Collection Development Policy

for the
University of St. Augustine for Health
Sciences Library

Contents:
1. Purpose of the Collection Development Policy
2. Historical Background of the Library
3. Objectives
4. Clientele Served
5. Access to USAHS Resources and Services
6. Budget
7. Selection Criteria
8. Access to Resources not held by USAHS
9. Subject Areas
10. Special Collections
11. Collection Limitations
12. Preservation Activity
13. Weeding of Outdated Material
14. Review of the Collection Development Policy

1. Purpose of the Collection Development Policy

The purpose of this collection development policy is to clearly outline the process by
which information resources are selected and deselected for the University of St.
Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) library.

2. Historical Background of the Library

The USAHS library was most fortunate in acquiring the personal library of Dr. Stanley
V. Paris, PhD, PT. This valuable collection became the foundation upon which the
University's library was built. The initial collection held a large number of historical
texts in the field of physical therapy and a large collection of teaching videotapes. Ever
since, other faculty members have contributed and continue to contribute their personal
collections to supplement the USAHS library.

3. Objectives
The objectives or purpose of the USAHS library collection:
To support faculty and staff in their health sciences teaching and scholarship
To support students in their research and study of health sciences and education
topics

4. Clientele Served
The library at USAHS exists to serve all full-time staff, faculty, and students, including
those not present on a physical campus.

5. Access to USAHS Resources and Services

5a. Hours: Please check the librarys website for the most up-to-date listing of hours
for each campus.
5b. Catalogs: The USAHS library maintains an online public access catalog (OPAC)
through Softlinks Liberty system. The OPAC uses the National Library of
Medicine cataloging scheme, including MESH subject headings. The USAHS
library also maintains an online catalog of all online and print journal holdings,
called the A-Z Journal Locator (an EBSCO product).
5c. Loans: All full-time staff, faculty and students are allowed to borrow items from
the USAHS library except for materials marked as reference or reserve, and all
serials, bound or unbound. Please see the USAHS Library Circulation Procedures
for details.
Interlibrary loans for articles and books are available to all students, faculty, and

staff.

6. Budget
Budget allocations across subject areas and types of material (monographs, periodicals,
etc.) tend to vary each year because of the nature of health sciences publishing and the
needed resources for each program. The Library Committee has the responsibility to
discuss any single purchase over $1,500 requested in the budget, and recommend the
renewal or non-renewal of subscriptions. Each year the Library submits a request for the
following years budget allocation for acquiring new materials. The Finance Committee
approves the librarys annual budget.

7. Selection Criteria
7a. Acquisitions: Selection of materials in all formats for the USAHS library is
primarily by staff and faculty recommendation. The librarians are available to
suggest and recommend resources where appropriate or where there is a perceived
need which other personnel have not identified. The librarians give final approval
for acquisitions.
The first principle of selection is that material acquired must relate to the health
sciences or higher education fields, with resources specific to the curriculum
taught at USAHS as top priority. In general, the USAHS library purchases one
copy of any resource per campus, unless the library expects a higher-than-normal
demand for an item, such as in the cases of equipment or bone models. The
monographs and audio-visual resources that the USAHS library acquires are in
English. Material of all media is selected according to its currency, price,
relevance, and authority. The USAHS library acquires any material formats
whose content matches the criteria set forth in this policy.
The USAHS endeavors to have a strong collection of peer reviewed health
sciences journals, print or digital. The selection criteria for the periodical
collection stems from faculty recommendation, usage statistics, and interlibrary
loan requests. A periodical not held by the University for which the library
receives a statistically significant number of interlibrary loan requests in a given
year will be discussed by the Library Committee for possible inclusion. The
librarians will keep track of these statistics.
Selecting materials for new campuses or educational programs will follow the
same criteria set forth in this policy.

The library will attempt to ensure that only the most authoritative and reliable
resources are included in the library collection. However, it is ultimately the
responsibility of the library user to evaluate and corroborate the information
contained in library resources. The library cannot be held liable for a user citing
or applying incorrect information.
7b. Donations and Gifts: The USAHS library will accept donations and gifts based on
the following criteria:
Material relates to health sciences and the curriculum of USAHS
Material is recent (published within the last ten years) OR material is a
significant legacy work within the field The library does not already hold more than 2-3 copies of the
material
at each campus OR the existing copies of the material circulate
frequently enough to warrant an additional copy
The material is in good condition OR needs only minor repairs
The benefactor understands and agrees that once donated, the material
is property of USAHS and the library can choose to use or dispose of
the material in any way it chooses
Both parties understand that the USAHS library has the right to
decline any gifts or donations offered with contingencies to which the
library does not wish to adhere.
USAHS will provide an itemized receipt of materials donated upon request, but
will not assign monetary value to non-monetary donations. If the donation is
monetary, USAHS will provide a receipt with the donation amount specified, as
per the IRS requirements for such a donation. USAHS is a for-profit university
and donations are not typically tax deductible.

8. Access to Resources not held by USAHS

With the increasing availability of information through electronic online services, it is no
longer necessary for the USAHS to acquire all resources relevant to the health sciences.
USAHS is a member of the Northeast Florida Library and Information Network
(NEFLIN) which provides interlibrary loan privileges with other libraries across the state
of Florida.
USAHS is a member of Docline, an interlibrary loan request routing and referral system
made available through the National Library of Medicine. Docline connects the USAHS
library to thousands of medical and health sciences libraries throughout North America.

Through this system, the USAHS library can access articles and monographs not in our
own collection quickly and easily.
The USAHS Library website strives to provide up-to-date Subject Guide lists of
hyperlinks to particularly relevant, informative, and authoritative websites on the World
Wide Web.

9. Subject Areas
The USAHS library acquires and collects materials primarily in the following subject
areas:
Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Rehabilitation Medicine
Orthopedics
Sports Medicine and Exercise Therapy
Biomechanics and Kinesiology
Pediatrics and Child Development
Pharmacology
Biochemistry
Pain and Disability
Clinical Pathology
Musculoskeletal System
Cardiovascular System
Respiratory System
Nervous System
Geriatrics, Chronic Disease
Medical Profession
Public Health
Medical Research
Health Sciences Education/Higher Education
Physician Assistant
Occupational Science
Mental Health/Psychology

10. Special Collections

The USAHS Library maintains the following special collections:

historical monographs in the physical therapy field
occupational therapy assessment manuals and kits

11. Collection Limitations

While the subject areas listed above may indicate broad categories, the USAHS library
will not purchase at all levels in each subject, and will only purchase in so much as the
budgetary allocations for the current year allow. Resources are acquired as determined
by cost and by the current needs of the library users.

12. Preservation Activity

As the USAHS is a relatively new collection, material held is generally in good
condition. All materials are stored in a temperature-controlled environment. Staff
identifies resources that require repair or rebinding in the shelving and handling process.

13. Weeding (De-selection) of Materials

The USAHS collection is continuously assessed and therefore there is a process of
continuous weeding.
13a. Periodicals: On a periodic basis, popular/commercial journals are weeded from
the collection. The contents of these journals are usually time dated. Two to three
years of some titles are all that is required by this University.
13b. Monographs: In as much as space allows, the library will keep older monographs,
including previous editions of current titles, for their historic value. The library
may weed duplicate copies of these older monographs, as only one or two copies
are necessary for archival purposes. In future circumstances where space does not
allow for the preservation of older monographs, the library may digitize these
texts for on campus use as requested.
13c. Outdated Formats: The library may weed materials in outdated electronic formats,
especially if the library lacks the equipment necessary to access the content. The
library may replace these materials with newer editions in newer formats when
they are available.
13d. Damaged Items: The library will repair, replace, or weed damaged items
depending on the severity of the damage and the necessity of the item to the
collection.
13e. Disposal: With the exception of damaged items, which will be discarded
immediately, materials weeded from one campus library will be evaluated for

inclusion in another campus library, based on available space and current

collection. Materials weeded from all campus libraries will first be made available
to students and faculty to add to their personal collections. Any remaining
materials will be discarded.

14. Review of the Collection Development Policy

Although the Collection Development Policy is under continuous review by the USAHS
staff, it is formally reviewed and endorsed, as appropriate, by the Library Committee,
made up of faculty from various programs. The Policy is presented to the Executive
Committee, and then the Board of Trustees, to ensure that the library collection remains relevant to the
key goals of the University.Approved by the Library Committee June 2011ss.