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Policy / Regulations

Purpose

    This Collection Development Policy aims to present the principles regarding the overall library collection development activities, including the collection, preservation, and abolition of books to fulfill the mission of Korea Univ. Library (hereinafter referred to as “library”).

Principles & Standards for the Collection of Books

    The library supports the ideology and principles regarding the public nature and intellectual freedom of the library in all activities related to collection development. The details of the principles will follow the below standards:

  • A. Academic materials required to carry out meaningful research & training courses for the members of Korea University
  • B. Materials that can help promote the academic and intellectual growth of users
  • C. Materials / Intellectual Heritages that can contribute to the development of human culture
  • D. Materials related to the history and identity of Korea University

General Principles of Collection

  • A. Must maintain the quantitative composition and highest quality of the collection while considering the balance of academic subject and the current organization of academic departments in Korea University.
  • B. The selection of materials that will be included in the collection must prioritize academic value/expertise of the materials. In addition, the needs and demands of the users can also be actively considered.
  • C. Factors such as budget, storage space, balance of composition (academic balance), etc. should also be considered.

Publications & Non-books

A. Purchase

  • The selection must be based on the general principles of collection (see above), but should also reflect the changes in media trends and usage trends.
  • The library must determine the number of copies that will be purchased by comprehensively considering the collectible value, frequency of use, and budget conditions.

B. Donation & Contributions

  • Must respect the donor’s intention, and collect as much as possible.
  • Materials published inside the campus must be collected in a comprehensive manner.
  • In the case of materials that are NOT registered in the library, make sure to re-donate or share those materials to internal/external institutions and the members of the school.

Continuing Resource & Electronic Resource

  • A. In the case of Continuing Resources, the main focus of collection must be on ‘Peer Reviewed Journals.’ The selection can be made referring to the data from the index DB, influence evaluation, or the analysis DB. In addition, recommendation from the professors of Korea Univ. can also be considered.
  • B. New subscriptions shall be selected considering the following factors: Is it owned by other institutions? / Possibility of Free Full Text Service.
  • C. Excluding special cases, dual-subscription of the same material (electronic subscription & printed form) should be avoided. When the subscription conditions are the same, electronic subscription can be prioritized.

Collection Preservatoin

    A. The following are the materials that should be permanently preserved.

  • Valuable Books
  • Rare Books
  • Historical Books, Historical Documents, Historical Maps
  • Materials related to Korea University
  • Materials designated by the Library Director

  • B. When a material that is subject for preservation is damaged, the Material Preservation Librarian or a restoration expert (Conservator) shall proceed with a restoration/repairing process.
    C. The original copy must be stored in an optimal preservation environment. Copies of the original copy must be produced (through digitalization, etc.) and provided for public use.


Collection Evaluation

  • A. The library collection must be evaluated using various methods.
  • B. The results of Collection Evaluation must be used as a bases for future Collection Development activities.

Collection Inspection

  • A. Regular inspection must take place to check whether the actual collection matches the bibliographic data to improve the usage value of the collection.
  • B. Proper follow-up measures must take place when an error/loss is discovered during the collection inspection process.

Collection Abolition

  • A. In the case of lost/damaged material, the material can be discarded after proper measures.
  • B. Unused materials may be discarded on an annual basis to improve the usefulness of the collection and to secure storage space.