Collection Development
In order to create as balanced a collection of resources as possible, the library relies on faculty to make suggestions for titles to be added to our collections. Our Collections web page describes some of the resources available in the library. The following is a list of services that faculty might also be interested in:
- Firm Orders Faculty are encouraged to submit suggestions for additions to the library's collection. As long as titles meet the needs of students and the research areas related to programs taught on campus, the library will make every effort to add those titles to its collection. Because we operate in a statewide, cooperative environment, the library will also see if the suggested titles are generally available for borrowing from other Kent State libraries or other Ohio universities and colleges before purchasing for our local collection.
- Approval Plan The library maintains an approval plan with YBP Library Services. The profile for this plan generates 50-100 notifications of recent publications of interest to various selectors (mostly Stark Campus Faculty Program Coordinators) across a wide range of disciplines. The approval plan profile is available to review as well as instructions for selectors.
- GOBI Alerts If you have a particular research interest and would like to see new publications related to your subject area, the library can custom design an alert service using GOBI, our book vendor's (YBP Library Services) online ordering system, to send you regular emails when new publications appear that you might like to request as an addition to the library's collection.
- New Acquisitions New titles are added to the library's collection year-round. The library offers a Monthly Report as well as a Yearly Report to allow faculty to see what has been purchased by the library more recently and cumulatively in their department throughout the year.
- Faculty Publications Whenever a Stark Campus faculty member (or staff member) authors a work, the library obtains a signed copy for its archives and a second copy for general circulation.
- Tenured Faculty Selections Each year, newly tenured faculty are asked to select the title of a book that influenced them. The library acquires copies of the book and each faculty member provides a short description of how the book impacted their life.