Library Collection Development and Access Policy

The UPSem Library's electronic resources serve all of the Seminary’s students and faculty, particularly those who cannot easily access physical Library collections. Electronic resource collections expand and supplement the Seminary’s physical collections and are potentially more economical because they are shared by all teaching platforms. The library has adopted an e-preferred collection development strategy to take advantage of these efficiencies, opting to acquire books in electronic format rather than print format when consistent with other guidelines in this Policy.

Immediate oversight of the processes to build and maintain the Library’s collection strength is the responsibility of the Seminary Librarian (Richmond focus) and Director of the Charlotte campus (Charlotte focus) with the ultimate responsibility for the full collection going to the Seminary Librarian. The Seminary Librarian and the Director of the Charlotte campus Library derive knowledge of collection needs through interaction with patrons and study of the professional literature, book review sources and periodicals, publisher’s catalogs and subject-area bibliographies. They also seek recommendations and input from the Seminary’s faculty and welcome suggestions from students and the public. Throughout this work of collection development, the Director of the Charlotte campus Library will work closely with the Seminary Librarian in Richmond to coordinate the development of resources.

Currently, most newly acquired eBooks, particularly individual titles as opposed to collections, are purchased for access on the ProQuest EBook Central platform. Other platforms may be used, but the standards below are to be followed, both now and as future platforms and vendors are evaluated:

1. Technology and Access

• EBooks will be accessible to all students, faculty, and staff of the institution regardless of geographical location whenever possible
•  EBooks will be in a format that is not restricted to any device or software application. HTML, ePUB, and PDF formatting is preferred
• EBooks must be compatible with existing access and authentication systems
• EBooks platforms must be available for use in standard web browsers

2. Preferred Functionality

• EBooks should be accessible through an internet browser, with no requirement to download a file
• Content must be accessible to individuals with disabilities within accepted practices
• Ability to download, print, browse, and e-mail pages is highly desirable
•  Ability to be indexed and cataloged in the Library’s existing discovery services is highly desirable
• They should be easy to use across a variety of systems (smartphones, iOS devices, tablets, laptops, PCs)
• They offer powerful and user-friendly search engines
• They provide citation downloads and/or are compatible with citation management software
• They offer stable 24/7 access and sufficient advanced warning before system maintenance takes place

3. Vendor Support

Vendors must have proven excellence in customer service and responsive support teams

•  Library-wide trial access to allow for staff evaluation before entering into a contract is highly desirable
•  Electronic invoice delivery and customized MARC records are included in subscription or purchase fees, whenever possible
• Vendor platforms offer customization and branding capabilities
• Vendors must provide statistical usage reports
• Vendors must provide clear, written explanations of their archiving policies and ownership rights
• Staff training and/or recorded webinars should be available at no additional charge
• Designated customer representatives with direct e-mail/phone support are highly desirable

4. EBook Format, Pricing

• Prefer universal format with no DRM; in the absence of universal format, ePUB or PDF formats are acceptable
• Kindle format is unacceptable
• Prefer title-by-title purchasing model
• Prefer ability to select either single-user or multi/unlimited simultaneous access options
• Prices must be comparable to print versions; eBooks priced over $150 or 200% over the print price are purchased only when there is enough added value

5. Licensing, Contracts, Accessibility

• Vendors must supply clear expectations, schedules, and pricing for annual subscriptions or maintenance fees
• Contracts must note the period of agreement, refund information, and cancellation options
• Vendors must define "authorized users" in advance of a final contract
• Prefer vendors who support interlibrary loan and explicitly state this in contracts
• Prefer ability to retain ownership of purchased eBooks even if contract with vendor is cancelled or vendor ceases to exist
• The Library reserves the right to use portions of eBooks under the Fair Use provision
• Vendors must alert the Library of changes in content, including publisher-driven price increases or removal of content in patron-driven acquisition models

1. Selection

Current funding levels support purchase of course texts, faculty and student requests, and faculty publications. Remaining funds are spent at the discretion of the Seminary Librarian, the Charlotte Library Director, the IRC Director, and those designated by them; related recommendations are at the end of this section

a. Subject Areas

EBooks will be purchased in subject areas that support the M.Div. (Charlotte and Richmond), the M.A.C.E. (Charlotte and Richmond), the     M.A.T.S., the Th.M. (Richmond only), and the D.Min. (Charlotte and Richmond) degree programs, plus other courses offered at UPSem. They are oriented toward graduate professional degrees designed to prepare students for vocational ministry in church and/or social and community settings and will provide support for faculty research and writing.

b. Languages

EBooks that are entirely or primarily in English will be given priority. EBooks that are in or contain a foreign language, particularly those outside of biblical languages, will be purchased when there is a demonstrated need, such as to support a specific program or set of courses.

c. Course Texts (Charlotte Campus)

• Course texts that exist in eBook form will be purchased regardless of whether they are held in print
• More than one license will be purchased for class eBooks when the need arises
• Upon request, the Dean’s office or faculty members will send lists of required and supplemental course texts to the Library

d. Requests

• eBook requests from students and faculty will be submitted to the Library’s Technical Services Department
• Faculty will be informed if a requested title is available in print on their campus, so that they can confirm whether they wish for the Library to hold the eBook as well
• Distance students are provided consideration if their desired title is available in print, but they cannot obtain it
• On-campus students may also request an eBook when the print book is available; this is a rare occurrence, however, and is handled on a case by case basis
• Requests for other electronic resources should be submitted to the Electronic Services Librarian who will evaluate the request in consultation with the Seminary Librarian, the Charlotte Library Director, and faculty

e. Faculty Publications

• Faculty authored books that are available in eBook format will be purchased in eBook format
• The faculty member’s home campus will also purchase print copies for the collection

f. Reference Works, Commentaries, Multi-authored Works

•  In order to meet the growing needs of potential distance education students and students in hybrid classes, the Library will purchase important digital reference works, Bible commentaries and multi-authored works in electronic format
• For works currently held in Richmond, print equivalents should see at least moderate use for the eBook to be purchased unless there are other compelling reasons for purchase (e.g. on a bibliography, recommended by faculty)

2. Licensing and Purchasing

• Licensing and access options will be researched by the Electronic Services Librarian
• In consultation with the Electronic Services Librarian, the Seminary Librarian will make final licensing decisions

3. Cataloging

•  EBooks purchased as above are automatically loaded into the catalog and evaluated for quality control.

4. Budgeting

•  In general, eBooks will be purchased using the Library's “purchasing” budget lines. Other electronic resources may be charged to the Online Database budget (Richmond) or the Instructional Resource Center budget
•  Expenditure of funds will be tracked by the Technical Services department with assistance from the Administrative Assistant to the Seminary Librarian

5. Evaluation of Collection

• Vendors (including pricing, content, subscription fees, and contracts) are evaluated on an ongoing basis
• Purchase models (single- and multi/unlimited-use, patron-driven, pay-per-use) are evaluated on an ongoing basis
• The Library’s efforts to promote electronic resources should be evaluated on a regular basis