Connecticut College Collection Development Policy

August 2025

I. Introduction and Purpose

The library collections at Connecticut College support the College’s teaching and research activities. The purpose of the Collection Development Policy is to establish principles and direction for the development and management of the College’s library resources. This policy covers Charles E. Shain Library; a separate policy is maintained for the Linda Lear Center for Special Collections & Archives. 

II. Connecticut College and the Library & Information Technology Division

Connecticut College is a highly selective, coeducational, private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut. The College was founded in 1911 and primarily serves undergraduate students. Its mission is to "educate students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens in a global society."

At Connecticut College, the libraries are part of a merged Library & Information Technology Division that also includes instructional and information technology services. The division is led by the Vice President for Information Services and Librarian of the College, and its mission is to partner with the College community “to provide innovative, reliable and universal access to information resources in support of academic and administrative endeavors.”

The Collection Development Policy is designed to support and reflect the mission of Connecticut College as a whole, along with the mission of the Library & Information Technology Division.

III. Goals of the Collection

A. Curriculum Support

The primary function of the College’s library collections is to support the College’s instructional program. As such, the library’s goal is to collect materials at the Instructional Support Level, as defined by the Library of Congress (https://www.loc.gov/acq/devpol/cpc.html). Library materials are collected to enable students to complete assignments and engage in undergraduate research projects.

 B. Faculty Research

As a library supporting undergraduate work, comprehensive research collections are beyond the capacity of the library. However, faculty research and publication are not only key intellectual outputs of the College’s work but are also an important driver of the College’s curriculum. As such, the libraries work to provide the necessary materials for faculty research and publication through purchase requests, interlibrary loan and combined consortial resources. (See Section V, “Bibliographic Access and Consortial Resources,” for more detail.)

C. Bibliographic Access

To facilitate discovery of materials and resources — including those that Shain Library has not purchased or subscribed to — the library committed to providing as much bibliographic access to resources as possible.

D. General Non-curricular, Staff and Administrative Support

Within the limits of the materials budget, the library will maintain a selection of current literary fiction, poetry, play scripts and popular nonfiction for the use and enjoyment of its patron groups. The library will select materials that are judged to have lasting artistic or literary value, or that represent key voices in documenting current events. Upon request, the library will also attempt to provide materials needed by the College’s administrative personnel to meet their professional responsibilities — with the caveat that the library’s first priority is always to provide materials that support Connecticut College’s curriculum directly.

IV. Intellectual Freedom

Charles E. Shain Library adheres to the principle of academic freedom as outlined in:

V. Bibliographic Access and Consortial Resources

In addition to the resources that Shain Library directly purchases or licenses, the library also draws from numerous means of resource sharing and consortial collection development in order to support the College’s research and teaching mission.

 A. Boston Library Consortium (BLC)

In 2023, Connecticut College became a member of the Boston Library Consortium, an organization with more than 20 member libraries, including some of the largest and most significant research libraries in New England. The BLC provides numerous services that help its constituent institutions to share resources, including a group subscription to Rapid ILL, which provides fast delivery of print and electronic materials. Further, the College participates with a subset of BLC libraries in a shared catalog and system called a “Network Zone,” which utilizes shared bibliographic records to enable numerous shared services across front- and back-end library functions. The BLC also provides students, staff and faculty from member institutions with physical access to libraries through the use of a “BLC Card.”

B. Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing

Connecticut College provides an interlibrary loan (ILL) service that is available at no cost for all faculty, students and staff. The purpose of ILL is to obtain access to any desired materials for the College community. As noted above, the library subscribes to Rapid ILL, which enables the College to take full advantage of its memberships in the BLC as well as EAST (see below).

C. Eastern Academic Scholars Trust (EAST)

Connecticut College maintains a membership in the Eastern Academic Scholars Trust (EAST), a consortium of some 60 institutions that fosters retention of rarely held print materials. Membership in EAST provides Connecticut College with the ability to deaccession some older and/or little used print titles, with the guarantee of perpetual access via interlibrary loan.

D. HathiTrust

In 2020 Connecticut College joined HathiTrust Digital Library, a not-for-profit digital collaborative of some 200 research and academic libraries. HathiTrust provides digital preservation of print materials with full download access to PDFs of nearly 7 million digitized items that are in the public domain, or that have been cleared for access through Creative Commons licensing. In addition, HathiTrust provides full-text searching ability for some 10 million additional in-copyright items.

 VI. Responsibility for Selection of Materials

Collection development is a collaborative process and shared responsibility, with the Librarian of the College holding final responsibility for all collection decisions. The Director of Library Collections, Access & Discovery is responsible for day-to-day oversight and recommends decisions in consultation with library staff members responsible for collections and acquisitions, library liaisons, faculty members, campus library advisory committee members and consortial partners. Library liaisons communicate and consult with faculty stakeholders to foster the acquisition of monographic titles, and to provide feedback and consultation with collections and acquisitions staff. 

VII. Selection Criteria

As discussed in the above sections, Shain Library provides high-quality materials that serve the curricular, teaching and research needs of Connecticut College. A further important guiding factor is found in Section II of the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights: “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”  

A. Overall Criteria

The following general, overall criteria are considered in making selection decisions:

  • Relevance to the teaching curriculum of the College
  • Lasting value of the content
  • Reviews in the professional literature
  • Reputation and professional background of the author/publisher
  • Appropriateness of the level of treatment, format and language
  • Availability among consortial partners
  • Strength of present holdings in the subject area
  • Importance, or potential importance, to the literature of a given discipline
  • For periodicals, indexing in a product owned or licensed by the library
  • Full-text searchability, if applicable to the particular resource
  • Licensing arrangements for electronic resources that enable printing, downloading and interlibrary loan
  • Electronic resources that enable unlimited simultaneous users
  • Archival arrangements for electronic resources
  • Cost

B. Monographs

a. Print versus Electronic

Recognizing that print and electronic formats each have their advantages, the library maintains a carefully balanced mixture of monographs in both formats. While generally the preferred method is electronic, the library considers available space, costs, functionality, the needs of users, the availability of the material, and the library’s broader mission in making format choices. Items may be requested in print, either if the user specifically requests a print resource or if print is judged to be a more appropriate medium given the content or the potential use of the item.

b. Patron-Driven and Package Acquisitions

To minimize costs, ensure utilization and reduce staff time spent in selecting and processing materials, the library prefers to acquire monographs through various patron-driven and automatic means. In the case of electronic monographs, this can mean evidence-based programs, package purchases or demand-driven acquisition plans. In the case of print materials, this can mean the strategic use of approval plans, especially where a large amount of monographs must be purchased, and/or where time constrains exist or there is a lack of specific subject knowledge to select materials individually.

c. Single Titles

Whether print or electronic, individual monographs may be purchased through selection by a liaison librarian or upon the request of a faculty member. Because many relevant titles are purchased through automatic print or e-book acquisition, or direct faculty request, librarians should exercise judgment and caution when acquiring monographs that have not been directly requested. Individual titles costing more than $200 require approval by the Director of Library Collections, Access & Discovery.

d. Duplicate Titles

The library will not acquire multiple copies of single titles unless, in rare circumstances, more than one title is needed for course reserve.

e. Physical Format (Paper vs. Hardcover)

When possible, Shain Library orders materials in paper in order to maximize limited collection funds. The library does not bind or laminate materials unless they are judged to have been damaged by use. Laminate covers are only applied in very rare circumstances. Hardcover is the preferred material for reference titles or for major scholarly sets. 

f. Textbooks

In order to improve equitable access to course materials, the library will endeavor to purchase one copy, either in digital or in print, of the required textbooks for each class, based on the criteria and limitations noted below. This policy is not intended to take the place of students’ purchasing their own copies of texts, whether through financial aid or their own means, or that of professors’ adoption of open educational resources (OER). Rather, it is intended as a means of supplementing textbook needs and/or backup assistance for students.

The library will spend up to $500 per course on either digital or print materials; see specific guidelines below.

The library does not automatically acquire copies of all course-adopted texts reported to the bookstore. Instructors who wish to place materials on reserve must do so each semester, using the library’s course reserve process.

The library does not purchase consumable materials, books designed for a single use, or materials that require the use of individual access codes or passwords. These may include, but are not limited to, workbooks, homework systems, slide decks, quiz banks, study guides and individual data sets.

Additional criteria and limitations by type of material follow.

Digital Course Materials (excluding film/video):

  • Course material is required per the course syllabus
  • Library license is for an unlimited number of simultaneous users
  • Course material/platform is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and WCAG (Web Content for Accessibility Guidelines) compliant
  • Maximum cost of $500 per course
  • Course material is accessible through the College's established authentication protocols
  • Course material is not sold as part of a package, bundle or subscription

Print Textbooks:

  • The book is required per the course syllabus
  • Maximum cost of $300 per course
  • While the library does not automatically purchase new editions, staff will consider such requests if a publisher has made significant changes or updates to an earlier edition. The library reserves the right to withdraw superseded editions.  

The library will only purchase one copy of a course textbook, but will lend additional copies through course reserves if instructors/departments wish to make these copies available.

The intention of this policy is to support every request that falls within the above guidelines. However, purchases of textbooks may need to be limited based on available funds.

g. Reference Monographs

Print reference books of all kinds are collected very rarely. The library maintains a small print reference collection that includes encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, atlases and other materials. Numerous electronic holdings, including databases and electronic monographic packages, include reference works.

h. Music Scores

Scores are chosen according to similar criteria as monographic materials, as detailed above. Additionally, performance considerations, including relevance to performance needs and performance level, are taken into account. The performing groups of the College (chorus, orchestra, band, other instrumental/vocal ensembles) will acquire and maintain their own libraries of concert performance scores and parts.

The following types of scores may be collected according to the selection criteria outlined in this policy, and/or as noted additionally below:

  • Reference scores consisting of complete works of major composers may be collected on a selective basis in consultation with the music faculty. 
  • Facsimiles (historical) may be collected on a highly limited basis.
  • Study and miniature scores are used for study and analysis rather than performance. 
  • Urtext performance editions will be given first priority in cases where a choice exists, and the basic selection criteria are met. Newer editions incorporating recent scholarship into the editorial policy may be collected even if the library already holds another urtext edition of the work by the same or a different publisher.
  • Performance editions of instrumental and vocal music may be collected based on the selection criteria and the applied music curriculum needs. Preference will be given to acquiring scores with parts rather than score alone whenever a choice is given, through the octet level (up to six performers). 
  • Piano scores of standard solo piano repertory are collected regularly.
  • Vocal scores of major works such as operas, oratorios, cantatas, musicals, and songs with instrumental or orchestral accompaniment are collected regularly. First preference will be given to complete scores of the work, but when necessary the library will purchase selections or individual songs.
  • Vocal ensemble music by major composers may be collected. 
  • Works for large ensembles by major composers may be collected. Parts will not be purchased.
  • Pedagogical materials (music intended for instructional purposes) may be collected for all instruments and voice according to the instructional and curricular needs of the Music Department. 

i. Juvenile Books

The library maintains a small collection of juvenile books and teaching materials for grades K–8, in support of the curricula of the Education and Human Development departments. These materials are typically bound with laminate covers.

j. Theses and Dissertations

The library will attempt to obtain via interlibrary loan those theses or dissertations that are needed by faculty members or students writing an honors thesis. Librarians or library patrons may also obtain these materials through the institutional repository where the thesis or dissertation was produced. If a thesis or dissertation is otherwise unavailable and is judged to be necessary for a faculty or honors research project, the library will attempt to purchase an electronic copy of the thesis.

k. Faculty Publications

Shain Library will acquire a print copy of all scholarly monographs produced by College faculty for the general circulating collection, as well as a copy for the College archives.

l. Alumni Publications

On a case-by-case basis, Shain Library may acquire and add to the collection those materials written by College alumni that conform to the collection guidelines as noted above.

C. Serials and Subscription Materials

a. Journals

Shain Library maintains a selection of electronic and print journal subscriptions, and provides access to on-demand journal articles. As stated above, this collection is augmented by interlibrary loan. The preferred format for academic journals is electronic; print will only be chosen when specifically requested by faculty and approved by the Director of Library Collections, Access & Discovery.

Many journal subscriptions are licensed as part of large package deals with vendors, i.e., not at the title level but as a package of titles. While such packages have enabled access to a broader range of materials, the packages are costly. As such, the library has replaced full subscriptions to a number of journals with on-demand access. 

In addition to packages that are directly purchased, the library makes a considerable amount of journal content available through its database resources and its Primo interface.

b. Newspapers

The library maintains subscriptions to The Day (New London, Conn.) and provides electronic access to national newspapers through subscriptions to databases, along with several site licenses.

c. Retention

The library does not bind print journals. Not all print titles are retained; those that the library retains are shelved alphabetically on the library’s lower level. Journals available in the JSTOR electronic archives are not retained in the physical collection. 

d. Databases and Indexes

The library prioritizes bibliographic access to materials, and as such provides a wide range of databases that directly support teaching and research at the College. The library will therefore make every effort within its budgetary abilities to subscribe to databases that cover all disciplines represented in the College curriculum.

c. Acquisition Process

Acquisitions of new serial and subscription resources will be considered on a rolling basis. Recommendations for new titles may come from liaison librarians or from faculty members. In deciding on whether to subscribe to a new resource, library staff will obtain information about cost, coverage, relevance to the College curriculum and other detailed information. Collections staff will meet regularly with liaisons to make consensus decisions regarding the acquisition of new subscription resources. In some cases, library staff may consult with faculty members in the requesting department to identify a comparable resource in the same discipline that might be canceled. Possible acquisitions will also be weighed holistically with the libraries’ budget considerations, balancing emerging needs against resources that have declined in usage and/or present a high cost-per-use scenario. 

Candidate subscription resources may undergo a trial prior to acquisition. Trials will be arranged by the collections staff following provision of specific information by the librarian or faculty member regarding the reasons for the trial, the cost of the resource, the possible need and/or relevance to the curriculum of the resources, and the follow-up plan for evaluation of the trial.

d. Cancellation/Withdrawal Process

In lieu of outright cancellation of journal subscriptions, the library will attempt to shift access to an on-demand format wherever possible. When cancellation of subscription resources is unavoidable, the primary criterion will be usage in the prior three years, along with cost per use in the same time frame. Other criteria will include overlap with other resources and continued relevance to the College teaching and research needs.

D. Media

Shain Library maintains policies for the following media formats:

a. Video

Shain Library maintains a collection of DVD recordings, which are acquired very selectively and may be recommended for purchase by a liaison librarian or a faculty member. In addition to physical materials, the library maintains numerous streaming titles from a range of distributors.

b. Audio

The library maintains several subscriptions to music recordings databases. While physical audio materials are not routinely collected, the Library holds a legacy collection of sound recordings, including vinyl LPs, compact discs and audiocassettes. Additions to this collection are rare and only made on a case-by-case basis. 

c. Microforms

In general, Shain Library does not collect microforms, although it does maintain a legacy collection of newspaper, periodical and other materials in microform. A digital reader and printer is available in Shain Library for accessing these materials. 

d. Slides

Shain Library does not collect or hold slides.

E. Government Documents

Shain Library is classified as a small selective depository for federal government documents and complies with all federal regulations governing this status. The library receives 7 percent of the documents available to depository libraries. It also collects Connecticut state documents. More than 95 percent of the documents that the library receives are now available electronically. The library maintains a guide (http://conncoll.libguides.com/govdocs) to help users access these materials.

F. Software

All requests for the acquisition and/or cancellation of academic software should begin with the Library & Information Technology Division's Computer Support and IT Service Desk Department.

G. Data

The library maintains subscriptions to several data resources. The library does not routinely acquire individual data sets, although such materials deemed useful to research and teaching at the College may be collected. 

H. Maps

Shain Library collects maps through items received through the U.S. Government depository system. The library holds some atlases and gazetteers in the Reference Collection.

I. Special Collections & Archives

The Linda Lear Center for Special Collections & Archives holds more than 24,000 rare books, more than a thousand linear feet of archival materials, and several art collections. The Lear Center maintains its own collection policy. 

J. Institutional Repository Materials

Digital Commons @ Connecticut College, the College’s institutional repository, houses published as well as unpublished work by Connecticut College faculty, staff and students. The archive holds faculty works that are submitted in compliance with the College’s Open Access Policy, adopted by the faculty in 2013. This policy seeks to make manuscript versions of faculty works available in Digital Commons, unless prohibited by a licensing agreement. Digital Commons also holds copies of senior honors theses, syllabi and numerous other academic and administrative documents. A separate collection policy is maintained for institutional repository materials.

VIII. Gifts

Shain Library does not accept gifts of books or other materials except by prior arrangement with the Office of Advancement. Any gift items received must meet the same selection criteria as outlined in the sections above. Duplicate copies received as gifts — or materials received that do not fit the criteria — will be donated. Donors are responsible for transporting materials to the library for receipt. Upon receipt of the gift, the library will send an acknowledgment letter with a description of the gift.

Under no circumstances will the library appraise gifts for tax or inheritance purposes. 

IX. De-acquisitioning

Shain Library’s print and electronic collection will be continually re-evaluated in order to maximize usefulness and relevance to the College’s teaching and research needs. Guidelines for de-acquisitioning of subscription resources are outlined above. Collections staff, in conjunction with liaison librarians, will regularly assess the collection in order to maintain its vitality and relevance. If and when a deselection project occurs, librarians will consult and communicate with College faculty regarding the scope and timeline of the project. 

 Criteria for deselection include:

  • Older items that have rarely or never circulated
  • Duplicate copies of infrequently used materials
  • Items superseded by newer editions
  • Items in poor physical condition
  • Items with dated or inaccurate information
  • Materials that do not, or no longer, support the curriculum
  • The availability of candidates for deselection in trusted electronic sources or from partner libraries that offer guarantees of persistent access

X. Reconsideration of Materials

As stated above in Sections II and IV, the primary mission of the library collections at Connecticut College is to support the College’s instructional program and undergraduate research. 

In order to select materials that best provide this support, the College’s libraries adhere to the principle of academic freedom as outlined by the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights (https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill), as stated above in Section V. Two key provisions of the Library Bill of Rights state that, first, library resources “should not be excluded because of the origin, background and views of those contributing to their creation,” and second, that resources in the collection “should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” 

Members of the Connecticut College community — defined here as current faculty, staff or students — who wish to request the reconsideration of a resource that has been included in the College’s collection must follow the process outlined below. The library will not accept reconsideration requests from community borrowers, guests, or alumni who are not currently faculty members, staff members or students.

Upon receipt of a request for reconsideration of a material in the library, library staff will adhere to the following steps:

  1. The patron will be notified that they may schedule an optional meeting with the Director of Library Collections, Access & Discovery to discuss a possible request for reconsideration.
  2. Following such a meeting, if the patron wishes to submit a request, they must fill out a reconsideration request form (https://forms.gle/9h78EDQsi2N4H1U78). (Note: Because a meeting with the collections director is optional, patrons may proceed directly to filling out this form without having first had such a meeting.)
  3. After receiving a completed reconsideration request form, the Director of Library Collections, Access & Discovery will contact the patron to confirm receipt of the form.
  4. Materials under request will not be removed from the collection while under consideration.
  5. The Director of Library Collections, Access & Discovery will review the request and convene a committee consisting of two other librarians. The committee will normally include the liaison to the most relevant academic department, as well as one or both of the Director of Research Support and Curricular Technology and the Director of Special Collections and Archives. 
  6. In considering the reconsideration request, the committee will take the following into account:
    1. The material taken in its entirety, with individual parts or passages taken into the full context of the work.
    2. Articles, reviews or other information about the work.
    3. The relevance of the material to this Collection Development Policy, the teaching mission of Connecticut College, and specific aspects or courses included in the College’s curriculum. For insight and context, the views of relevant faculty members may be sought.
    4. The principle that libraries should include materials that include diverse points of view.
    5. The ALA’s Library Bill of Rights and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
  7. Following the review, the committee will make a recommendation to the Vice President for Information Services and Librarian of the College in the form of a report. The report will indicate the following:
    1. The title and author/producer of the work
    2. A statement that every committee member has read or viewed the material in its entirety
    3. Any resources consulted to produce a recommendation
    4. The specific recommendation of the committee
    5. Signatures of committee members and dates of signing
  8. The Vice President for Information Services and Librarian of the College will consider the committee’s recommendation, make the final decision regarding reconsideration, and communicate this decision to the patron. Once this communication has occurred, the Director of Library Collections, Access & Discovery will document the conclusion of the process. Any actions regarding the material, such as withdrawal or relocation, will be taken at this time.

XII. Preservation

As stated above, print books are generally not bound or laminated unless they have been damaged. The library maintains a manual and equipment for handling materials that have been damaged by fire or water. Major preservation, conservation or restoration projects will be outsourced as necessary.

In the case of damaged or lost materials, the library will use its established selection criteria to review titles for continued relevance to College teaching and research needs, and either replace, repair or deacquisition items on a case-by-case basis. 

XIII. Policy Revision

The Director of Library Collections, Access & Discovery will be responsible for annually reviewing this document and updating it as needed.