Mission Statement

The mission of the Hogwarts University Library is to serve the scholarly needs of patrons by providing access to information through library resources and services and to support the educational programs and endeavors of the University. The main purpose of the Collection Development Policy is to provide official documentation of the selection of library materials for the collection. The Policy also provides a written rationalization for the allocation of library funding, which is essential in this time of increasing costs for library materials. A secondary purpose of the Policy includes acting as an information resource for library employees involved with collection development and other individuals interested in the collection development practices of the Library. The Collection Development Policy is reviewed and updated annually by the Collection Development Librarian in order to support the goals of the Library. The Dean of Public Services approves all changes to the Policy.

Service Community

The current service community of the Hogwarts University Library as of the fall semester 2008 includes a patron population of 20419 students. Of the total student population, 87% or 17866 students are undergraduates and 13% or 2553 students are graduates. Of the total undergraduates, 82% or 14650 students are full-time undergraduates and 18% or 3216 students are part-time undergraduates. Two percent or 434 students are international students with 32% or 139 students as international undergraduates and 68% or 295 international graduates. The male to female ratio is roughly 1:1 with 46% or 9393 males and 54% or 11026 females. Twelve percent or 2663 of all students identify themselves as belonging to minority groups. The minority groups include 6% or 1212 African-Americans, 1% or 340 Asians or Pacific Islanders, 2.5% or 624 Hispanics, 0.5% or 53 Native Americans or Alaskans, and 2% or 434 international students from 88 various countries. The other 88% or 17756 students identify themselves as Causation. Ninety-two percent or 16437 of undergraduate students are between the ages of 17 and 24 years old.

Service Clientele

Access to library materials in the library collection is open to all patrons who physically visit the Library. As a private university library, however, the Hogwarts University Library restricts the right to borrow materials from the physical library building to University students, faculty, and staff. The Library also lends books through Interlibrary Loan to other institutions that loan library materials to the Library.

Programs and Patrons

Hogwarts University is a research university, so emphasis is placed on collecting research materials for the library collection in addition to instructional materials. The Library also emphasizes primary sources such as original documents and creative works, although the collection primarily contains secondary sources that interpret and analyze the primary sources in the collection. Genre material is largely not collected except when such material fulfills the mission of the library as in the case of classic fiction novels for the English Studies program and popular teenage fiction for the education program. The majority of new library materials selected for the collection are current publications from within the last five years, although older and retrospective materials are purchased when necessary to fill out current subject area collections as well as for the Hogwarts University Special Collections. Because of the high cost of library materials, duplicate copies are avoided except in the case of materials of high use. To avoid duplicating entire collections, selectors also consider the availability of library materials from other institutions through Interlibrary Loan. The Library also attempts to anticipate the future needs of patrons by collecting for the future as well as the present.

Intellectual Freedom

The Hogwarts University Library fully supports the idea of intellectual freedom as defined by the American Library Association Library in the Library Bill of Rights and the Intellectual Freedom Statement. The Library strives to include library materials that represent as many points-of-view on as many topics as possible in its collections. Selection and exclusion of library materials is not based on subject, whether popular or unpopular, or author, including origin and background. The Library also supports the right to academic freedom, defined as the freedom of inquiry and the freedom of expression, as established by the Hogwarts University Constitution.

Patrons with concerns about or challenges to library materials in the collection are directed to the office of the Associate Dean of Technical Services for a written form to be completed by the patron. After the completed form is returned, a committee comprised of the Associate Dean of Public Services, three faculty members, and one civil service employee review the complaint. The challenged library material remains available for circulation during the review process except when and if the committee needs the physical object as part of the review. If the challenge is deemed valid, the library material is removed from the circulating stacks and either placed in the desk collection or withdrawn from the library collection. All decisions regarding challenged library materials are final.

Collection Parameters, Subject Areas, and Formats

The Hogwarts University Library comprises of both a general circulating collection and a special collections. The general circulating collection is divided into twelve subject areas, which include Art, Business and Economics, Communication, Education, English Studies, Government and Politics, History, Law, Mathematics, Music, Science, and Social Sciences including magic and religion. Library materials are collected in print formats including monographs, serials, periodicals, and textbooks as well as nonprint formats including electronic resources, sound recordings in the form of CDs and electronic formats, video recordings in the form of DVDs and electronic formats, microformats, maps, posters, kits, realia, and software in the form of computer discs and free downloads. The Library does not collect LPs, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, floppy disks, or perishable items. Print materials are preferably collected in hardback formats. Library materials are primarily collected in English language formats, but materials in other languages will be selected when of value to the library collection. The collection goal of the Library is to collect library materials at a research level, meaning that collections are very extensive and older material is retained and preserved. However, most collections currently fall below the research level because of the expenses necessary to collect and maintain extensive collections.

Special Collections

The Hogwarts University Special Collections, which is housed in the Restricted Area Rare Book Room, contains library materials that primarily focus on magic and religion including defense against the dark arts as well as rare and valuable books. The Library strives to collect library materials for the special collection at a comprehensive level. Library materials for the special collection are collected in all formats except for perishable items. The guidelines for selecting library materials, whose full contents is available through the Restricted Area Rare Book Room, include materials that enhance named collections areas, materials with high market value, materials produced in limited editions, early imprints and rare materials, ephemera of special importance, exceptionally finely produced materials, and materials whose storage or use requires special care or mediation.

Electronic Resources

The Library also collects electronic resources in all subject areas. Electronic resources include online indexes and databases, electronic books, electronic journal subscriptions, computer disks, and software as well as newer formats as developed. Selection, weeding, and withdrawal of electronic resources follow the same guidelines and procedures as print materials. Additional considerations for the selection of electronic resources include licensing agreements, vendor reliability, product quality, accessibility, and overlap with print materials. Licensing agreements for online indexes and databases, electronic books, and electronic journal subscriptions are negotiated by the consortia of which the University is a member.

Selectors and Selection

Collection development and management is primarily the responsibility of subject specialists designated to specific subject areas within the library collection as a whole. Selectors ultimately report to the Collection Development Librarian but make all decisions directly related to their subject areas. Faculty are encouraged to request library materials for the Library by working directly with the subject specialist for their discipline. Patrons are also encouraged to request library materials through an online form accessible from the Library homepage. Selectors will not purchase all requested materials but will take requests into consideration when selecting new materials for the collection. Since the mission of the Library is to serve the scholarly needs of patrons and to support the education programs of the University, selectors choose library materials, both purchased and donated, for the collection based on selection guidelines that fulfill the goals of the Library. The selection guidelines require that selectors consider the value of the material to the collection including fulfillment of the Library mission, the relationship of the material to other materials already in the library collection, the currency and accuracy of information within materials, the suitability of the format of materials to the content, and the cost and availability of materials. Library materials are only weeded from special collections in the rare case of almost identical duplicates after which the lower quality duplicate is accessioned into the general circulating collection.

Evaluation

Evaluation of the Hogwarts University Library collection is collection-centered. Subject area collections are evaluated by comparing the existing collections to the potential comprehensive currently available. The current acquisition level, or the level at which new library materials are acquired for the collection, is then determined and compared to the ideal acquisition level, or the desired level at which new library materials are acquired for the collection. Collections with similar comparisons both between existing collections and potential comprehensive collections and between current acquisition levels and ideal acquisition levels are evaluated at a high research level, meaning collections are compared to collections at other institutions of similar size, depth, and mission. Collections with a similar comparison between one factor and a dissimilar comparison between the other factor are evaluated at a moderate research level. Collections with dissimilar comparisons between both factors are evaluated at a low research level. Collections with low research levels become priorities for increased collection development.

Gifts

The Hogwarts University Library accepts gifts in the form of library materials with the understanding that the subject specialist into whose collection the material is classified ultimately decides whether the material is added to the library collection or sold in the annual Friends of the Library book sale. Once donated to the Library, gift items become property of the Library and will not be returned to the donor. Selectors then determine to keep or discard gift materials by following the same selection procedures as for purchased library materials. Neither the Library nor library employees will perform gift appraisals but will assist donors in locating appropriate appraisal services. The Library also accepts gifts in the form of monetary donations to purchase library materials that conform to library selection guidelines. The Library will not accept gifts in the form of library materials under any restricted conditions and will only accept restricted monetary donations after the restriction is discussed with and approved by the Monetary Gift Committee. Gift materials and materials purchased with gift donations are acknowledged with a personalized gift bookplate. Donors who wish to file charitable gift tax deductions are responsible for providing a detailed gift inventory and must request written acknowledgement in the form of an itemized receipt from the Associate Dean of Public Services.

Approvals

The majority of library materials selected for the Hogwarts University Library collection are acquired by approval plan in order to receive the highest discounted price as possible from vendors. The Library has one Domestic Approval Plan and one European Approval Plan. Both approval plans are comprehensive level approval plans that utilize an LC Classification Thesaurus for subject profiling. Approval Plan Profiles are updated quarterly by the Collection Development Library from suggestions and input by selectors from each subject area. The Dean of Public Services approves all changes to all Approval Plan Profiles.

Preservation

Preservation begins not when damage and deterioration manifest in library materials but when selection of library materials for the collection occurs. The ultimate value of all library materials to the Hogwarts University Library must be considered during the selection and acquisition process so that preservation plans can be made prior to use when materials are initially acquired. Preservation issues should be considered when library materials are selected but must not prevent the acquisition of materials. Through cooperative coordination with selectors, the Preservation Department is responsible for determining and prioritizing physical treatments, which include in-house conservation treatments, enclosures such as boxes and pamphlet binders, and commercial binding. Appropriate physical treatment is determined by considering the value of library material to the collection, current condition and frequency of use, availability of replacement, and intrinsic value. Replacement and reformatting including photocopying and microformatting are chosen with the intrinsic value of library materials is negligible. Library materials retrieved from Access Services are considered high priority for preservation. Special collections and archives materials are considered medium priority. All other materials in the general circulating collection and storage are considered low priority. Areas housing library materials are monitored for temperature and humidity with appropriate adjustments made to the HVAC system when necessary.

Weeding, Storage, Withdrawal

Selectors are ultimately responsible for weeding library materials. Weeding of materials is based on circulation history, obsoleteness and obsolescence, availability of replacement, value for the collection, physical damage, and space constraints. Materials weeded from the general circulating collection are selected for either storage or withdrawal. Materials of continuing value to the Library but low use are transferred to the high-density storage unit of the facility. Storage materials are still accessible to patrons and can be reaccessioned into the general circulating collection if use increases. Materials of low use and low value are withdrawn from the collection. Withdrawn materials in decent physical condition are sold in the annual Friends of the Library book sale. Damaged withdrawn materials are discarded and recycled.