Collection Development Policy

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Collection development objectives
3. Collection development principles
4. General selection criteria
5. Publication formats
6. Acquisition responsibilities
7. Definitions of collection intensity
8. Core subjects
9. Types of material
10. Depository and special collections
11. Multiple copies
12. Weeding and disposal of duplicates

Prepared by the Collection Development Policy Review Committee: R.W. Bentley, W. MacLennan, P. Madaire, J. Miner, I. Monasterios (Chair), K. Moore and B. Senkow.

July 2004

1. Introduction

Since its establishment in 1910, the Canadian Agriculture Library (CAL) of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has been recognized as a major research institution in the fields of agriculture, agri-food and related sciences. CAL maintains a comprehensive collection of more than one million volumes. This includes over 4,000 current serial subscriptions; numerous special collections; and licences to approximately 2,000 electronic journals, and over 25 electronic databases in the areas of agriculture, food, business, trade and economics, to name a few. This vast collection has contributed to CAL's ability to play an important role as the principle Canadian document supplier in the field of agriculture at the national and international level.

CAL provides a wide range of information services to the Department, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the research and academic community, the agri-food industry and the Canadian rural sector.

CAL's vision is to act as an information broker capable of finding, filtering and retrieving information in all formats from anywhere in the world and capable of delivering this information to its clients on time and at competitive prices.

The Collection Development Policy of the Canadian Agriculture Library is a statement of the selection and acquisition practices of all AAFC Libraries. The purpose of this policy is to clarify collection development objectives, identify areas of strength and facilitate coordinated and cooperative collection building in libraries throughout the Department. It has been designed to assist Library staff in the consistent selection of resources. It should also inform staff, users and cooperating institutions of the nature and scope of existing collections, as well as plans for future development, in accordance with Departmental program requirements.

2. Collection development objectives

CAL has several broad collection development objectives. The first is to maintain and develop the repository collection of Departmental publications according to Departmental policy (Manual of Administrative Policy and Procedures, Chapter 8000, Section 8003, 1990) which requires that three copies of all such publications be deposited in CAL-Ottawa in both English and French.

The second objective is to select and acquire, within available resources, a resource collection of Canadian publications in the areas of agriculture and food.

The third objective is to select, acquire and maintain a resource collection which will support the information requirements of Departmental and appropriate national programs, including portfolio partners.

3. Collection development principles

This collection development policy is based on four underlying principles.

3.1 Proactive selection

CAL endeavours to anticipate Departmental user needs based on client consultation and team liaison in order to provide faster and more efficient service.

3.2 Maximum use of resources

CAL endeavours to ensure maximum use of Departmental resources with optimal value for dollars spent through informed and experienced selection of relevant material together with efficient and effective methods of acquisition.

3.3 Coordination

CAL endeavours to coordinate collection development within AAFC as much as possible to avoid unnecessary duplication.

3.4 Partnership

CAL actively seeks to establish partnerships with internal and external clients to provide cost-effective access to information resources.

4. General selection criteria

Materials are selected to support current Departmental information requirements and programs, with priority given to Departmental user requests. CAL also functions as a national agriculture and food resource library and as such collects Canadian materials in these subject areas as comprehensively as resources will allow.

Elements to be considered when selecting material include timeliness, accessibility, cost, usage, and the holdings of specialized collections within the Department.

Pertinent material within the scope of the collection policy may be collected in a variety of languages, but priority is given to English and French.

5.Publication formats

A publication is an information product which has been created and edited for the purpose of distribution or sale. This includes, but is not limited to, print material, audiovisual recordings, and electronic products.

In principle, format does not affect selection decisions, although preference is given to electronic format. It is recognized that some formats can present problems for copyright and circulation. When publications exist in more than one format, the decision for acquisition is based on a number of factors including equipment, ease of use, accessibility and cost.

CAL acquires publications in electronic and/or audiovisual formats when the subject matter is appropriate. Phonodiscs, exhibits and photographs are not normally acquired or retained.

A minimum of one copy of audiovisual material produced by the Department is retained.

Microforms are selected and acquired by CAL as appropriate, subject to availability and price. Hard copy is usually preferred over microform for current material. Microforms may be acquired for the preservation of unique archival resources or the release of shelf space.

6. Acquisition methods and responsibilities

Books and serials are acquired by purchase or obtained on exchange, on a complimentary basis or on deposit.

CAL-Ottawa is responsible for all activities, from selection to payment, which are necessary to acquire monographs and periodicals for its own collection through purchase orders, subscriptions or standing orders. It shares responsibility with other AAFC Libraries for the selection of periodicals and electronic resources, and is responsible for the payment of all subscriptions and licence agreements. Selection and acquisition of monographs for other AAFC Libraries are the responsibility of the local librarians.

CAL-Ottawa negotiates exchange agreements with a worldwide network of government departments, universities, learned societies and international organizations. In most cases publications of approximately equivalent value or content are received on exchange. However, agreements are flexible with special consideration being given to developing countries.

CAL-Ottawa is the only library of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada authorized to use Departmental publications for exchange purposes, although the other libraries may negotiate their own exchange agreements utilizing their establishment publications and reprints. Also offered on exchange by CAL-Ottawa are journals published by the Agricultural Institute of Canada and one journal published by the National Research Council of Canada. In special circumstances commercial publications may be acquired for major exchange partners.

Whenever possible, exchange agreements are negotiated with the director of an institution. The day to day contacts are usually conducted with the institution's librarian or other designated person.

Gifts are accepted by CAL when the material offered is within the scope of the collection policy. Restrictions concerning housing, circulation, accessibility, etc., are not usually accepted. It is policy to acknowledge gifts in writing when appropriate. CAL does not generally obtain appraisals for income tax purposes or provide receipts. Appraisals and tax advice related to prospective donations should be obtained by donors from professionals providing the services directly to them.

7. Definitions of levels of collecting intensity

The following levels of collection are used in Annex I.

7.1 Core

CAL endeavours to acquire, within the parameters of Departmental and appropriate national programs in agriculture and food, significant works in various languages for core subject areas as noted in Annex I. This level includes major resource materials, reference works, historical publications, specialized monographs and periodicals as well as major indexing and abstracting products.

7.2 Selective

CAL will acquire selectively major works in non-core subject areas noted in Annex I. A selective collection is necessary to augment the core collection and to provide specific materials to meet Departmental information requirements. This level also includes reference works, dictionaries and encyclopediae, significant monographs, both current and historical, major periodicals and selected bibliographic tools.

7.3 Minimal

CAL will acquire at a minimal level works in the subject areas noted in Annex I. This level introduces and defines a specific subject area and indicates the varieties of information available elsewhere. Included are selected fundamental reference tools, monographs and periodicals.

8. Core subjects

The CAL collection specializes in the broad agriculture, food and related subjects listed below. These subject areas have been consistently and comprehensively sought after and acquired within the constraints of available resources. A detailed list of subjects acquired, with collection levels identified, can be found in Annex I.

• Agriculture (general) … Feeds
• Agriculture -- environmental aspects … Field Crops
• Agricultural biotechnology … Food
• Agricultural chemicals and related products … Food industry and trade
• Agricultural economics … Horticulture
• Agricultural engineering … Irrigation
• Agricultural entomology … Mycology
• Agricultural processing industries … Pesticides
• Animal culture and livestock … Plant diseases and parasites
• Apiculture … Produce and Trade
• Dairying … Veterinary science
• Farm buildings (design and construction)

9. Types of material

9.1 Reference

CAL maintains a core collection of reference materials in subject areas indicated in Annex I as well as a selective collection of general reference tools. Reference collections may include current English and French dictionaries, bilingual and multilingual dictionaries which include English and/or French, specialized subject dictionaries, basic modern encyclopediae in English and French and subject oriented encyclopediae.

Agricultural directories are core to the collection. Other directories at regional, national and international levels are collected selectively.

Domestic and foreign atlases are collected selectively.

Abstracts and indexes are collected in appropriate subject fields. When Canadian content is emphasized, general abstracts and indexes are collected selectively.

9.2 Newspapers

Current Canadian daily newspapers from provincial capitals and major centres in the dominant language of each area and selected major international newspapers are acquired. These have a limited retention period. A few subject oriented papers are also received. CAL-Ottawa maintains an archival collection of selected Canadian agricultural newspapers and weeklies in hard copy and/or microform.

9.3 Legal material

CAL-Ottawa maintains a collection of pertinent Federal statutory and regulatory instruments. Federal parliamentary papers and debates are collected selectively.

9.4 Library working tools

Bibliographic source materials, library science and cataloguing tools are collected to meet operational requirements.

9.5 Theses

Theses are acquired selectively in appropriate subject areas.

9.6 Rare books

Rare or historical material may be acquired when of significant interest and within the scope of the collection policy. The holdings of the ECORC Libraries, both of which contain extensive rare book collections, as well as other libraries, are taken into consideration. Canadian content is always assigned a high priority.

9.7 Reprints

Generally, reprints are not collected. However, substantial reprints on pertinent topics from journals not held by CAL may be retained. Numbered reprints by Departmental staff are retained as series.

9.8 Electronic Resources (See Annex II)

Decisions to purchase, lease or otherwise provide ongoing access to information in an electronic format will generally be based on the subject matter as well as other factors such as technical requirements, cost, licensing, Departmental accessibility, currency and functionality. General criteria used to select electronic resources are the same as for the selection of print and other formats (see sections 4 and 6).

9.9 General exclusions

Generally excluded from the collection are:

• textbooks
• patents
• standards
• pamphlets, leaflets, brochures, posters and other ephemeral types of material
• individual slides
• software
• maps (with the exception of soil surveys and strictly agricultural maps)
• phono discs, photographs and exhibits
• popularizations

10. Depository and Special collections

10.1 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada publications

Departmental policy requires that three copies of all Departmental publications be deposited in CAL-Ottawa. A minimum of one copy of audiovisual material is required. (Manual of Administrative Policy and Procedures, Chapter 8000, Section 8003, 1990).

Currently there is no Departmental Policy for archiving and storing Electronic Departmental publications.

10.2 Statistics Canada publications

CAL-Ottawa acquires selected print titles in English and French. This is a reserve collection which does not circulate. In addition, access to many titles is provided electronically.

10.3 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publications

As a designated depository library, CAL-Ottawa retains a minimum of two copies of those FAO publications which fall within the collection development guidelines.

10.4 Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) publications

As a designated deposit library, CAL-Ottawa retains publications from the member countries of CGIAR.

10.5 Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) publications

As a designated deposit library, CAL-Ottawa retains publications from IICA.

10.6 Translations

Foreign language translations provided by the federal government's Multilingual Translations Services are given accession numbers and retained in a separate collection.

11. Multiple copies

Multiple copies are discouraged in favour of Departmental electronic access. Exceptions may apply and will be assessed according to demand and available resources.

12. Weeding and disposal of duplicates

CAL adheres to the guidelines of the National Library of Canada for the disposal of material.

CAL-Ottawa should be consulted before Departmental collections are dispersed or when individual items of a rare or unique nature are being withdrawn.

Duplicates are offered to other AAFC Libraries when extensive runs of serial holdings, monographs, or superseded editions of reference materials are available. All other material is made available through the Canadian Book Exchange Centre.

Regular weeding or de-selecting is carried out as resources permit. Among the factors to be considered are changes in Departmental priorities, currency, historical significance, usage, accessibility in other collections, language, type of material, availability in an alternative format, or space requirements.