I. Collection Development Policy

1. The library will acquire materials of all formats to support the mission of the college. Formats include, but are not limited to, audiovisuals, electronic resources, and printed materials.
2. The library will evaluate possible acquisitions using the following criteria:
1. Relevance to the curriculum
2. Patron requests,
3. Intended audience
4. Quality of content, including factual accuracy
5. Relationship of the material to items already in the collection,
6. Hardware and/or storage needs (especially for audiovisual and electronic resources),
7. Appropriateness of format to the content,
8. Timeliness and/or lasting value,
9. Reputation of the author and/or publisher,
10. Physical durability,
11. Price
3. The library will encourage faculty participation in the collection development process by:
   1. Communicating the library budget allocation for materials acquisition to department chairs.
   2. Distributing access information to Choice Reviews to all faculty.
   3. Soliciting faculty to contribute to the collection development process.
   4. Calling upon faculty members' expertise, when deemed necessary, when evaluating possible purchases and evaluating possible withdrawals from the collection.
4. The library will use appropriate selection aids to identify and evaluate materials for the library collection. These aids will include, but not be limited to, book reviews, core lists, subject bibliographies, annual "best of" lists and standard indexes.
5. The library will purchase books awarded the following annual prizes: Pulitzer Prize for biography, drama, fiction, history, and non-fiction; Booker Prize, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, the Caldecott Medal, the Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Award, Jefferson Cup and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The Library will also collect the Academy Award winner for Best Picture as well as the Grammy winner for Record of the Year.
6. The library will purchase electronic resources using the same criteria as other materials. In addition, the library will consider access mode (preferring IP authentication when available). Products introduced through consortia will be evaluated using the same criteria as products identified through other methods. Electronic resources are defined as those that require computer access.
7. As budget allows, the library adds subscriptions to periodicals and standing orders recommended by faculty, students, and staff in support of the mission of the library. Possible additions are also identified using interlibrary loan statistics, online periodical index statistics, and core lists such as Magazines for Libraries. The library will consider subscriptions in all formats. For core titles, electronic access should include perpetual access to back files. As space allows, microfilm back files will be considered.
8. The library will provide access to government documents according to the Government Documents Policy.
9. The library will purchase materials for the following special collections, within the bounds of the budget:
   1. Bridgewater College Collection, containing works related to Bridgewater College, including faculty publications.
   2. Church of the Brethren Collection, containing works related to the history or present activity of the Church of the Brethren.
   3. Regional history, containing works related to Augusta, Rockingham, Page, and Shenandoah counties, including genealogical materials for surnames common in this area and the Church of the Brethren.
10. The library will evaluate gifts according to the criteria used for all other acquisitions. If not deemed appropriate for the collection, they may be discarded, traded, or sold.
11. The library strives to maintain a balanced collection representing many different views. Materials will be evaluated outside of individual political, religious, or personal biases.
12. The library will purchase critical editions of works of materials, when available.
13. The library will not attempt to purchase:
    1. Textbooks.
    2. Multiple copies of a title, in the same or different formats, unless warranted.

II. Weeding Policy

1. The library will consider removing from the collection superseded editions, duplicates, damaged materials, and materials containing inaccurate or outdated information.
2. The library will weed any materials that do not fit within the parameters of the Collection Development Policy.
3. Other classes of materials to be considered for weeding include:
   • Books that no longer relate to the academic curriculum or extracurricular enrichment
   • Inspirational literature
   • Lab manuals, teacher's editions, workbooks
   • Accession lists or bibliographies of other libraries
   • Short runs or single volumes of cataloged serials
   • Vanity presses: Vantage Press, Dorrance Publishing and Ivy House as well as other self-published materials
   • Brochures/Pamphlets of little academic value
   • Annual reports
   • Library of Congress surplus duplicates
   • Incomplete sets
4. The library will weed materials based upon use patterns, to include materials that have not circulated in 10 years and do not appear on any standard book lists.
5. The library will enlist the involvement of faculty, in situ, in the weeding process.
6. Specific classes of materials with specific age for weeding:
   • Library science 5 years
   • Vocational guidance materials 3 years
   • Personal finance 3 years
   • Medical, health, nutrition, drugs 5 years
   • Geography & Travel books 5 years
7. Materials to be kept:
   • Unabridged dictionaries may be retained indefinitely
   • Biographical dictionaries unless superseded by a newer edition
   • City directories
   • Materials used for Reserves