Library Collection Policies
Adopted by the Library Faculty, February 16 , 2005; amended November 10, 2006.
The Mina Rees Library collections promote excellence in the graduate programs housed in the Graduate Center and University Center of the City University of New York by providing information that reflects the current state of knowledge and practice primarily in the humanities and social sciences. Funding is not provided for collections that support natural sciences programs housed at other CUNY colleges.
This Policy identifies the subjects, formats and quality of materials that best serve the programs, faculty and students of The Graduate Center, CUNY. It considers the needs of students and faculty in regard to course reserves and reading exam lists.
The Library houses general humanities and social sciences collections as well as a general special collection and specific special collections in utopian literature, old imprints, and the institutional archives of the Graduate Center.
Library funding is ordinarily allocated from the budget assigned to the Provost’s Office of the Graduate and Center by CUNY Central and from cash donations.
I. Collection Development and Management
Collection Development responsibilities are divided among the librarians. Graduate Center librarians, called selectors, are assigned to individual Graduate Center programs. Selectors answer questions from faculty and students in regard to buying materials for the Library in their subjects. Selectors also serve as reference and instructional liaisons in assigned subject areas. The selector program is coordinated by the Librarian for Collection Management.
Course reserves and departmental reading exam lists are the primary determinants for Library purchases. Additional desiderata lists are compiled by selectors in their programs. These lists, created from faculty and student requests as well as selector research, are kept until late in the fiscal year. If money remains in the selectors’ subject funds, selectors order material from the desiderata lists. Selectors welcome and solicit faculty input on collection development.
Outside of the aggregated and other electronic resources purchased by the Graduate Center and by CUNY, single journal titles of critical importance only will be considered for purchase by the Graduate Center. The acquisition of new journal titles must is approved by the Chief Librarian in consultation with the selector, the Librarian for Collection Management, and the Acquisitions Librarian. Because of space and budget constraints, online versions of journals are given preference over the print.
Reference and aggregated resource purchases are decided in consultation with librarians responsible n relevant subject areas, along with endorsements by faculty and students.