This Collection Development Policy states the principles that the Thomas G. Carpenter Library will follow in the selection and acquisition of materials to build an equitable, diverse, and inclusive collection which maintains quality and consistency. The library selects materials exclusively for faculty, staff, and students at the University of North Florida (UNF) to support their instructional, curricular, and research needs. The decision to acquire or not acquire materials rests solely with the library. To ensure equity in the collection for all academic disciplines some requests may not be fulfilled due to available funds. Collection development in the library will be governed by these guidelines to promote systematic growth and to communicate that strategy with the UNF community.
The main language of the collection is English. Non-English language materials are collected based on their relevance to university programs in support of curriculum needs. Although final selection decisions about the library collections are made by library faculty, the library welcomes recommendations for additions to our collections. The Purchase Request form can be used to submit details of any eBook or streaming video purchases. Faculty are encouraged to contact academic department Library Liaisons to discuss any subscription library resource needs they or their students may have, including databases or electronic journals. These requests are reviewed by the Collection Development Committee. While all recommended resources are considered, not all requests can be acquired due to library budget constraints. The library does endeavor to acquire resources to build a collection that meets the needs of the UNF community. Constant changes in formats, disciplines, academic programs, course curriculums, and technology will significantly affect what resources are selected or deselected for the library collection.
The selection of materials for the library's collection will be based upon academic programs and research interest and not an individual's personal values. Accordingly, the library supports the fundamentals of the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. Following these principles, the library will endeavor to acquire materials in support of UNF curriculum and research interests from a variety of perspectives, including historically underrepresented and marginalized perspectives, voices, and viewpoints.
The Carpenter Library strives to balance access to, and ownership of, information resources that offer the widest possible range of viewpoints. Material will not be excluded because of frankness of language or controversial approach or because of the political, moral or religious, sexual, social, economic, or scientific views expressed or because of the race or national origin, politics, or religion of the author. Questions regarding the appropriateness of materials in the collection will be referred to the Dean of the Library.
