Business, Economics and Law

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LAW COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY

PURPOSE:   The collection development policy for LAW is designed to provide guidelines for building a collection of library materials relevant to the instruction and research needs of all University courses that require the use of legal materials.

RESPONSIBILITY:   While the process of developing a collection for law is a cooperative effort between the affected individuals and Libraries faculties, final responsibility for developing a balanced collection lies within the University Libraries.   Specifically this responsibility rests with the Dean of Libraries, the Associate Dean of Libraries, the Head of Collection Development, and the bibliographer for law.

The Libraries bibliographer for law is responsible for reviewing books sent on the approval plan, selecting items from published bibliographies, and communicating with the representative from the Finance and Law Department, and the affected parties outside of the Department.   The library representative from the Finance and Law Department, along with other affected parties and the Libraries bibliographer for law, is responsible for evaluating the need for serial and reference items, and communicating with other faculty in the Finance and Law Department.

THE FINANCE AND LAW DEPARTMENT:

Minors: Legal Studies

THE STUDY OF LAW:   “The courses in the Finance and Law Department are designed for the student who will work in a business regulated by government or in a governmental unit which regulates business behavior” (CMU Bulletin, 2004/2005)

COLLECTION POLICY GUIDELINES:   All library materials purchased with funds allocated to the law collection are acquired by way of an approval plan/s or by recommendations from the faculty and the University Libraries’ bibliographer for law. The approval plan/s are controlled by a profiles that delineate the collecting parameters.

Gifts of materials that further the instructional or research needs of faculty or students for law materials will be considered for inclusion in the collection provided no restrictions are attached to their use, location, or disposition.   However, the university Libraries are not permitted to appraise gifts for inheritance or tax purposes.   Although the Dean of Libraries is solely responsible for the formal acceptance of all gifts, potential donors should consult the Gift Policy.

All purchases and gifts are subject to the following guidelines.

Language – In general only English language materials will be collected.   Materials in other languages will be considered if specifically requested by a faculty member.

Publication Dates – The emphasis will be on current materials.   Earlier materials will be purchased as needed.   Rare books will not be collected.

Geographical Origin – Emphasis will be placed on materials from the United States, but no limitations will be placed on the origin of any item.

Formats – A variety of formats will be purchased.   The emphasis will be on print and electronic publications.   Additional formats such as microfilm, films, videos, audio cassettes, and compact discs will be acquired selectively.

Duplication – Because the funds allocated for the development of the law collection do not permit the acquisition of all materials required to satisfy the instructional and research needs for law materials, duplicate copies of books and serials will not be purchased.   In the case of multiple demand and heavy, continuous use of individual titles due to extensive classroom assignments, exceptions to this guideline will be considered.

SUBJECTS AND COLLECTING LEVELS: (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION)

Levels can be found in the Guide for Written Collection Policy Statements, Bonita Bryiant, ed.: Chicago: American Library Association, 1989. (A 1996, 2nd edition is availbale with only minor changes in the wording)

CMU, an AA/EO institution, is strongly and actively committed to increasing diversity within its community (see www.cmich.edu/aaeo/).
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES REQUIRING ACCOMMODATION SHOULD CONTACT REFERENCE SERVICES AT 774-3470.