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I. Purpose The reference collection supports the information and research needs of a diverse clientele -- undergraduates, graduate students, teaching faculty, librarians, and to a lesser extent community users and alumni. Accordingly, most of the materials acquired support the instructional programs of the university; however, a limited number of materials related to nonacademic subjects, such as career information, telephone books, etc. are acquired. Traditionally, a reference work is defined as a work designed by its arrangement, treatment, or content to be consulted for bibliographic or factual information rather than read in its entirety. Most of the books acquired for reference meet this definition, but occasionally books that do not meet this definition are shelved in reference when they are thought to be useful in meeting reference needs. Conversely, materials that conform to these broad definitions are often sent to the circulating stacks because of expectations of use. II. Access Print: The print materials in the Reference Collection are located on the first floor, near the Reference Desk. The bulk of the collection is located in the Reference Stacks, in call number order. Indexes and a small selection of other materials are kept on the index tables. The Reference Collection is a non-circulating collection. A small collection of reference sources is shelved in a ready reference section behind the reference desk. This collection is generally limited to books that are so heavily used by either librarians or patrons that it is most convenient to shelve them at the desk. Materials kept in this active, working, heavily-used collection meet at least one of the following guidelines: librarians' use for frequently asked questions or high use materials that require help from reference personnel. When a reference source is being heavily used for a class assignment, or is a very probable target for mutilation or theft, it may be placed in the reference reserve section at the loan desk. Such materials should be kept to a minimum and items on reserve should be reviewed after every quarter to ensure that reserve items continue to meet these criteria. Electronic: Electronic reference sources are made available through the campus network as well as by remote access by all campus users. In addition to the passworded computers available in several Library locations, a small number of open access machines are available in the Reference area for public use. III. Selection of Materials Print: The needs of the students, faculty and staff of CSULA are primary in directing selection of Reference materials. Whenever possible the needs of the public sector are considered. All physical material that is being considered for addition to the Reference Collection is reviewed by the Reference Decision Group (RDG). The Library’s Collection Development librarian, a member of the RDG, makes the final decision. Electronic: The Knowledge Resources Task Force (KRTF) is responsible for the selection and annual assessment of electronic databases for reference. Purchase of the electronic version of an already held print resource should be done sparingly and a decision to weed or retain the print version should be made. Subscription retention will be based on cost, adequacy of coverage, comparative usage, service history, and availability of alternatives. Decision to cancel print versions in favor of online versions is made title by title based primarily on use, availability and cost. Other online reference sources included on our database page ……Should we add a section here about who decides what non-database, non-subscription resources are included on our database page?
IV. Evaluation and weeding While removal of individual volumes can be done at any time, the Reference Collection should be evaluate at least every three years to identify outdated materials or duplicated materials, to identify gaps, and to identify worn and/or damaged materials in need of replacement. Liaison librarians are responsible for weeding in their general areas. Superceded editions and other titles removed from the Reference Collection will generally be put into the circulating collection. Exceptions to this are series and multi-volume sets in which one volume refers to other volumes in the same set, such as encyclopedias and indexes, which may be removed to the circulating stacks as Library Use Only (LUO). Outdated material without historical value should be discarded. Whenever possible, retention and circulation status decisions for regularly updated reference materials will be recorded as a note in the Library Catalog record.
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