Collection Management
One of the vital tasks of a research library is managing its print collections. The Baylor Libraries routinely and strategically manage our collections, withdrawing print volumes using criteria appropriate for the collection or discipline. Review our Collection Development Policy for the general strictures that guide our libraries and special collections. Currently, library personnel are withdrawing materials from several areas of Moody and Jones Libraries with the long-term goal of repurposing space to provide more areas for student collaboration and learning — as well as enhanced institutional services like audiovisual production studios and an expanded makerspace — ultimately accommodating more than 15% of Baylor's current undergraduate population. The goal is to remove all print collections from the first floors of Moody and Jones Libraries to provide space for student and faculty engagement. It is important to note that the Baylor Libraries are members of and cooperate with the Center for Research Libraries, HathiTrust, and WEST (Western Regional Storage Trust), with the goal of the long-term preservation of access to print works. It is also important to note that because of the nature of the university, Baylor has some unique collections (both books and periodicals) — most notably religion and philosophy — that warrant more careful curation.
- Government documents
We are removing the majority of print and microform government documents as most current government documents are available online through HathiTrust and our print versions were not being used. - Jones Reference
The reference collection on the first floor of Jones Library is being removed to create additional spaces for student learning and collaboration. The existing materials will be returned to regular circulation, offsite storage, or withdrawn depending on obsolescence, relevance, and the availability of the content online or via interlibrary loan. - Moody Arts Reference
The library is removing materials that have low use, are out-of-date, and/or are available online. Current titles are being incorporated into the Moody Arts General Collection. - Moody Periodicals
We are in the process of withdrawing under-utilized print periodicals using a criteria that focuses on titles both with low use and with alternative access options either online, through a WEST Archive Holder, or via standard interlibrary loan. - Mayborn Museum Studies Collection
As the physical collection at the Mayborn Museum is being merged into the Moody and Jones Collection, obsolete materials are being withdrawn as they are evaluated for transfer. - Moody and Jones General Collection
Several concurrent projects are taking place in the General Collection. The following items are current candidates for withdrawal from the collection:- Redundant added-copies of non-circulating titles (retaining a single copy)
- Theses/dissertations issued by other institutions that are available online
- Print series volumes that are available online
- Duplicative copies of Baylor Theses are being digitized to provide online access
- Obsolete library tools (e.g. indexes) and outdated directories, many with online counterparts
In addition to the collections housed in Moody and Jones Libraries, we are removing non-archival materials from the Baylor Collection of Political Materials (Poage) General Collections (not special collections or rare books) that do not fit within the current collection parameters. In addition, we are making retention decisions about our gift books collection and journals housed in our off-site collections facility.
Completed Collection Management Projects
The current Collection Management Project will be a multiyear undertaking followed by smaller annual maintenance projects. Currently, there are sections of the physical collection that have already been assessed, streamlined, and (in some cases) relocated:
- Bound journal runs in the STEM and Fine Arts fields
- Zeta Collection (children & YA literature)
If you have questions regarding current collection management strategies at the Baylor Libraries, please contact Jeffry Archer, Dean of Libraries, Museums, and the Press.
Frequent Questions About Collection Management
Note: These questions are excerpted from "Weeding Communication Matrix & FAQ" by Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and the Partnership for Shared Book Collections, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Before withdrawing books and journals, the Baylor Libraries consider a wide range of factors in consultation with our subject-specialist librarians. If books are withdrawn, we ensure that a digital version of the book is available or the volume is readily available through inter-library loan. When journals and other periodicals are withdrawn, we ensure that they are available digitally. In rare cases of demonstrated, long-term lack of use, and in consultation with our subject-specialist librarians, print books and journals are withdrawn.
In most cases, the Baylor Libraries do not simply throw away withdrawn resources. Materials withdrawn from the Zeta Collection (children's literature) are shared with the Mayborn Museum for families to enjoy. Some books are placed on our "Next Chapter" shelves on the garden level of Moody Memorial Library for students, faculty and others to add to their personal libraries. The only print volumes that are recycled are those that no longer have any practical use (i.e., government repository documents) or do not find a new home. Before withdrawing the majority of items from our collection, we ensure that the volume is available through inter-library loan or electronically.
No. The Baylor Libraries work with a consortium of libraries to ensure that valuable research that is only available in print either remains in our collections or is quickly available through interlibrary loan from a library in our region. We also ensure that before withdrawing research resources of demonstrated value in particular professions that they are available through our digital subscriptions online through OneSearch.
Collection Management is a standard practice among research libraries around the world. The Baylor Libraries have always managed our collections in consultation with subject-specialist librarians and faculty. Throughout Baylor's history, the Libraries have withdrawn books to make room for new print volumes that are purchased across disciplines. In our current phase, the growth of the university has put substantial pressure on the Libraries to provide adequate and appropriate learning environments for students. Much of the space necessary to accommodate this growth and to foster learning and research is currently occupied by shelving with print volumes. In order to increase student capacity, particularly in Moody and Jones Libraries, we are taking a more aggressive approach to our collection management strategy. In addition, we are in conversation with university leaders about the creation of secure, climate-controlled offsite storage that can house some of our print collections, opening up space that can be returned to students.
We in the Baylor Libraries understand this feeling. By their nature, libraries are conservative institutions that create and preserve archives, hold treasures of knowledge in print volumes, and provide access to a vast array of materials designed to inspire growth and development. Today's libraries, however, have undergone similar transformations to those seen in the broader culture. An increasing number of academic journals and books are "born digital" and are more immediately accessible through OneSearch. Students and faculty increasingly turn to the Libraries for flexible, collaborative learning environments that promote both group and individual study. Alongside reading, educational institutions understand that there are many different types of literacy. Makerspaces, video and audio studios, and other resourced environments enable students and faculty to engage with different forms of creativity, learning, and exploration. Modern libraries are becoming dynamic spaces that foster different modes of learning, research, and teaching across the curriculum. The library "the way it is now" is changing, and must continue to do so to engage different types of learners who come to Baylor.