Library Collection Development Policies

Library Collection Development Policies (Highlights)

Mission & Goal

Based on the mission of the HKMU Library, the major goal of collection management and development is to support the teaching, study and learning, and research activities in the HKMU by providing and facilitating access to appropriate library materials and resources.

Meeting the needs of the HKMU Community

To communicate academic needs to the Library, each School has a staff member nominated by the Dean as the Library Liaison Officer. The Officer serves as the major link between the Library and the School concerned.
The Library Users' Committee (LUC) is the formal communication channel for the Library to collect users' views on collection management and development at policy level. The LUC comprises the Library Liaison Officers of all the Schools, student representatives, and representatives from selected administrative units.
The Library also has a professional staff member nominated by the Librarian as the Library Subject Team Leader to serve as the main Library contact person for each of the Schools to assist in collection development and management. The Library Subject Team Leaders and Members support the Schools at the programme / course level in collection management and review, regardless of the material format and type.

Selection Responsibilities

Books and audio-visual materials

The HKMU Library relies heavily on the subject knowledge of academic staff. Most of the recommendations on monographic items and one-off purchases are made by the academics and based on the blueprints or syllabi.
Academic Staff can make selections for Library purchase through the Library monthly emails on new publications. They can send their recommendations to the Library via email, the GOBI title alert service, and/or an online form.
The Library Subject Teams also make purchase recommendations based on authoritative reviews or selection tools.
Students or other staff are welcome to make purchase recommendations relevant to the HKMU teaching, learning or research activities via an online form for endorsement by the Schools or Units.
The Library should seek endorsement / support from the Dean, Director or one more academic staff on expensive items.
In addition to title-by-title selection, the Library also consider e-books packages, subject collections, annual subscriptions, Evidence-based Acquisition (EBA), Demand Driven Acquisition (DDA), Consortium shared access or other new models of acquisition wherever appropriate, for cost-effective as well as for expansion of access to books or other monographic materials, after evaluation by the Subject Teams or by the Schools.

Serials and databases

Subscription to serials and databases is a costly and continuous commitment. Endorsement from the Dean or Director has to be obtained before subscription or purchase.
Most of the serials and databases are selected by the academic staff and endorsed by the Deans and Directors through the Annual Serials Review (ASR) exercise.
The ASR is normally scheduled for June to August each year when there are relatively lower teaching activities. The Library also receive recommendations and endorsement throughout the year.
Students or other staff are welcome to recommend serials subscriptions that are relevant to the HKMU teaching, learning or research activities. These recommendations can be made via their Course Coordinator or Unit with endorsement from the Dean or Director.

Selection Criteria

Materials that are able to support the HKMU teaching, learning and research activities will be collected.
To facilitate access to the staff and students, electronic format of library materials are preferred and will normally be purchased or subscribed where possible, appropriate and affordable.
Chinese and English materials are collected according to the medium of instruction of the courses. Chinese titles may be acquired in the traditional or simplified Chinese version unless specified by the selectors. Materials in other languages may be selected as required.
Current publications or materials are normally given higher priority. Older materials may be selected as necessary depending on the requirements of a course or programme.
The Library should acquire or subscribe to resources that allow access by all current staff and students of the University. If a resource restricts access to a group of users or provides login to be owned by a named student or staff only, the course development option via the Office for Advancement of Learning and Teaching should be considered by the School or Unit.

Multiple Copies & Maximum

Normally only one copy of each publication (including journals, serials or audio-visual materials) or the minimum number of concurrent users for online access is collected, except for set textbooks or core reference materials. Additional copies or formats will be collected if they are justified by heavy and continued use or upon request by academic staff or Library Subject Teams.
There is a guideline on the purchase of multiple copies of set textbooks and reference books. The number of copies to be acquired for core materials is based on class size, the availability of e-format and the concurrent access level of a title.
A maximum of 12 print copies and a maximum of 12 concurrent e-access (if available in the market) will be purchased by the Library for a heavily used set textbook or core reference title. Request for more than 12 print copies and/or 12 concurrent e-access may be approved by the Librarian based on evidence such as student enrollments, usage statistics, offer and discount rate of additional copies/e-access, and/or number of courses using the same materials.
One copy of set textbook title can be purchased upon request for each academic staff responsible for teaching the course.

De-selection

Materials may be de-selected and withdrawn from the Library collection when
- the materials are unable to support the courses on offer
- the medium of instruction has changed from one language to another
- the materials are outdated
- the duplicates have low usage
- the physical condition of the materials is unacceptable and beyond repair
- a technology becomes obsolete and could no longer support the use of the materials (for example, VHS tapes, floppy disks, CD-ROM etc.)
- the materials are no longer available for Library use because of copyright, license, software compatibility or security issues
- the serial materials fall outside the retention period/policy
- a serial title is recommended for cancellation by School/Unit

Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL)

To improve access to core study materials, the HKMU has donated set textbooks and course materials of part-time (distance learning) programmes to 16 HKPL branches scattered over Hong Kong. These materials are kept in the HKPL branches for access by HKMU students and by the general public.

Consortium

The HKMU Library participates in local and regional consortiums for collaborative purchase or subscriptions. The Library will remain open in exploring various opportunities of collaborative acquisition for effective use of the library budget while building an appropriate and useful collection for the HKMU community.

The following sections can be contacted for more information on the Library collection development policies:

Acquisitions Section (Email: libacq@hkmu.edu.hk ; Phone: 2768-6779)
Serials and Databases Section (Email: libser@hkmu.edu.hk ; Phone: 2768-6788)

Library

September 2021