Library Policies

The goal of collection development at the College of Staten Island (CSI) Library is to create and maintain a collection of information resources that enhances the college’s curriculum and supports the library's overall mission. The development of CSI Library collections assist with the research activities of students, faculty, and the community; promote lifelong learning and information literacy; provide fair access to high quality yet cost-effective resources in a variety of formats; and encourages diversity and inclusion from its collections.

In particular, collection development activities by the CSI Library and departmental faculty include the selection and deselection of resources. The curriculum of the college provides the main guidelines for the selection of library materials. Materials are primarily collected in subject areas in which students are expected to conduct research.The college supports research from the associate to the doctoral level; therefore, the CSI Library collects and maintains a balance of integrated resources to meet these needs.

The CSI Library collects materials in numerous formats based on the availability, cost, disciplinary requirements, and the professional discretion of library faculty. The library will collect resources in various electronic forms while acknowledging that print resources will remain of critical importance to collect and preserve, especially related to the cultural heritage of the community. On occasion, the library may decide to develop specialty collections that further supports college’s curriculum and community (e.g., graphic novels, nonfiction bestsellers).

The CSI Library acquires materials to serve faculty needs if the materials support the college’s curriculum. When the CSI Library does not hold the desired resource, Interlibrary loan, document delivery, and other types of resource sharing—both within and outside of CUNY- are available to faculty, as well as students, to facilitate scholarship in these instances

Specific evaluative criteria applied when choosing individual collection items include some of the following:

• The relevance of the information resource to the curriculum.
• The lasting value (e.g., expected frequency of use over time) of the content to the academic and research needs of the college’s students.
• The quality, authoritativeness, and accuracy as determined by review sources, bibliographic aids, and the professional judgment of library faculty.
• The level of appropriateness as related to the college’s curriculum (e.g., “undergraduate,” “upper-division undergrad” or “graduate”).
• The strength of present holdings in the same or similar subject areas.
• The authority of the author or the reputation of the publisher.
• The likelihood that interest in the subject and resources will endure.
• The cost of the item and the format (e.g., print vs. electronic, DVD vs. streaming).
• Media that is closed captioned will be selected when it is available.
• Textbooks and multiple copies are primarily purchased for the Reserves collection based on budgetary availability.
• The library acquires primarily English language reference and research information sources, with the exception of obtaining information to support foreign language programs (e.g., Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Sign Language, and Spanish programs.)
• Within the criteria suggested by the college’s mission, curriculum, the academic merit of the resource, and the evaluative criteria above, the library will attempt to collect resources that reflect a multiplicity of experiences, perspectives, and ideas as articulated in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights.

Faculty and student requests are welcome to recommend materials for the collections. However, the CSI Library will only acquire resources that are in concert with it's completed Collection Development Policy and the professional judgment of librarians. Please view the CSI Library's topic guide on Collection Development and Maintenance.