Collection management guidelines

Last Revised:  2025

Our collection management guidelines are principles used by the Whatcom Community College library in the selection, evaluation, and deselection of library materials.  As programs and information needs change at WCC, so will these guidelines change to meet those needs.

The primary purposes of the WCC library’s collection are to provide information resources to support Whatcom Community College’s instructional programs, to support faculty and student scholarship, and to provide materials to sustain independent study. WCC library's collection will provide information that represents the diverse and varied backgrounds and viewpoints of the college community.

The library considers WCC’s Mission Statement and Strategic Plan to guide our collection management decisions.

Library mission statement

We transform lives through education by

• Supporting the college's curriculum and research needs
• Providing information resources
• Offering instruction in information literacy
• Encouraging life-long learning

Public laws

Federal and Washington State laws, local regulations and WCC policies, including: The Students Rights and Responsibilities (Student Conduct Code); Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Harassment Complaints (policy), and other policies in the WCC Policy Directory also apply within the WCC Library.

Copyright

The library complies fully with the provisions of the United States Copyright Law (Title 17), Section 107 “Fair Use,” Section 108 “Reproduction by Libraries & Archives,” and WCC College Copyright Policy 495.

Selection guidelines

This document provides guidelines for establishing priorities for the selection of library materials and the criteria for deselection of material from the collection. Library employees oversee the selection and deselection procedures and will initiate a periodic review of the collection management guidelines. Responsibility for the selection of library materials rests primarily with the librarians. Employees are encouraged to recommend materials via the suggest a purchase form or by contacting a staff member.

Criteria for selection

All materials will be selected with the following criteria in mind:

1. Relevance of the material to the curriculum and/or faculty scholarship
2. Appropriateness to the user. i.e., undergraduate level students
3. Timeliness and lasting value of the material
4. Reputation of the author and publisher
5. Style and clarity of the material
6. Strength of present holdings in the same subject
7. Frequency of requests for material of same subject
8. Price of material in relation to the budget

Research

The collection will represent the needs of research at the undergraduate level.  Faculty and student research will be supported through interlibrary loan and the purchase of materials that will also benefit the WCC campus.

The Good Reads collection           

The library maintains a small collection of materials for recreational reading in the Good Reads collection.

Language

Material will be purchased primarily in the English language. Material in other languages will be acquired in support of student and faculty scholarship.

Theses and Dissertations

The library will not make an effort to collect theses or dissertations unless there is an exhibited need for specific titles.

Paperbacks

As a budget-saving consideration, paperback monographs are the ordering default unless there is not a significant difference in the hardback edition’s price. Long-term value and expected use of the material will be considered as well. Paperback covers will be reinforced for longevity.

Religion

The library collects materials in the subject of religion to support WCC curriculum. Foundation texts (the Bible, Koran, etc.) are collected as well as scholarly treatises of general and comparative studies. The library typically does not collect religious instruction or textbooks (theology), polemics or devotional or inspirational works, except those of historical or library significance which support an academic course.

Reference collection

The reference collection is a selection of limited-circulation materials designed to meet the basic research needs of the College community in all subject fields. Reference materials are selected in accordance with the criteria established for the selection of library materials. As a general rule, only the latest edition of a reference work is shelved in the reference section. Some traditional reference resources (encyclopedias, dictionaries, yearbooks, atlas) may be added to the circulating collection. The reference collection is reviewed by librarians periodically to ensure currency and accuracy and may include both print and online materials.

Serials

Serials are publications issued in successive parts bearing numeric or chronological designations and intended to be continued indefinitely.  Included are periodicals, newspapers, and annuals. Selection of serials is based on need for coverage to support WCC’s curriculum as well as employee recommendations. The library relies on our online resources for the majority of our scholarly journal collection and limits our subscription of physical titles to a “browse” collection.

The physical collection includes journals that are not available in full text in our databases, depend on the graphics for impact, or have an online embargo (availability of articles postponed up to a year). The size of this collection is limited by shelf space and priority will be given to magazines with broad consumer appeal.

Newspapers will be acquired to meet local and regional information needs.

Online collections

The criteria for selection for our print collection also applies to our online collections. These include databases, audiovisual materials, audio books, e-books, streaming films, and primary sources. Criteria particular to online collections include:

1. Whenever possible, we will evaluate an online resource with a free trial before committing to purchasing it for the collection.
2. We give priority to resources that support student and faculty scholarship.
3. The online resource must be regularly updated for accessibility and security.
4. A product’s technical requirements will be reviewed by the systems librarian prior to purchase.
5. The Library’s collection is increasingly digital and as such there is an increasing need for systems support for effective discovery and use of the collection. Therefore, vendor customer product support will be considered in the evaluation of online resources prior to purchase or subscription.
6. All product VPATs will be acquired for review prior to purchase as will a products accessibility level, e.g., Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA.

Whatcom Libraries Collaborate

The library participates in Whatcom Libraries Collaborate, which allows anyone who lives or goes to school in Whatcom County to check out materials from any participating library in the county and to return them to any library or book drop in the county. Library material is routed regularly between participating libraries. The participating libraries are: Bellingham Public Library, Bellingham Technical College library, Northwest Indian College library, Whatcom Community College library, Whatcom County Library System, and Western Washington University library.

Interlibrary Loan

WCC Library provides interlibrary loan (ILL) service to all current employees and students. The service uses the OCLC network to borrow and loan library material to libraries across the U.S. WCC library does not pass on any costs associated with providing interlibrary loan to its users.

Gifts

Gifts in kind are rarely accepted. When gifts are accepted it is with the understanding that the library may add them to the collection at its discretion or dispose of them if they do not meet the standards for selection. All gifts to the library are final and the donor relinquishes all rights of ownership and dispensation. As a general rule, gift books will be added to the collection based on the same criteria as purchased material. The library assumes no responsibility for appraisal of gift items. The library does not accept:

• Outdated textbooks
• Magazines or journals
• Materials in poor condition, torn, marked up, mildewed, moldy, or malodorous
• Multiple copies
• Titles widely held in OCLC

WCC library, via the WCC Foundation, accepts funds for the purchase of items that enhance the existing collection and support student and faculty scholarship. For more information, contact the WCC Foundation.

Deselection

The vitality of a library’s collection depends not only on the development of the collection but upon its maintenance. Deselection is the removal of outdated, superseded, damaged or duplicated materials. Primary responsibility for weeding rests with the faculty librarians. Guidance may be sought from library employees and faculty members in assessing the collection’s strengths and weaknesses. The objectives of deselection include:

• Reevaluation of the collection for the selection of new and replacement materials in response to the changing nature and needs of Whatcom Community College
• Removal out-of-date materials from the shelves
• Alert librarians and faculty members to gaps in the library’s collection
• Manage the collection’s physical condition or online access

Criteria for deselection

• Physical condition. Replace if meets selection criteria and still available.
• Excess duplicate copies. Withdraw if no longer needed for academic program.
• Superseded editions. Replace if material is important.
• Outdated material. Materials over 5 years old will be evaluated depending on the subject matter and the need for currency.
• Circulation statistics will be considered, but will not be used as a sole factor in determining a material’s usefulness.