Collection Development Policy – Nursing Collection
Accepted by the Faculty of Nursing, October 2006

Purpose of the collection

The nursing collection at Baldwin Library supports the study and instructional needs of the students enrolled in the associate degree nursing program at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and for nursing faculty teaching within the program.

General Collection Guidelines

Because currency of information is so critical within the medical disciplines, the collection will generally consist of materials published within the last five years unless the work has some lasting historical or social value. When new editions of standard works become available, the older editions will be removed. Current editions of textbooks are only added at the request of faculty members.

Additions to the Collection

Materials selection is the joint responsibility of the library and the nursing faculty.  Publication announcements and reviews from the following resources are routinely used to locate relevant materials for purchase.

            Choice
            Library Journal
            Booklist
            Publishers’ catalogs and fliers
            Brandon/Hill publications

Recommendations from faculty, staff and students are solicited and given high priority as possible acquisitions.

Anticipated future trends

Good library collection development should follow and anticipate, whenever possible, major trends and developments in the nursing profession. The collection should also change in order to support significant curricular changes. In order to do this the library liaison for the nursing program will meet regularly with the nursing faculty representative and will attend at least one nursing division meeting per year in order to better understand the direction the department is planning to go and their highest priorities.

Language/Geography

English is the primary language of the collection.  Spanish language material in any format is added when appropriate. Publications from the United States form the majority of the items; however if material relevant to the mission of the collection is found, it will be added as it becomes possible to do so.

Material types

Materials in all formats are added to the collection as it is identified and can be purchased.  The exception to this statement is textbooks which will only be added at the request of a nursing faculty member.  DVDs rather than VHS tapes are added to the audiovisual collection if a choice between the two is given.  Materials in three ring binders is added to the collection only if no other format is available.

Withdrawal of Materials from the Collection

The improvement of the nursing collection is a continuous process, with new materials being added and superseded materials being removed throughout the year.  However, it is important that the library liaison and nursing representative cooperatively access the condition of the entire collection on a yearly basis.  A report outlining the results of this evaluation will be prepared and submitted to the director of the program within a month after the evaluation has taken place.