The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.
See also: Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights | American Library Association Policy
The Libraries of the Vermont State Colleges affirm the American Library Association's position on the confidentiality of patron records. Circulation records, in particular the association of library users with specific materials, will be kept in the strictest confidence.
Circulation records shall not be made available to college personnel, governmental agencies, or law enforcement unless relevant legal protocols have been established. All requests for information should be given to the library director of the institution in question. In the director's absence requests should be made to the General Counsel of the Vermont State Colleges.
The VSC Library Council advances teaching and learning throughout the Vermont State Colleges.
The VSC libraries are campus centers of scholarly inquiry and communication and are vital to the intellectual, social, and cultural lives of the colleges and their communities. We are virtual centers as well, providing equivalent services to non-residential populations.
The VSC Library Council stewards excellent library services. It encourages the open and free exchange of ideas. It is committed to life-long learning, critical thinking, and information literacy. It supports collaboration within and beyond the VSC libraries.
The VSC libraries recognize that freedom of expression and free access to ideas is fundamental to the educational enterprise and to the preservation of a democratic society. The libraries adhere to the principles outlined in the American Library Association's Bill of Rights, its Intellectual Freedom Statement, and its Policy on Confidentiality of Library Records. (March 2014)
The Calvin Coolidge Library’s primary mission is to foster information literacy and provide our community with access to collections that support research, teaching and learning, intellectual curiosity and enrichment, and civic engagement. The library offers services to support students and faculty in conducting research and contributing to scholarship in their disciplines and professions. The library provides an inclusive space for exploration, reflection, and collaboration. In advancing information literacy, the library advocates for and supports intellectual and academic freedoms, including the rights of our community members to seek and access information, and to speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. The library actively supports the missions of both the Vermont State Colleges and Castleton University, engages with the broader University community, and collaborates with our academic and professional peers. (May, 2017)
In an environment of rapidly shifting patterns of information delivery it is critical that decisions regarding the selection of materials and services be based on sound principles that have the support of all stakeholders in the community.
The collection development policy that follows reflects the stated missions of both the Vermont State Colleges and Castleton. In particular it supports the VSC goals that graduates of the state colleges will:
"Demonstrate competence in communication, research and critical thinking. Be engaged, effective and responsible citizens. Embrace the necessity and joy of lifelong learning."
These goals cannot be met without a well-managed library that embraces technological change while at the same time preserving the rich deposit of our intellectual heritage.
"The central mission of Calvin Coolidge Library is to help our students to become readers, that is to actively engage students in the great conversations of history and of their own democratic society. The library should provide focused support for students and faculty in their coursework and research, but it should also provide the college community and the region with a resource that enables each of us to learn more about ourselves as human beings and as citizens. In this regard, the library makes particular note of the longstanding role this and other American libraries have played in honoring first amendment freedoms, particularly freedom of expression and the right to privacy.
Finally, the library supports the missions of both the Vermont State Colleges and Castleton, with particular respect to "citizenship," "lifelong learning," "development of knowledge," and "competence in research and critical thinking." Along with the other VSC libraries, the Coolidge Library maintains a strong commitment to "information literacy" as a crucial intermediate step in assisting our students to become learned and contributing members of society."
The primary objective of Calvin Coolidge Library is the support of undergraduate and graduate academic programs at Castleton. The goal of Castleton's curriculum, as stated in the College catalog, is "to provide students both with a solid foundation in the liberal arts and with preparation for selected careers and professions."
Library collection development works in support of these goals as a first priority. Secondary objectives of the library acquisitions programs include:
Ultimate accountability for the development and maintenance of the library's collection rests with the library director. It is the library director's responsibility to assign selection subject areas to the professional library staff and to solicit selections from faculty in their respective areas of expertise. Faculty members are encouraged to make recommendations for library acquisitions from their professional literature as well as for course requirements and students' research needs. Students' requests for acquisition of materials are also welcomed, and are reviewed by the same standards as are requests from all other sources.
It is the library director's responsibility to allocate the materials budget in such a way as to fulfill the library's collection development goals. A number of financial, institutional, and system-wide pressures affect the allocation of funds. The exploding cost of serial publications and the migration from print to electronic formats are factors that have had profound effects on library budgeting.
Materials allocations are reviewed yearly and appropriate changes are made.
There are a few special collections:
Because serials consume such a large percentage of the library materials budget, special attention must be paid to the unique requirements of developing and maintaining a serials collection.
The serials collection supports the research needs of Castleton undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. Serials are issued in paper, microform and electronic format. All formats will be considered in the library's purchase and/or access decisions. The exploding cost of serials, and the ongoing nature of a subscription, require that special care be exercised in reviewing serial titles before they are purchased for the collection and that regular evaluation of current subscriptions is conducted.
Regular review is key to maintaining a collection that best supports student research. Special factors to be considered include:
Calvin Coolidge Library regularly conducts serials reviews in order to determine which serial subscriptions should be added or canceled and also to determine the most appropriate, cost-effective format for subscriptions.
Most indexes to journals and other serial literature are now available in electronic format. Other electronic products provide content that was formerly available only in looseleaf services, as print encyclopedias, or collections of reports. In addition to the “Criteria for Selection of All Materials” (above), issues to be considered in the selection of electronic products include:
Whenever possible, electronic products are purchased through consortia (the Vermont State Colleges, Lyrasis, WALDO, Vermont Consortium of Academic Libraries, Vermont Department of Libraries), where group purchasing enables better rates. Trials of products are always hosted before purchase, and feedback from faculty and students is solicited.
Requests for audio/visual materials (CDs, DVDs, streaming video, etc.) are evaluated using much the same criteria as other materials, with special emphasis on the suitability of the format to the content, and on the quality of the production. Evaluation, weeding and replacement of CDs and DVDs follow approximately the same guidelines and procedures as for monographs.
Castleton has been a selective depository for federal documents since 1969. The government documents librarian has primary responsibility for the selection and acquisition of materials for this collection. The government document collection is intended to both support the mission of the library and to serve the government information needs of the citizens of central and southern Vermont. The government documents collection has its own collection development policy, available on request in the library.
Gifts are encouraged, with the understanding that the library may dispose of them or add them to the collection at its discretion, and in the same manner as purchased material. As a general rule, gift books will be added based on the same criteria as purchased ones. The library assumes no responsibility for the appraisal of gift items, nor can the library accept gift items under restricted conditions. For further information see the Castleton University Library Gift Policy, available on request in the library.
Deselection of library materials (the process of removing materials from the collection) is essential for the maintenance of a current, active collection that meets the needs of the academic community. Deselection provides quality control through the elimination of inaccurate, outdated and worn-out materials. Deselection requires the same level of attention to collection development requirements as does the original selection process.
The reference collection is continually monitored for outdated material, which is replaced or withdrawn. Individual sections of the general collection are periodically reviewed. Faculty members are encouraged to draw to the attention of the library staff any outdated or inaccurate materials.
Calvin Coolidge Library’s status as a member of a network of college libraries has a significant impact on collection development decisions. Shared electronic periodical databases influence each member institution’s decisions regarding the acquisition of individual serial titles and aggregated electronic databases. The Vermont State Colleges online catalog facilitates interlibrary loans, with the result that less intensive collection development can sometimes be undertaken in those subject areas where other VSC collections are strong. Castleton is committed to the maintenance and enhancement of a comprehensive statewide database of information sources.
Calvin Coolidge Library recognizes that freedom of expression and free access to ideas is fundamental not only to the educational enterprise but also to the preservation of a democratic society. The library, therefore, supports the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights, its Intellectual Freedom Statement, and its statement on challenged materials, all of which are available at the library on request.
Over the years, Calvin Coolidge Library has been enriched by generous gifts from alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of the University. The library welcomes gifts that support the University’s mission and academic programs.
The library welcomes the following kinds of donations:
The library generally does not need old textbooks, damaged or heavily underlined books, laboratory or repair manuals, workbooks, photocopies, or most artifacts (objects).
No library collects everything. Calvin Coolidge Library primarily collects materials that support the mission and programs of the University. Gifts are evaluated for addition to the collection using the same criteria that are used for purchasing new material. (See the Castleton Collection Development Policy Statement.)
Gifts are accepted with the understanding that they become the sole property of the library, and the library reserves the right to use them to best serve its patrons. Donated materials will often serve to complete partial sets, add additional copies, and replace worn or lost titles. The library will sell gifts that do not meet current needs, or it may exchange items with other libraries for materials that are more appropriate for Castleton’s collection. It may also donate them to Little Free Libraries in the area. The library will recycle items as a last resort.
The library cannot create a special collection for a donor’s materials nor can it accept donations with restrictions.
You may also purchase something for the library. For example, if you wish to remember a loved one who had an interest in art, the librarian who selects art materials will select something that is needed by the library and that is in the price range you specify. An “In Memory Of” gift plate will be placed in the book.
To donate books or other items: Call Michele Perry, Technical Services Cataloger/Archives (802-468-1343), who will discuss your donation with you and let you know of any special circumstances regarding your gift.
To make a financial contribution: Call the Castleton Development Office (802-468-1241) or visit the Alumni & Giving page and give to the Castleton annual fund.
Most donations are tax-deductible. The library, however, assumes no responsibility for estimating the monetary value of donated items. Donors may receive further information on the valuation of donated property from the Internal Revenue Service and IRS Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property.
The library will acknowledge all donations with a letter of thanks unless requested not to. Other methods of acknowledgment may include bookplates or temporary displays.
All library patrons are expected to behave courteously and with respect for their fellow library patrons, the library space, and library faculty and staff.