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1. ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education
2. LibQUAL
Cowles Library uses LibQUALas well as other methods to assess its effectiveness including collection and analysis of statistical measures, and consideration of "Best Practices" in similar types of academic libraries. The LibQUAL project will allow libraries to compare their service quality with other peer institutions, to develop benchmarks, to receive information about areas needing improvement and to identify best practices across institutions. By using the LibQUAL+™ instrument and initiating action based on the results of this survey, Cowles Library can be more responsive to user needs and provide services to meet user expectations.
3. Procedures for Ordering a Book or Media
Each School/College (and in the case of the College of Arts & Sciences, each Department) is given an allocation each year from which to place orders for books or media (check with library for currently supported video format). Any faculty member may place an order for a book or media to be added to the library collection, but should check with the Liaison of their School/College/Department to determine if a procedure is in place for submitting its orders. Individuals may also place a book or media order request from the Cowles Library web site, via e-mail, or by campus mail provided that the item meets with the "Selection Factors" listed in section IV.
4. Procedures for Ordering a Journal (print and electronic) and Electronic Databases
Serial/Journal subscriptions are ongoing budgetary commitments, including committing the library to an on-average 10% inflation rate per year. Consequently, new subscriptions must be justified (i.e., unmet curricular need), and also must include the identification of funds to support the subscription. This is accomplished by identifying a title or titles of approximately similar cost to be discontinued. Since subscriptions are "assigned" to the various Departments, any individual faculty member who wishes to initiate a new subscription must coordinate this request within his/her department by first contacting his/her assigned Department Faculty Liaison. The Department Liaison will then coordinate the review of the journal title list within his/her department to ascertain if the department wishes to begin the new subscription, and, if so, which title(s) will be canceled in order to fund it.
Each spring the Collection Development Librarian will, upon request, provide a list of serial/journal titles assigned to each College/School (and in the case of the College of Arts & Sciences, each Department). This list will be provided to either the Department Chair or the Departmental Library Liaison to review the list for potential changes in regard to changing curricular needs, etc. At this time, the Collection Development Librarian will notify the Department Chair and/or the Departmental Library Liaison of the "bottom line" figure to be achieved. Generally speaking, this will be a "break even" figure. Generally, if a subscription is added, a subscription of equal or greater cost must be discontinued.
Either the Department Chair or the Departmental Library Liaison will notify the Collection Development Librarian of any changes to be made in the list by the end of the spring semester.
For those years in which the library does not receive funding adequate to maintain the current level of serials expenditures (given the annual 10% inflation rate), the Collection Development Librarian will, as soon as the budget information is made available to her/him, notify the Department Chair and the Departmental Library Liaison of the need to cancel subscriptions. The serial/journal lists will be provided (according to the procedures outlined above) to accomplish this goal. If the Department does not respond (that is, provide a list of titles to discontinue within the target figure), the Library Faculty will make the decision about which titles to discontinue.
Electronic Selection Criteria - Resources will be acquired with the intent of supporting the curriculum; that is, meeting the information and research needs of Drake students and representing value for the money. Faculty may request that a free electronic resource trial be initiated. The request should be addressed to the Librarian Liaison assigned to their College/School/Department, or by directing a request to the Collection Development Librarian or Electronic Resources Specialist. The Electronic Resources Specialist will arrange the trial and announce the trial via e-mail to the library faculty and staff. Library Liaisons will forward this information to the department(s) most closely associated with the subject content of the resource. A part of this announcement will include the encouragement of feedback to the Library committee charged with evaluating electronic resources. The trial will also be posted on the Trial Databases webpage so that anyone can demo the product and give their feedback via the Evaluation Form on the Trial Databases page. After the commencement of the trial, if the Library committee has received two or more positive responses, the Library will consider subscribing to the resource based on criteria listed in "Section V: Library Collections." Notealso that the library will consider joint purchasing through grant and Departmental funds. Purchases with joint funds will require special negotiations.
See also "Section VI. E. Deselection."
5. Digital Archives
The Cowles Library at Drake University has a digital archives that consists of two components, each serving a unique purpose. The institutional repository, or "eScholarShare@Drake", represents the intellectual output of Drake faculty, staff, and students. The Drake Heritage Collections, a digital archive of Drake's history, comprises selected items culled from the current Special Collections Department.
6. Policy regarding duplication of materials held at the Opperman Law Library
Cowles Library will not duplicate materials held at the Opperman Law Library unless the material is popular legal fiction (Browsing) or non-fiction works that might involve popular court cases, the Supreme Court or some legal issues of historical interest.
7. Policy for retention of duplicate print and microform journal holdings if a title is owned in a permanent digital format
Preface: Many titles previously purchased by Cowles Library in print format are available electronically (through databases such as JSTOR and Project MUSE). In order to reduce duplication, save money and conserve shelf space, the following policy was developed. If Cowles Library has both print and electronic subscriptions to a journal title, the print subscription will be cancelled and the duplicate print and microform holdings removed from the shelves if the following conditions are also met:
8. Policy for removal of duplicate print and microform journal holdings if a title is owned in a permanent digital format
If a title is identified through the "Policy for retention of duplicate print and microform journal holdings if a title is owned in a permanent digital format," the procedure for removal is:
New print issues that will one day be superseded by the electronic edition will NOT be bound.
9. Criteria for acquiring and retaining periodicals
To determine which periodicals will be acquired and retained, the following criteria will be taken into consideration (Ranked in order of importance):
10. Cancellation of serial/journal
The following are the main reasons for cancellation of a serial/journal subscription; these factors apply to online as well as print materials. (See also "Section V. Library Collections, D. Serials"):
11. Evaluation elements considered for electronic/online materials
A. Content suitability
B. Search engine and interface
C. Vendor reliability
D. Archiving and Preservation
E. Technical compatibility
F. Licensing and other legal concerns
G. Service Implications
H. Cost and Budgetary constraints
12. Procedures for Challenges to Library Electronic Content: Format or Quality (Approved by Library Faculty Council on 6/24/14)
This document is designed to provide a process for those instances when a patron files a challenge to all/some of the content of an electronic resource. It is intended to address issues with the quality or format of the content, as opposed to the appropriateness of the content itself (challenges to content based on viewpoint or controversial treatment should be referred to Section I. D, “Intellectual Freedom & Diversity”).