Collection Development Policies - Library and Information Science

1. Introduction
   
   1. Purpose of the policy statement
      To describe the collections and collection development guidelines.
      
      
   2. Audience
      SLIS-IUB faculty and students; IUB library administrators and librarians with related collections including the collection managers for computer science, informatics, and education; IUPUI Libraries collection manager for library and information science.
      
      
   3. Description of institution/department and clientele
      The School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University is a dual-campus school at Bloomington and Indianapolis with graduate programs in library and information science. The Bloomington program has approximately 18 faculty, 309 masters students and 30 PhD students. Several SLIS faculty also have appointments in the School of Informatics and other departments such as Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and the Libraries.
      
      The SLIS program at Indianapolis gets direct library support from the IUPUI Libraries that has a budget and a librarian responsible for supporting the research and teaching needs of SLIS faculty and students there. The SLIS Library at Bloomington is primarily responsible for meeting the teaching and research needs of the Bloomington faculty and graduate students.
      
      In addition to serving the library needs of SLIS faculty, students and staff, the SLIS Library collections are a resource for IU librarians and library staff, and, to a lesser extent, to the librarian community in the state.
      
      
   4. Brief overview of the collection
      1. History of the collection
         The Division of Library Science (1947-1966) had a library located in the Education Building, and the first Library Science librarian was hired in 1951. The Graduate Library School was formed in 1966, and in 1969 the School and its library moved into the new Main Library Building. In 1975, it became an official Branch Library, and in 1980, the school changed its name to School of Library and Information Science. By the early nineties, the library had a collection of more than 11,000 volumes. In 1994, as a result of a thorough study of the library, 75% of its monograph collection was integrated into Research Collections, and the reference and journal collections were retained. The library was refurbished, including a computer lab for students and space dedicated to a Usability Lab. In 2001, the library was again refurbished, including a 22-workstation classroom/lab, and comfortable group and individual workstations. In 2006, the SLIS Library was closed and the collections incorporated into the Wells (formerly Main) Library's collections.
         
         
      2. Collection strengths and weaknesses
         The SLIS library collection has relatively large journal and reference collections. It is particularly strong in children's librarianship, academic librarianship, and information science. A collection of award-winning children's books is included. The historical collections are particularly strong in children's and school librarianship, library history, biography, copyright law, library education, reprography and censorship.
         
         
      3. Subject areas emphasized or deemphasized
         Several historic strengths of the collection (children's literature and school librarianship) have been de-emphasized by SLIS over the past decade or so and we no longer collect extensively in those areas, although we continue to collect at a basic level. School librarianship is a primary focus at the Indianapolis location and is supported by the IUPUI collection. We continue to emphasize materials in academic librarianship as well as new areas of school interest, primarily in the MIS program.
         
         
      4. Collection locations
         SLIS collections are shelved in Research Collections (primarily on the 11th floor where the Z's are located) and the ALF. Current journals and shelved in the Current Periodicals Collection and reference materials are in the Reference Services Department
2. Scope of Coverage
   1. Languages collected and excluded
      Primarily English language materials are included.
      
      
   2. Geographical areas covered and excluded
      Emphasis on United States and Europe.
      
      
   3. Chronological periods covered and excluded
      All covered.
      
      
   4. Dates of publication of materials collected; current vs. retrospective coverage
      Current materials emphasized.
      
      
   5. Formats collected and excluded
      Strong emphasis on electronic access to current and historical materials. Do not collect audio or video materials or microformats.
3. Collecting Responsibility
   Robert Noel
   
   
4. Related Collections
   Because of the highly interdisciplinary nature of the faculty and course offerings in SLIS (including traditional library science, linguistics, advanced computer visualization techniques, information processing, database design and accessibility, social informatics, and others), faculty and students use a broad array of library resources throughout the IUB Libraries. Their interdisciplinary needs, particularly in connection with the MIS program, are often met by deep collections throughout the Wells Library's Research Collections and several campus Libraries, particularly Swain Hall Library, Education Library, and Business/SPEA Library. In the area of children's librarianship, the SLIS collection manager works closely with the Education Library to provide a full range of children's literature resources.
   
   In addition, the IUPUI collections that support the growing SLIS program in Indianapolis are complementary to the IUB SLIS collections.
   
   
5. Principal Sources of Supply and Major Selection Tools
   Professional Associations (American Library Association, Association of Computing Machinery, IEEE Computer Society, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (UK), etc.) and standard publishers such as Libraries Unlimited, Haworth, Scarecrow Press. Blackwell's Approval Plan is also utilized. Library Quarterly and the Journal of Documentation are sources of useful reviews.
   
   
6. Selection Criteria for ALF
   Older portions of long serial runs; monographs prior to 1982 that have no record of circulation.
   
   
7. Digital Projects
   1. Criteria for selection for digitization
      
   2. Priorities for collections to be digitized
      Cannon's bibliography of library economy, 1876-1920 and library history materials relating to U.S. libraries in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
8. Other Resources and Libraries
   The library and information collection at IUPUI.
   
   
9. Consortial Agreements
   None.