Section 1: Objectives

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1. Library is responsible for providing materials that assist students in achieving their educational goals. The primary focus of the collection will be to support instructional programs and courses at Western Nevada College.
2. The library collection consists primarily of academic and vocational/technical subjects that reflect the course and program objectives of the college. The collection represents material that is appropriate for a community college library and the interests and educational levels of the students of the college. The collection contains material that represents a variety of viewpoints and opinions on cultural, social and political issues.

Section 2: Selection Responsibility

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1. Selection of materials is a primary duty of the Collection Development Librarian and other Library staff. Library staff will work closely with academic faculty to determine what items best meet classroom objectives and/or student needs.
2. The Division Director makes the final determination on the purchase of all materials, and is responsible for the implementation of this policy.

Section 3: Fund Allocation

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1. Purchases are made within the limitations of the budget with no specific allocation by discipline or department

Section 4: Selection Guidelines

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1. The department mission statement provides the framework for the selection process.
2. Library strives to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff by purchasing or securing through other means those materials needed for study and research.
3. Selection aids and tools such as professional journals, bibliographies, and publishers catalogs will be used to identify materials for consideration.
4. The majority of selections are current English language publications.
5. Lost or stolen materials will be considered for replacement if they are still available.

Section 5: Special Collections

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1. Nevada Collection

   The Nevada Collection emphasizes, but is not limited to, Nevada related material about the following subjects: government, politics, and economics; geography and history; anthropology and archaeology; flora and fauna; environment, geology, recreation, and the outdoors; education; art; biographical sources; and fiction, poetry, and prose about Nevada. Nevada legal materials are housed as part of the Nevada Reference Collection.

2. Juvenile Collection

   The Juvenile Collection at the WNC Library is a representative collection of childrens and young adult books maintained to provide students at the college with examples of the best written books in those genres.

3. Bill Cowee Poetry Collection

   The Bill Cowee Poetry Collection is a special collection donated by Bill Cowee to the WNC Library in 2007. The collection is composed of books from Mr. Cowee's private collection and represents poetry from around the world and in various poetic styles, with an emphasis on poetry from the Western United States and Nevada.

   1. Books in this collection that are either lost or damaged beyond repair will be replaced.
   2. Selected books of poetry from Nevada or regional authors will be added to the collection at the discretion of the Collection Development Librarian or the Division Director.
   3. Books added to the collection will be designated in the catalog record and on the book plate as not being included in the original donation.

Section 6: Gifts

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1. Donations to the library collection are accepted at the discretion of the Division Director. Once accepted, all donations become the property of the library and are subject to library policies.

Section 7: Collection, Maintenance, and Evaluation

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1. The library withdraws outdated and damaged materials to maintain the quality and currency of the collection.  Individual sections of the general collection are reviewed according to the annual weeding schedule. Faculty members are encouraged to assist in identifying outdated or inaccurate materials in their areas of expertise.
2. General criteria for withdrawing materials will be based on the librarysWeeding Schedule and Procedures.
3. A systemic assessment of the library collection will be based on theLibrary Collection Assessment Plan.

Section 8: Copyright

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1. Library & Media Services follows the guidelines in theWNC Policy on the Use of Copyrighted Materials (3-2-8). All materials added to the library collection and available for use in the library must be copyright compliant or be in the public domain.
2. Any material considered for the library collection that is not copyright compliant, or not in the public domain, will be not be added unless written permission is given to the library from the copyright holder

Section 9: Intellectual Freedom

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1. Library & Media Services upholds the principles of the American Library Associations Library Bill of Rights and the Association of College and Research Libraries Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries.
2. In the spirit of open and academic discourse, the library endeavors to select materials that represent a wide variety of opinions, viewpoints, and perspectives. If the appropriateness or value of any material is challenged, the objections must be submitted in writing to the Division Director before any action will be taken on a complaint. The procedure followed in responding to complaints is described in the Nevada Library Associations Intellectual Freedom Statement of Policy and Recommendations and in the principles and procedures outlined in the American Library Associations Intellectual Freedom Handbook.

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