Collection Development Mission

The Learning Resource Center collects and maintains information resources to support “the individual’s quest for lifelong learning and professional development” in accordance with the mission of the County College of Morris.

 

General Collection Development Guides

See addenda for information on Archives, Government Documents and Foundation Center collections.

SCOPE
The LRC provides resources primarily to support students’ coursework-related research and information needs. The LRC may also provide resources in support of college initiatives and to support lifelong learning.
Textbooks, courseware and laboratory materials are generally outside the scope of the LRC’s collection with the exception of donated copies of currently assigned textbooks, which may be placed on reserve.
LRC resources are made available for use by the entire CCM community and may also be made available to the general public.
The LRC will meet the needs of members of the CCM community for materials outside the scope of the LRC through interlibrary loan whenever possible.

RESPONSIBILITY
Librarians select materials for the LRC collection in consultation with faculty; final responsibility for the collection lies with the Director of the LRC.
SELECTION
Librarians, in consultation with faculty, select resources using a range of criteria including relevance to curriculum, accuracy, currency, accessibility, critical reception by review sources, recommendation by accrediting bodies, and cost. First priority is given to materials that are directly related to coursework, have high scholarly value and are accessible for first- and second-year college students. Librarians may also select materials that support CCM initiatives, and general interest works that have literary or scholarly value.
The LRC welcomes materials recommendations from members of the CCM community.
Materials are selected throughout the year; timing of acquisitions may depend on factors such as the CCM budget cycle, subscription availability, and availability of discounts.
Recognizing that a wide variety of topics may be addressed in a context of scholarly inquiry, the LRC does not reject materials solely due to controversial content.
The LRC provides materials in English, except for foreign-language materials to support CCM language courses.
FORMAT
The LRC collects resources in a variety of physical and electronic formats. Librarians choose formats for purchase, subscription or license based on factors including usability, availability, accessibility and cost.
DONATIONS
The LRC accepts donated materials selectively based on the selection criteria noted above. The LRC can provide a receipt for donated items, but cannot appraise donated items for value.
The LRC does not accept donations of textbooks, periodicals, or materials in poor condition. Donations may be accepted of assigned textbooks for courses currently running; these will be placed on reserve for use by the college community and the public.
DESELECTION
To maintain the quality of the collection and maintain adequate space, the LRC removes materials from the collection based on factors including relevance, currency, accuracy, redundancy, usage and physical condition.
The LRC welcomes faculty input and librarians consult with faculty members on deselection decisions as appropriate. Deselected materials may be transferred to other college departments.
County regulations prohibit the LRC from selling or donating deselected materials. Discarded items are recycled whenever possible.

 

Archives

The LRC collects, preserves and makes accessible records and evidence to document the history of CCM, its faculty, students, staff and activities. These materials may include meeting minutes; correspondence; official reports, catalogs and bulletins; special publications; student/staff/faculty publications; records of staff, faculty and student organizations; newspaper clippings; photographs, video and sound recordings; memorabilia; items from alumni and the Board of Trustees; and other items as appropriate.

 

Foundation Center Collection

The County College of Morris Learning Resource Center is a designated Cooperative Collection site of the Foundation Center of New York. The collection includes the Foundation Center’s core collection of materials, including grants databases. Librarians provide assistance in using the materials and answer questions regarding grants research. The LRC supplements the collection by adding other grants-related materials.

 

Government Documents

The LRC is a depository for materials provided through the Government Printing Office.
Depository materials are cataloged into the LC classification system and integrated into the general collection. Government materials are selected primarily to serve the needs of the college and surrounding community, with concentration in health, business, census, and legislative materials.
The LRC provides access to depository resources through a number of indexes and on-line services, and all items are cataloged into the main catalog.
Recommendations for selection are welcomed from faculty, librarians, administrators, and professional staff. Recommendations are reviewed by the reference librarian in charge of Government Documents and the LRC director, who make the final decisions.
The reference librarian assesses available item number selections from a list provided by the Federal Depository Library Program and determines if any additions or deletions should be made. Items may be selected throughout the year; however, all changes are put into effect October 1st.
If a choice in format is available, the reference librarian with the LRC director will choose the format deemed most appropriate. Online items are entered into the library catalog with a link to the full text.
U.S. Government publications not available through the depository may be acquired at the discretion of the reference librarian and library director. Materials may be requested through interlibrary loan.
Discarding will follow the guidelines established by the Federal Depository Library Program. Superseded items and duplicate copies are discarded. Weeding is at the discretion of the reference librarian. The librarian considers condition of the material and long-term research value relative to space considerations. Ephemeral material and publications timely in nature will be discarded after 5 years. Lost or damaged materials  will be replaced if they are reference items or significant titles in the library’s core collection.