Include:

• Re-write section on Approval Plan.

A. Approval Plans and Standing Orders

Cowles Library maintains arrangements with vendors and publishers under which it automatically receives certain categories of publications in the following ways:

1. Approval plans - Recognizing that the needs of the University are diverse and that the book selection expertise of individual faculty and librarians can be supplemented in some areas, the Library uses an approval plan to assure the acquisition of current materials at a reasonable price. An approval plan delivers current publications from various publishers on prescribed subjects of particular interest, with return privileges for unwanted volumes. Library liaisons work with department faculty to develop subject profiles for the approval plan. The Library employs this professional service to assist in developing and maintaining a balanced collection with appropriate coverage in all disciplines as outlined in this policy.

2. Standing orders - These are volumes of sets or monographic volumes in series being published over a period of time that extends into the future and for which we want complete holdings.

B. Gifts

Cowles Library's Collection Development Policy guides the selection and purchase of all materials for the library. Gifts are evaluated by the same standards as are purchased items so that the total collection maintains high quality, consistency, and relevance to the needs of the University. Gift books or journals that fill existing gaps and that support the curriculum are especially beneficial. The Library must be free to decide whether all or part of a gift should be added to the collection, discarded, exchanged or given away. Because of space limitations and the cost of cataloging, some gifts cannot be added to the collection. The following materials are generally not accepted as gifts:

• Issues of journals that we do not subscribe to (because of the additional expense required to keep such titles current).
• Duplicates of titles already held regardless of format, unless the donated copy is in better condition than our existing copy.
• Textbooks.
• Materials in poor physical condition.
• Material with factors such as odor, age or subject matter may be eliminated from consideration.

If a gift is not added to the collection, it may be offered to other libraries or discarded. Gifts are not returned (unless specifically requested by the donor), nor are they kept together. Gifts with restrictions imposed as to markings, shelving, etc. are usually not accepted. Rare and expensive items will be respected and treated as such. Arrangements for handling these may be negotiated between the Acquisitions Associate and the donor. Appraisals of gifts cannot be made by members of the library staff since the library is an interested party in the transaction. The donor is responsible for arranging and paying an outside appraiser if this is necessary or desired since the donor is the one who benefits from the tax deduction.

Because of limited staff, the library usually cannot provide an itemized list of contributions, but the Acquisitions Associate will be pleased to sign a list of gift titles provided by the donor. A letter acknowledging the gift items is always sent to the donor unless the Acquisitions Associate has been asked not to do so. All Gift donors are asked to sign a release indicating that they understand and agree to the above terms.

C. Browsing Materials

The Browsing collection is intended to promote recreational reading among students, faculty, and staff and to enhance awareness of selected new books. The objective of the browsing collection is to provide books that will stimulate and entertain, and promote reading for the sheer joy of reading. The types of materials purchased for Browsing includes popular fiction, biographies, and other titles pertaining to topics of current interest. These types of materials are generally found on "best seller" lists such as the New York Times. Browsing titles are generally transferred to the general circulating collection at regular intervals, which may vary depending on their frequency of usage.

See also the paragraph referring to Popular Magazine in Section V. D. 1. a.

D. Reserve Materials /Electronic Reserve Materials

Most of the materials on reserveare placed there at the request of a faculty member for a specific course. The professor who places the item on reserve is also responsible for setting the amount of time allowed for its use, as well as the length of time that it will remain on reserve. All reserve items are reviewed for removal at the end of each semester. Some materials are placed on reserve by the library staff and are not contingent upon any specific class. The primary reason for doing this is to provide greater control and access over frequently used reference materials. Electronic reserve course pagesare established by the Reserves Manager. Articles are provided from scanned photocopies, personal book scans or PDFs. Copyright guidelines are followed strictly to conform to regulations.

E. Theses/Dissertations

Cowles Library collects copies of dissertations and theses produced by Drake University students. For publications prior to 2010, the Library collected and continues to maintain two copies of each dissertation, one for circulation and one as an archival copy. As of 2010, the library only preserves a digital copy as part of our institutional repository.

F. Patron-Driven Acquisitions

Also referred to as Demand-Driven Acquisitions, Patron-Driven Acquisitions (PDA) is a method of offering Library users a wide range of potential resources in various formats (e.g., e-books, print books, journal articles), but an item is not actually purchased until the patron requests it. By employing one or more PDA collection models, the Library makes more efficient use of its collection budget by avoiding the problem of purchasing items that never get used. Purchasing and delivering an item at the patron's point of need ensures that the item will be used at least once.

At this time, the Library is employing and assessing a number of PDA models. While we do not know how widely these models will be used in the development of our collections, we anticipate that some form of PDA will remain a permanent part of the Library's collection development strategy.