Collection Development Policy |
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Statement of Freedom of Inquiry
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| All resources selected for inclusion, whether purchased, donated or free of charge, must be clearly related to the general educational mission and stated goals of The University of Memphis. The University Libraries subscribe to and act in accordance with the Library Bill of Rights, as developed by the American Library Association, and support the principles of freedom of inquiry. Because the University of Memphis is dedicated to the principle of unrestricted inquiry into and scholarly examination of all ideas and current knowledge relevant to any discipline, the staff of the University Libraries take very seriously its efforts to assure patrons that no form of censorship, whether based on personal or ideological bias, will be allowed to influence the development of the collection. |
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Overview
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| Collection development is the process whereby decisions are made concerning additions to and deletions from the University Libraries' collections, encompassing resources in all available formats to support the undergraduate and graduate curriculum of the University of Memphis. Periodic and systematic review of the process is held annually to examine the relevance and timeliness of this policy. |
| Authority to make purchases for the library collection is specifically delegated to the University Libraries. All the documents created in this process are public records and are subject to regular examinations by Internal Auditing and unannounced audits by State of Tennessee auditors. The department maintains all necessary files and records to provide acceptable audit trails for each transaction. While these records are public documents, Acquisitions staff members are expected to defer questions from auditors, reporters, or other outside persons to the Head of Acquisitions, Associate Dean of Libraries, or Dean of Libraries, unless otherwise instructed by one of these administrators. Likewise, questions from faculty, students, or outside parties regarding fund allocations, prices of individual titles ordered, and other related concerns are to be referred to these same administrators. |
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Unique Classes of Materials and Collections
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| Government Publications: the University Libraries house the regional depository for federal and state documents in Tennessee. While a major requirement in the acquisition of government documents is relevance to the curriculum, there is also the charge to meet needs of the general public. The Head of Government Publications, in consultation with teaching and library faculty, selects resources; further relevant information is supplied by the Superintendent of Documents and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. |
| Special Collections : as the manuscript depository and rare books room for the University of Memphis Libraries, Special Collections includes personal and organizational papers, books, maps, photographs, oral histories, and some University archives. The largest portion of these materials from the Mississippi Valley Collection, which focuses on the history and culture of the region surrounding Memphis, particularly west Tennessee, north Mississippi, east Arkansas, and southeast Missouri. Topical areas with strong holdings include African-American history, the Civil War, and American popular entertainment, especially the early 20th-century circus. |
| A complimentary copy of an individual book or series of books is solicited only when it is a publication known to be free, or a publication believed to be available without charge. Complimentary subscriptions for periodicals are requested only through the Collection Management Department [formerly Periodicals] and should be directed to the Collection Management for processing. Periodicals is responsible for acknowledgment, checking-in, and claiming. |
| In all instances, the ultimate decision to accept or reject gifts rests with the University Libraries. Except as authority has been specifically delegated, no commitments should be made without consultation. When approached by a potential donor, University Libraries personnel are directed to secure the donor's signature on a copy of the Gift Policy, indicating the donor's awareness and compliance with terms. University Libraries personnel will not give evaluations or appraisals to any donor for any gift. |
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This page was last reviewed 03/18/25 |