Collection Development Policy
Reference Collection

PROGRAMS AND CLIENTELE SUPPORTED:

The Reference Collection Development Policy and its selection criteria are aimed at the students, faculty, and staff of the Notre Dame community as well as at the research processes attendant thereto. although others are welcome to utilize the University's reference sources and services, the collection is not developed to meet their needs.

SUBJECT LIAISON:

Marsha Stevenson
Reference Department
(574) 631-7665
Stevenson.1@nd.edu
FAX:  (574) 631-6772

GENERAL COLLECTION GUIDELINES:

Linguistic:  Priority is given to English language materials. Titles in a foreign language are selected only if they are superior to, complement, or cover an area not covered by the English works available. Reference works in the major European languages (e.g., encyclopedias, dictionaries, and foreign national bibliographies) are regularly added to certain areas of the collection.

Chronological:  Currently published material has priority over retrospective material, although in selected instances ( e.g. the Moody's services, periodical indexes, etc.) retrospective collections are maintained for full historical coverage. The aim, however, is to acquire and retain works which are currently the most authoritative in their fields. Superseded editions are either transferred to the research tower or withdrawn.

Geographical:  Selections of materials is not geographically, but topically based, in that all areas relevant to the University's learning and research process are considered for inclusion in the collection. There is a slight emphasis on materials published in and concerned with the United States.

Treatment of subject:  Scholarly and authoritatively informational works, appropriate for use at undergraduate, graduate, and research levels, are selected. Popular treatment is generally avoided, unless it enhances an area not otherwise covered. Juvenile treatment is not acquired.

Types of material:  The Reference Collection in Hesburgh Library consists of materials which by their arrangement, treatment or content can be consulted for bibliographic or factual information. It contains approximately 40,000 volumes of works principally in the social sciences, humanities and business, as well as national and trade bibliographies. The collection also contains selected multi- disciplinary and interdisciplinary materials which cross the subject boundaries of the University Libraries' branches.

COORDINATION INFORMATION:

Because of the existence of subject specific branches and units dealing with the life sciences, chemistry/physics, engineering, architecture, radiation, mathematics, computing, law and medieval studies, the Reference Collection in those fields is limited and general in nature.

The Reference Center works cooperatively with the branch libraries and separate subject or media specific units within Hesburgh Library to decide on the acquisition and location of those reference items which fall within the scope of more than one location.

COLLECTING LEVELS:

Almanacs, annuals and yearbooks:  The latest editions are purchased. A run of up to nine previous editions may be retained in the Reference Collection. The geographic and subject coverage of these materials reflects and supports the teaching and research trends of the University.

Anthologies:  A few anthologies reflective of and pertinent to the curriculum are maintained in the Reference Collection.

Archival guides:  Archival guides and lists of manuscripts are selected to support research areas as delineated by the various collection development policies of the University Libraries.

Atlases:  (See also Gazetteers and place name directories) A representative up-to-date collection of the major, comprehensive world atlases is maintained. A selection of regional and thematic (e.g., historical, economic and linguistic) atlases is also included. Excluded are unbound topographical and geographical maps which are housed in the Microtext/Documents area.

Bibles:  An extensive collection of Bibles, concordances and commentaries is maintained.

Bibliographies:  The Reference Collection houses the national bibliographies of major countries, i.e., those of the U.S., Great Britain, France, Germany, and U.S.S.R. Catalogs of libraries and special collections may be collected if they support the teaching and research needs of the University and the University Libraries.

General bibliographies on broad topics may be included in the Reference Collection. Those with a narrow scope, such as single author or subject bibliographies, are ordinarily not put into the Reference Collection. Exceptions are only occasionally made for major authors or for topics in great demand or of current interest.

Biographical directories:  Major universal and national works are included, as are current biographical works such as American Men and Women of Science and a selection of the "who's who" type of materials. Biographical dictionaries having a very narrow, regional, chronological or subject coverage are considered on their individual merits and on their potential usefulness in the Reference Collection.

Business and commercial directories:  U.S. and international business, trade and commercial directories are collected extensively.

Career guides:  The University Libraries recognize the strength of the Career and Placement Services Office collection in the areas of career choice materials and resume guides and perform only support roles in these categories at times during which the CPS Office is closed. Therefore, only the Occupational Outlook Handbook and selected continually updated overview sources are selected, as are a selection of current, good resume guides. Occasionally, when the cost of a title is substantial, its applicability multifaceted and its usefulness optimized by Reference Department accessibility and control capability, it is purchased for inclusion into the Reference Collection.

City directories:  Only the Polk's South Bend Directory and Mishawaka-South Bend Suburban directories are collected.

Companions and specialized encyclopedias:  The Reference Department maintains a collection of companions and specialized encyclopedias which reflect the programs of the University.

Concordances:  The Reference Collection contains concordances for only the most major works, such as for the Bible and Shakespeare.

Current awareness services:  Current awareness services are collected on a very limited basis, and usually retained only temporarily.

Dictionaries, language:  The objective is to acquire the most scholarly and authoritative dictionaries available. Juvenile, concise, and pocket dictionaries are generally excluded.

English language dictionaries:  An extensive collection of general, etymological, and specialized dictionaries of dialects, slang, synonyms, acronyms, abbreviations, and subject related dictionaries are collected.

Foreign language dictionaries:  For those languages taught at the University or in which there is significant scholarly research, an extensive collection of general and etymological dictionaries is maintained. For other languages, the Reference Collection holds translation dictionaries plus the major dictionary of the language.

Dictionaries, specialized:  Specialized subject dictionaries are collected if they reflect the programs of the University.

Digests of novels, plays, etc.:  Materials of this nature may be collected to reflect the curriculum.

Dissertation guides:   Dissertation abstracts International is subscribed to as the major source, and other bibliographies of theses and dissertations are selected only if their coverage extends significantly beyond that of DAI.

Electronic information retrieval services:  The Reference Department maintains online and offline access to a wide variety of electronic information sources. These can be bibliographic, numeric, or full-text in nature. Some are online, others are in CD format, still others are loaded as tapes available through the online catalog terminals. In some cases, print equivalents are maintained.

Manuals and other publications such as bibliographic database guides and thesauri are collected, under the oversight of the Coordinator for Database Services, for use in conducting online bibliographic searches. These materials are generally uncataloged and housed in the database services area or in the Coordinator's office.

Encyclopedias (general):  The Reference Collection includes one edition of all the major English language encyclopedias. Updated editions of Academic American Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana, Collier's , and World Book are purchased, one per year, in rotation.

The most important and current French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian encyclopedias are also collected.

Gazetteers and place name directories:  (see also Atlases) Up- to-date comprehensive gazetteers and selected place name books of the U.S., Canada and Western Europe are selected for the Reference Collection.

Genealogy:  Not collected.

Government documents:  (see also Collection Development Policy on Government Documents) Depository government publications are accepted into the Reference Collection on a limited basis as determined by demand, use, or control factors. Some serial government publications which began prior to 1968 remain in the Reference Collection under their originally assigned LC classification numbers. Government documents of a reference nature published after 1968 are housed in the Documents Center under SuDocs classification numbers.

A few purchased, non-depository government document items may be accepted into the Reference Collection on an exceptional basis.

Guides to undergraduate and graduate study:  (see also University and college catalogs) Numerous guides to undergraduate and graduate study are collected, as are several standard rating sources. In the area of standard soft-cover guides, Peterson's have been collected preferentially over Barron's . Information about both national and international educational institutions is collected.

Handbooks:  Handbooks are collected only if organized so as to lend themselves to reference use.

Heraldry:  Several basic titles are kept in the Reference Collection.

Indexing and abstracting services:  (see also Electronic information retrieval services) General, interdisciplinary and specific subject area indexes and abstracts are collected extensively, with both current and retrospective volumes housed in the Reference Collection. Indexes to individual periodicals are shelved with their parent titles in the Tower. Newspaper indexes are housed in the Microtext area.

Instructional services materials:  Various instructional services materials are maintained within the Reference Collection. They include: annually updated guides to the University Libraries' collections and services; aids to the use of the online catalog; and bibliographies aimed at facilitating various predefined research processes.

Library catalogs:  In addition to the published catalogs of major national collections, the Reference Collection houses selected catalogs of important specialized collections which are of particular value to certain disciplines.

Maps:  (see Atlases)

Periodical and newspaper directories and union lists:  Bibliographies of periodicals and newspapers, be they directories or national bibliographies, are collected extensively by Reference.

Postal code directories:  The Reference Collection houses the current United States Zip Code Directory.

Quotation and proverb books:  All current editions of major English language dictionaries of quotations, proverbs, etc. are selected for the Reference Collection.

Resume guides:  (see Career guides)

Scholarship, fellowship and grant materials:  A basic collection of scholarship, fellowship and grant materials is maintained. Career Placement Services Office and Development Office strengths in these areas are likewise recognized. Therefore, duplication with these entities is avoided and appropriate referrals are made.

Statistical yearbooks:  A wide range of national and international statistical yearbooks is collected for reference purposes.

Style manuals:  A good selection of current style manuals which serve as standards for their respective fields and are suited to the needs of writers in the humanities and social sciences is maintained.

Telephone directories:  Directories for the Chicago area, Detroit, Elkhart, Manhattan, Indianapolis, and Washington, D.C. are maintained. For others, referrals are made to the South Bend Public Library.

Trade bibliographies:  Current Books-in-print covering American, British, Canadian, French, German, international, Irish Italian and Spanish publications are housed in the Reference Collection. Earlier editions are sent to the Tower or discarded.

Travel guides:  The Reference Collection houses recent editions of travel guides.

University and college catalogs:  (see also guides to undergraduate and graduate study) the University Libraries subscribe to a microfiche service which provides all current American and a selection of foreign catalogs. Paper catalogs are not collected.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

The Reference Collection is developed by a team of three reference librarians, in consultation with bibliographers and liaisons when appropriate. The Head of the Reference Department, in consultation with the Head of Collection Development, makes final determinations about which materials should be housed in Reference.

Some of these materials are purchased from sources other than the reference budget. Significant contributions to the collection come from the approval plan, where bibliographers/liaisons and the Reference Collection Development Team can earmark materials for inclusion into the Reference Collection. Similarly, bibliographers/liaisons can select reference materials from their respective subject allocations, in consultation with the Head of Reference. Gifts contribute to the collection only sporadically and occasionally a "special situation" allocation is received from the Director of Libraries.

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