---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Cook, Eleanor <COOKE_at_ecu.edu>
Date: Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 9:03 AM
Subject: Textbook post
To: "eleanorilenecook_at_gmail.com" <eleanorilenecook_at_gmail.com>
From: aline.soules_at_csueastbay.edu
Date: Fri Oct 23 17:04:32 2009
Subject: RE: [ACQNET-L] Textbook Purchasing Policy
We don't buy textbooks. There is no way we could buy all the
textbooks for all the courses, so how would we pick and choose, even
if we had the funds to buy some textbooks?
We select based on our discipline. If one of those books ends up
being a textbook, we put it on reserve for the period in which it is
being used for a class (if we are told of it before it is already
circulated to someone).
Other textbooks might show up in some of our e-book packages,
especially in areas such as business. Students can view those from
our catalog. If we get calls that a student can't get “in,” we tell
them to wait for a little while and try again, which usually works
because the problem is hitting the simultaneous user limit.
We also take instructors' copies of textbooks and put those on
reserve, if an instructor brings one over, and we are happy to have
them do that.
Our latest effort is to try to help faculty find alternative sources
to textbooks, paid course packs, etc. because of the skyrocketing cost
of these materials. If we are successful at that, presumably fewer
textbooks will be in use.
So, our basic policy is that we don't buy textbooks and only work with
ones that show up some other way.
Aline
Aline Soules
Cal State East Bay
510-885-4596
Aline.soules_at_csueastbay.edu
From: anthony.greiner_at_pcc.edu
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:11:18 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Re: [ACQNET-L] Textbook Purchasing Policy
Portland Community College in Oregon, until a couple of years ago, had
a policy that, at instructor request, the library would purchase a
single copy of non-consumable texts to place on reserve. We budgeted
$3000 a year for this, and rarely spent it all, as requests were not
common. (Perhaps because instructors didn't know we would do this.)
The policy was changed a couple of years ago to “no textbooks shall be
purchased.” However, that isn't followed in practice for the Nursing
Department, for which we buy a copy of all required texts. Those texts
are heavily used.
In my opinion, this policy is not a good one. Books are for use, and I
don't understand why a library will refuse to buy a copy of what are
bound to be the most popular items in the collection. But that's our
rule.
Tony Greiner
From: "Corbett, Lauren E." <corbetle_at_wfu.edu>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:11:37 -0400
Subject: RE: [ACQNET-L] Textbook Purchasing Policy
Textbooks - In general the library does not acquire textbooks adopted as
required texts for any given courses. However, graduate level textbooks
considered valuable as reference and research works are added
selectively.
The above appears in nearly every discipline's collection development
policy here. I'm on tenterhooks to see if e-books and open source
textbooks drive a change in approach.
--
Lauren Corbett
Director of Resource Services
Z. Smith Reynolds Library
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Ph: 336-758-6136
Fax: 336-758-4652
From: "Helen P. Mack" <hpm0_at_Lehigh.EDU>
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:24:21 -0400
Subject: Re: [ACQNET-L] Textbook Purchasing Policy
Have you been charged with the task of formulating a textbook policy
or just write up an existing, unwritten policy?
Here's a paragraph which is still in draft form, so it has not yet
been incorporated into our larger policy document. The bottom line is
that we provide materials to assist in the learning process, but we
will not undercut the bookstore by collecting textbooks and putting
them on reserve.
"Students are responsible for purchasing their own textbooks. Faculty
members may elect to place textbooks on course reserve. The Libraries
do not acquire such materials for courses offered at Lehigh, but they
do purchase quality, academic-level books on topics that support
Lehigh's curriculum. Although some of these may be required or
suggested course readings, the Libraries do not systematically
purchase all such books."
Helen P. Mack, Acquisitions Librarian
Lehigh University, Linderman Library
30 Library Drive
Bethlehem, PA 18015-3067 USA
Phone 610 758-3035 * Fax 610 758-5605
E-mail: hpm0_at_lehigh.edu
From: "Kitty Simmons" <ksimmons_at_lasierra.edu>
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:40:54 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: RE: Textbook Purchasing Policy
This issue came up here last year. Although we haven't ever purchased
textbooks en mass, we didn't have a written statement, so I put together
the following in response:
Most textbooks are outside the scope of materials acquired for the
Library. One of the primary reasons for this widely accepted academic
library policy is that textbooks are designed as teaching aids, including
survey or introductory material that is often repetitive and unlikely to
find an audience unrelated to specific course offerings. With new editions
issued frequently, textbook collections become outdated at a rate
unsustainable for
most library budgets, including ours. The high cost of textbooks is
another mitigating
factor. Although having the Library provide textbooks for student use
might seem like a student-friendly move, such a practice would seriously
undermine the Library's already limited materials budget and would result
in a collection lacking in the supplemental and research materials and
resources providing an in-depth focus that constitute our primary
collecting mission.
As with all policies, there are exceptions, and you will certainly find
some textbooks in our Library collection. Some are recognized as
"classics" by experts in the field. "Harrison's Principles of Internal
Medicine" is one example of such a textbook classic. There are also some
subject areas, such as mathematics and some aspects of business, where
textbook treatments are generally recognized as a useful approach for
presenting concepts and methodology. Finally, adherence to the textbook
exclusion policy has not always been strictly followed resulting in the
addition, often by gift, of textbooks in a variety of areas. In such
cases, we may add a new edition if requested and withdraw the older
edition currently in the collection.
If you would like to alleviate the financial burden of students by
providing an alternative to their purchase of textbooks currently used in
your classes, you can always put a personal copy on Reserve at the
Circulation desk. Many publishers will provide faculty with a review copy on
request that could be subsequently put on Reserve in the Library. An
online reserve form for materials to be put on Reserve is available for
your convenience at [our web site link]
Kitty J. Simmons
Library Director Telephone: 951-785-2515
La Sierra University Telephone: 951-785-2402
Riverside, CA 92515 Fax: 951-785-2445
E-Mail:ksimmons_at_lasierra.edu
http://www.lasierra.edu/library/ Meet me at the Library!
From: "Wade Wyckoff" <wyckoff_at_mcmaster.ca>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:25:38 -0400
Subject: RE: [ACQNET-L] Textbook Purchasing Policy
McMaster made the decision to stop adding textbooks to the collection a
couple of years ago. The policy is available on our website:
http://library.mcmaster.ca/collections-services/policies/policies-format#Tex
tbooks.
Wade
---------------------------------------
Wade Wyckoff
Collection Services Librarian
McMaster University Library
1280 Main Street W.
Hamilton, ON L8S 4L6
p: 905-525-9140 x26557
f: 905-522-1277
Original message:
Sent: October-13-09 10:10 AM
Good morning everyone,
My boss would like me to write up a "textbook purchasing policy" for our
library. I was wondering if anyone would share, if a policy is in
place, a copy of their policy with me?
Thanks in advance for your help!
John
-
***********************************
John E. Popadak II, M.L.I.S.
Acquisitions Librarian
E-mail: jepopadak_at_ysu.edu
Phone: 330-941-3679
Fax: 330-941-3734
WWW: http://www.maag.ysu.edu/
***********************************
W. F. Maag, Jr. Library
Youngstown State University
One University Plaza
Youngstown, OH 44555
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Received on Fri Oct 30 2009 - 09:12:59 EDT