Section 5 - Library

• 5.1 Daniel J. Kaufman Library Collection Development

Daniel J. Kaufman Library Collection Development

Policy Number: 5.1
Effective Date: November 19, 2025
Revision History: August 2, 2019; May 26, 2016
Policy Contact: Head of Resource Management Department

I. Purpose and Policy Statement

The mission of the Daniel J. Kaufman Library is to advance the institutional goals of Georgia Gwinnett College by serving as a partner in education, research, and scholarship for the College’s students, faculty, and staff. The Daniel J. Kaufman Library Collection Development policy establishes the requirements and processes Kaufman Library follows in the continual building, maintaining, accessing, and assessment of library resources.

II. Scope

This policy applies to all GGC staff and faculty who purchase library resources and/or manage items at the Kaufman Library.

III. Definitions

Archives: Materials created or received by a person, family, or organization, public or private, in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of the enduring value contained in the information they contain or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator, especially those materials maintained using the principles of provenance, original order, and collective control.
Gifts: Resources given to Georgia Gwinnett College or specifically to Kaufman Library to be added to the general collection or College archives.
Grey Literature: Multiple document types produced on all levels of government, academics, business, and organization in electronic and print formats not controlled by commercial publishing i.e. where publishing is not the primary activity of the producing body.
Institutional Repository: Digital collections capturing and preserving the intellectual output of a single college or university or a multiple institution community of colleges and universities.
Open Access: Literature that is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Open Educational Resources (“OER”): Teaching, learning and research materials in any medium - digital or otherwise - that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.
Patron-Driven Acquisition: A method used by libraries for collection development where monographs are purchased at their point of need when selected by users from a pool of potential titles.
Resources: Materials purchased directly by the institution, purchased or provided through University System of Georgia purchasing, donated to Kaufman Library subject to the gift policy, or that are freely available, which support teaching, learning, and research at the College. These resources may include OER, books, journals, databases, learning objects, websites, government information, reports, etc. Resources are collected and made available in both physical and/or electronic format.

IV. Collection Development, Selection Guidelines, and Budget

1. Collection Development: In collaboration with Kaufman Library faculty and staff and the College community, the Kaufman Library Resource Management Department manages the selection and de-selection processes for collections materials utilizing the General Guidelines for Selection specified below. The curricular areas for each of the College’s academic programs directly inform the subject areas in which Kaufman Library collects. Additionally, Kaufman Library maintains a process for members of the GGC community to suggest material for the collection. Liaison librarians collaborate with campus faculty to recommend materials for the collection.
2. General Guidelines for Selection: Materials are selected for the collection using the following guidelines. Additional considerations may apply.
   1. Materials directly supporting GGC curriculum are given priority over materials supporting research and/or informational purposes.
   2. Whenever feasible, electronic format is preferred over print to allow for more simultaneous access.
   3. In general, Kaufman Library does not purchase the following materials:
      1. Textbooks unless considered a standard work in one of GGC’s program areas.
      2. Classroom instructional materials needed for permanent assignment to faculty, and not intended for circulation to students. These should be purchased with program funds through the applicable academic department, or can be placed on Course Reserve subject to guidelines for Course Reserve and Copyright restrictions.
      3. Obsolete formats of material including, but not limited to, the following: filmstrips; videotapes; cassette tapes; compact discs; microfilm.
3. Collections Budget and Sustainability: The budget for Kaufman Library’s collections is set during the College’s annual allocation of funds and administered by the Dean of Library Services in conjunction with the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Provost. Direct curricular support is the major factor considered in building and maintaining the collection. Kaufman Library participates in annual internal and College-wide reviews of its resources and makes recommendations for the funding necessary to support materials for new programs and accreditation efforts as needed. For subscription-based resources, Kaufman Library prioritizes faculty requested titles with the preferred format being electronic, allowing for maximum access for the GGC community. Kaufman Library continues to explore new models for building and maintaining a robust and meaningful collection of resources. As part of this effort to maximize the collections budget, Kaufman Library makes use of several patron-driven acquisition plans. These plans cover monographs as well as the acquisition of additional formats such as streaming media products.

V. Consortia and Collaboration

1. In order to maximize its resources, Kaufman Library pursues involvement in relevant consortia. These consortia memberships allow Kaufman Library to expand the resources available to Georgia Gwinnett College in a more economical manner. Kaufman Library’s primary consortium is GeorgiA Library Learning Online (“GALILEO”) and GALILEO Interconnected Libraries (“GIL”), which are initiatives of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Kaufman Library also belongs to LYRASIS and the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (“ARCHE”).
2. Kaufman Library supports the use of Interlibrary Loan to provide access to materials to which the Library does not subscribe or own. Kaufman Library’s ILL service makes use of the consortia relationships previously outlined as well as Libraries Very Interested in Sharing (“LVIS”). Additionally, Kaufman Library provides reciprocal borrowing privileges to the GGC community through a partnership with Gwinnett County Public Library.

VI. Open Access

Kaufman Library recognizes the opportunities the Open Access movement represents for scholarly publishing as well as Georgia Gwinnett College community’s access to scholarly resources. As such, Kaufman Library actively makes available open access journals and monographs and open educational resources through its catalog and other resource discovery tools. Scholarly output of the College published as open access is also made available via Kaufman Library’s institutional repository, General Space.

VII. Ongoing Assessment and Maintenance

1. Ongoing Assessment: To ensure its collection continues to meet the needs of the Georgia Gwinnett College community, Kaufman Library regularly assesses its collections for accuracy, currency, suitability, condition, duplication, and usage. Usage is determined by circulation statistics for physical materials and standards-based usage statistics for electronic materials. Ongoing withdrawal of material from the library’s collection is necessary to keep a relevant, effective, and accurate source of information for academic success, and increases visibility and accessibility of available materials. Materials are withdrawn and surplused according to GGC, state and University System of Georgia policies and guidelines.
2. Maintenance and Preservation: Kaufman Library makes repairs in order to preserve the usefulness of materials to the greatest extent possible. When an item can no longer be repaired or repair is not economically feasible, the item will be withdrawn from the collection. Withdrawn items are not automatically replaced; they will be considered for replacement based on currency and relevance to the subject area, as well as historic usage data.

VIII. Gifts

The Kaufman Library does not accept unsolicited donations or gifts of materials. Solicited gifts of materials to the Kaufman Library are evaluated with the same criteria as purchased and subscription materials. Kaufman Library does not accept gifts with conditions as to their disposition or location, and it retains the right to dispose of any unneeded materials regardless of how they are acquired. All gifts are subject to the Georgia Open Records Act.

IX. Archives and Institutional Repository

1. Archives: The Archives collects, preserves, exhibits, and makes available materials with lasting and historical value produced in the course of the business of the College which document the history of the College and the activities of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Archival materials, including records of the College, are actively solicited from the College community.
2. Institutional Repository: Kaufman Library manages General Space, Georgia Gwinnett College’s institutional repository. General Space houses scholarly output and grey literature produced by Georgia Gwinnett College faculty, staff, and students. Scholarly output of GGC faculty, staff, and students is actively solicited from the College community.

X. Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom

Kaufman Library supports the College’s Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom policies, the Board of Regents Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom policies, and the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. Should the suitability of particular material be questioned, a materials reconsideration process is followed.

XI. Materials Reconsideration

1. The Dean of Library Services responds to library materials challenges first by meeting informally with the person objecting to the material. If this informal meeting and discussion does not resolve the complaint to their satisfaction the person objecting to an item will be asked to complete the Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.
2. An ad hoc committee of members from Academic Affairs administration and faculty will be formed by the Dean of Library Services in consultation with the Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Provost in order to review the material, the completed form, professional reviews, and any recommendations and comments by faculty, staff, and students in the context of this policy and the mission of Georgia Gwinnett College. The principles of the Library Bill of Rights are upheld at all times.
3. The decision will be communicated by the Dean of Library Services to the person objecting to the material and to the Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Provost. If the committee’s decision is not acceptable to the person objecting to the material, they may appeal it to the Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Provost for further consideration and a final decision.

XII. Copyright

Kaufman Library complies with U.S. Copyright Law, Title 17 of the U.S. Code.

XIII. Related Regulations, Statutes, Policies and Procedures

APM 3.50 Academic Freedom Policy
APM 4.1.9 Freedom of Expression
BOR Policy Manual 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom