Librarians are assigned different areas of the collection. Each librarian is responsible for selecting materials and weeding materials in his or her specific area(s). The Librarians and the subject areas they are responsible for can be found on the Staff page of the Central Indiana Libraries' website.
According to the library’s mission statement, the library’s goal is to provide support and supplemental materials for the courses offered at the college. The library strives to offer as many viewpoints as possible in an unbiased manner.
Relevancy, accuracy, currency, and impartiality all play a large role in the selection of new material.
The following criteria will be used to guide the selection of materials for this collection:
Any faculty, staff, or student publications will be purchased for the Library using the same Selection Criteria as all other publications, which will be at the discretion of the Librarian Team at each library location.
Donations of faculty, staff or student publications will be accepted under the same criteria as other donations (see below).
The library obtains the list of books for the semester from the bookstore. Once the list is received, textbooks are purchased based on the following:
In addition to the general selection criteria, the following should be taken into consideration when selecting new periodicals:
Requests for periodicals are submitted to the Assistant Director once a year, during the spring semester.
Librarians may make requests for new databases to the Library Director and the Library Director will make the final decision. Library Director may arrange for a trial for librarians to determine if the database will be beneficial addition. The following should be taken into consideration when selecting new databases:
When adding electronic hardware and software (including iPad apps) to the collection, the same general criteria should be considered in addition to the following guidelines:
All electronic hardware and software should be held to the same quality standards as similar materials in other formats. If electronic hardware or software is being considered, but it will duplicate another material in a different format, the electronic version must add additional value to the collection.
Requests for new hardware or software should be submitted to the Assistant Director. If approved, requests will be forwarded to the Library Director for formal approval.
Hardware Requests:
A single device may be purchased for trial purposes. This first purchase should be tested and assessed to ensure that the device works the intended way and meets the patrons' needs. If the device works as expected, then more can be purchased.
Software Requests:
Any set up or installation required by IT will be the responsibility of the purchasing librarian. If there is not one single purchasing librarian, the Assistant Director will determine who will be responsible for working with IT. All software purchased must be approved by IT prior to purchase. Software request forms are located on the J drive.
When considering DVDs, always consider licensing costs. Explore streaming options first. Priority is given to materials needed for coursework or faculty use, but recreational materials may be added as funds allow.
The library will not purchase streaming films that cannot be accessed through a hosted database. A vendor does not exist to purchase these types of videos and the library does not have a server to host these videos on.
Ivy Tech faculty may make requests for new materials to be purchased by emailing the liaison for their subject area or the Assistant Director for each campus. This information is available on the Indianapolis Libraries Staff Page at (http://library.ivytech.edu/c.php?g=367299&p=2484399).
Gifts and donations are welcome, but the gifted or donated materials are subject to the same selection criteria as any other new to the collection materials. Once gifted or donated, the materials become property of the library and the library may use the materials as seen fit.
Books - Midwest Library Services, Amazon
Periodicals - EBSCO
Electronic Hardware/Software - IvyMarket, Amazon, Apple App Store
Vendor selection for other formats is at the discretion of the Director.
