Overview

An important mission of the Library is to create an up-to-date collection that aligns with the curricular, research, and public service needs of Georgia State University (GSU). This document provides an overview of selection criteria and policies for librarians who develop the Library’s general collections. Specific guidelines for collection development in academic disciplines are contained in separate collection development policies. The collection development policies and strategies of the Special Collections Department for acquiring manuscripts, sound recordings, photographs, magnetic records, and other documentary materials are governed by a separate policy and are therefore not included in this document. This policy is reviewed regularly; as the teaching and research needs of the university evolve, the policy will be updated to reflect those changes.

History of the Collection

Georgia State University was founded in 1913 as the Georgia Tech Evening School of Commerce, a branch of the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 1947, it became a branch of the University of Georgia. GSU separated from the University of Georgia in 1955 and was renamed the Georgia State College of Business Administration. By 1961, the Board of Regents noted that "Business Administration" no longer defined the institution’s function, and the name was changed to Georgia State College. The college achieved university status in 1969 and was renamed Georgia State University

Through the 1950s, library collections were developed primarily through donations from individuals and institutions such as the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Later, faculty and librarians expanded the collections. In 1970, the library became a selective depository for federal government documents. In 1977, the Collection Development Department was established, and the University Bibliographer coordinated all selections. Over the years, the department expanded to include bibliographers selecting materials in broad discipline areas and a bibliographic searching unit.

In 1997, a library liaison system was established, assuming the role of collection development and management for academic disciplines—a system that continues today with subject librarians. In 2016, Georgia State University consolidated with Georgia Perimeter College, forming the largest public research university in the state, with collections located on six campuses: the Atlanta campus in downtown Atlanta and each of the five Perimeter College (PC) campuses. At the Atlanta campus, library collections support faculty and student research and degree programs through the doctoral level. At Perimeter College, the primary goal of the collection is to support the two-year curriculum of the college’s instructional programs.

Users

The University Library of Georgia State University serves a diverse user base. Primary users are the students, faculty, and staff of Georgia State University who are involved in the teaching, research, and service functions of the university. Library collections are developed and managed with the needs of these primary users in mind.

Secondary users include individuals or institutions with alternative affiliations to GSU or the University Library. This group includes faculty and students from the University System of Georgia and ARCHE institutions, as well as those granted special borrowing privileges by the Dean of Libraries and contributing GSU alumni. While these users have certain borrowing privileges, collections are not developed specifically for their needs.

A tertiary constituency consists of individuals or organizations that use library collections on-site but do not fall into the primary or secondary user groups. As a publicly supported university, the Library recognizes its obligation to provide access to materials in its collections to individuals and institutions outside its primary and secondary service responsibilities. However, collections are not developed to meet the needs of this user population.

Building the Library Collections

Each academic department, college, or school at the Atlanta campus is assigned a subject librarian responsible for selecting materials and developing collections in their discipline or program of study. Subject librarians, in consultation with teaching faculty, select materials for the library collections using approval plans, reviews in library and scholarly journals, vendor notifications, and departmental requests. Teaching faculty are encouraged to recommend materials for purchase through their subject librarian or departmental library liaison. Other members of the university community may submit recommendations via the Collection Development’s online purchase request form or by contacting subject librarians directly.

Subject librarians review all suggested items to ensure they adhere to the library’s collection guidelines and policies. At Perimeter College, librarians select materials to support the two-year curriculum and, when appropriate, supplement the Atlanta campus collection.

Georgia State University and the University Library participate in cooperative initiatives such as ARCHE, a metro-Atlanta consortium, and GIL Express, a statewide resource-sharing program among University System of Georgia (USG) libraries.

The University Library maintains its collections in accordance with established standards, including those of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries and the criteria defined by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, as well as other accrediting bodies governing the University’s degree-granting programs.

The University Library upholds the principles of intellectual freedom as outlined in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and its supporting documents in the ALA Policy Manual. To foster intellectual inquiry, the Library aims to provide materials representing a broad spectrum of society, offering patrons the opportunity to explore diverse religious, political, ethnic, scientific, and social perspectives. The Library does not add or remove materials at the request of individuals or groups if those materials were selected or excluded according to the criteria outlined in the Library’s collection policies.

Categories of Selection

Approval Plans: The Library acquires U.S. university press and trade books through an approval plan. Subject areas are excluded from the plan if they are out of scope (e.g., the Law Library collects most legal materials) or if other characteristics of the material (e.g., numbered series, expensive items) require individual review. These items are received automatically according to the plan’s parameters or via electronic notification slips.

Foreign Language Materials: With the exception of dictionaries and materials supporting foreign language programs and other curricular needs, the Library primarily collects English-language materials.

Gifts: The Library’s gifts policy governs the acceptance of donated materials. Gifts are accepted on behalf of the Georgia State University Foundation and are evaluated according to the criteria outlined in the collection policies. Donors should contact the Collection Development Department with questions about donating materials or the appropriateness of gifts.

Reference Material: Reference materials are selected by the Head of Collection Development in consultation with public service librarians and subject librarians, following the collection development policy.

Media: Media, including DVDs, sound recordings, and multimedia, are selected by subject librarians according to their respective subject collection development policies.

Out-of-Print Materials: While the majority of selections are current publications, out-of-print materials may be purchased to address gaps in the collection.

Serials: The selection, retention, and deselection of serials are overseen by the Head of Collection Development in consultation with subject librarians.
Standing Orders: Monographic standing orders are categorized into broad discipline areas: Business, Education, Humanities, Sciences, and Social Sciences. These materials are often irregular in frequency, and many items would be missed without standing orders.

Textbooks: Textbooks are not normally purchased. A separate Textbook Collection Development Policy governs the selection of these materials.

Collection Management Functions

Preservation: The University Library engages in moderate-scale, collection-level preservation activities and limited item-level preservation. Materials identified as brittle, mutilated, or in need of repair are evaluated by subject librarians, in consultation with the Collection Development Department, to determine the best course of action given limited funds. Brittle books are removed from the general collection until a decision is made regarding their disposition. Materials deemed rare are transferred to the Rare Book Collection in Special Collections.

Replacement: Subject librarians, sometimes in consultation with teaching and library faculty, determine whether to replace stolen, lost, or mutilated items. Each fiscal year, funds are allocated specifically for the replacement of such materials.

Weeding: The Library maintains an active deselection program aligned with collection development goals and current financial constraints. Subject areas targeted for weeding are selected based on curricular and research activities, as outlined in the subject collection development policies. Subject librarians collaborate closely with teaching faculty across all disciplines to ensure that deselection decisions reflect the needs of primary users. Teaching and library faculty are given ample opportunity to review and advise subject librarians on deselection decisions.