Thinking critically about acquiring library resources

Relationship to the curriculum
  • Is the material directly related to what is being taught in CCA courses?
  • Will students be required to use the material?
  • Is the requirement included in the syllabus?
  • How will it be ascertained whether students actually used the material?
  • If the material were not available, would students be lacking crucial information?
  • Is there material already in the library that could be substituted?
Accessibility to students
  • Would students be likely to use the material even if not required for coursework?
  • Would students generally find the material interesting or appealing?
  • Is the writing style and vocabulary accessible to students at the college?
  • Is the format suitable for library circulation if use outside of the library is needed? (Note: if expensive, the item does not circulate.)
  • Is there evidence that students have made use of similar materials?
Building the CCA library collections
  • Will the material enhance the overall scope of the library collections?
  • If the library already has material on the topic, are the existing materials sufficient?
  • If the quality of existing materials is not sufficient, should they be withdrawn?
  • Is the depth or breadth of the library holdings concomitant with what is being taught?
  • Will other instructors find the material useful?
  • Will the material retain relevancy when the course is no longer taught?
  • If the item is ubiquitous, does CCA need a copy; if rare, should CCA be a site of record?
Economics and resource sharing
  • Does the cost of the item or items correlate with the number of students who would potentially use the material?
  • Is there evidence that students have made use of similar materials?
  • Would it be more cost effective to borrow the item from another library?
  • Could students be directed to use a public research library, especially for in-depth research?
  • Is it the type of material that students generally buy or rent for themselves or obtain online?
General acquisition considerations
  • Is the size and binding suitable for housing on library shelves?
  • Has the item been favorably reviewed?
  • Is the publisher known to produce high quality publications?
  • Is the material available from reputable vendors?
  • Is the material being sold at a reasonable, uninflated price?

(last updated June 2009)