Library Collection

Selection scope and guidelines

Acquisition considerations
The library works in collaboration with faculty to develop and maintain a collection for meeting the educational needs of the SBC learning and teaching community. Resources considered for purchase or subscription are reviewed for their cost, format, platform, availability, and accessibility. The library collects resources primarily in English and Chinese; other languages may be considered if required for curricular needs.

Content criteria
Content of library resources are evaluated on their enduring value including but not limited to:
● Relevance to the curriculum
● Currency
● Reliability
● Objectivity
● Intellectual content
● Scholarly merit
● Breadth and depth of treatment

Out of scope
The library does not collect the following:
(a) realia, ephemera or consumable material
● artifacts
● samples
● pamphlets
● sheet music
● workbooks
(b) formats dependent on obsolete software applications or hardware systems
● microforms or slides
● cassette tapes or video tapes
● long-Playing records
● CD-roms

Deselection Guidelines

Deselection responsibility
The library and college faculty are responsible for deselecting and weeding the collection. The collection is periodically reviewed to keep materials relevant to curricular needs and to meet changing configurations of space in the library. Materials are assessed according to usage, holdings, and strength of the collection. Excess materials are given away, recycled, or disposed.

Deselection criteria
Print materials are considered for deselection when they are:
● deteriorated, physically damaged, or beyond repair
● obsolete or superseded
● duplicates
● outdated, inaccurate
● of little to no historical value
● not highly circulated
● no longer relevant to the curriculum
● readily available in other public/academic libraries
● readily available full-text in online platforms