Distribution: CD Committee