Collection Development Policy at UC Clermont

The library materials budget is allocated to the academic programs and disciplines early in the fiscal year. These funds are provided to build the library collections, to license electronic information sources, and to maintain periodical collections in support of academic programs and the educational mission of the college. The library materials budget is intended solely for items that will be available to all Clermont College Library users.

Funds are allocated to programs and disciplines based on a number of factors, including number of undergraduates enrolled, obsolescence of library materials in the subject areas, relative cost of materials in the disciplines, usage statistics for materials in the disciplines, publishing activity, and the need to meet departmental accreditation standards. Allocations not spent by May 15th of each academic year will be reallocated.

The reference collection supports the research needs of UC Clermont College students, faculty and staff. It contains such materials as encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, directories, bibliographies, statistical compilations, and handbooks. Reference works are selected that provide basic bibliographic access to or an overview of other academic disciplines. All library users have open access to our reference material. The reference collection is interfiled with the circulating collection located on the library’s second floor.

The library accepts donations of current UC Clermont course textbooks for the reserve and circulating collections.

Donations of a sizable number of books or items of sizable value must go through the UC Foundation.  To make a monetary gift to the Frederick A. Marcotte Library, please contact the UC Foundation.

In support of the college’s teaching focus, the library purchases textbooks for Clermont College classes each semester. The library purchases textbooks that cost more than $100 and core texts for required classes when funding is available.
The library purchases single copies of textbooks.  If a duplicate copy is gifted, the library will incorporate this gift copy into collection. 

The Frederick A. Marcotte Library is a jurisdiction of the UC Libraries. Electronic resources such as  databases are shared collections between all UC Libraries and thus not specific to the Clermont College Library. Please refer to the Shared Electronic Resources Committee for details regarding the selection, purchase, and review of electronic resources.

The Library does not maintain a popular films browsing collection; however, popular films will be included in the collection as required to support the curriculum. Instructors are encouraged to provide personal copies of popular films or other media on reserve for their students when use is expected to be low or short ­term. In addition, other UC libraries, OhioLINK, SearchOhio and Interlibrary Loan are all available options to acquire media not owned or purchased by Frederick A. Marcotte Library Library. At this time, many films are not available for libraries to purchase as a streaming options. As a result many of our films are only available in a DVD or VHS format. Currently we are unable to digitize films for streaming use.

Systematic de-selection of materials, also known as weeding, occurs regularly to ensure relevancy and make space for new materials. Librarians will follow established guidelines when choosing materials for de-selection, based on age, use, curriculum support, content, mode of access, and condition.
Our collection development policy aligns with American Library Association (ALA) guidance as we endeavor to build a collection that supports, and is reflective of, our diverse community. In addition to collection development, the library faculty, with input from subject discipline faculty, engage in ongoing collection assessment to maintain a collection that is reflective of our diverse community. This assessment includes reviewing the collection for inclusion of diverse viewpoints, identifying and removing potential barriers to access, and ensuring accurate and authoritative content. Please refer to ALA’s page Evaluating Library Collections for more information.

The Clermont College Library performs collection development activities in accordance with the Freedom to Read Statement of the American Library Association. The library collections are intended for use by college students, faculty, and staff and may contain material that some find objectionable and/or inappropriate for use by minors. 

Any user who has a criticism of a particular item in the collection should bring the specific complaint to the Library Director in writing and include the following:

• Full contact information for the person(s) bringing the objection
• Identification of the item(s) by title, author, etc.
• A full description of the rationale for the complaint, with reference to page numbers or other pertinent information

In response to a request meeting the above guidelines, the Library Director will convene a meeting of the Academic Support Committee (ASC) and a representative from the Office of Academic Affairs to consider whether the material in question fails to meet the standard of relevance to the institutional mission. The ASC will make a recommendation to the Library Director, who will then decide and report back to the person submitting the objection and to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The person raising the objection(s) may submit a written appeal to the Dean of the College.