Resources: Collection Development Policy: Introduction

Introduction

The Regent Joseph E. Bowman Jr. Research Library's collections are valuable resources for researchers in a variety of disciplines. These collections are particularly strong in law, medicine, social sciences, American and New York State history, certain pure sciences, technology, and Federal and State documents. This policy ensures the Library's compliance with relevant New York State laws guiding its collections and repository responsibilities.

The Regent Joseph E. Bowmans Jr. Research Library's collection development policy reflects:

changing information needs,
developing technologies,
the Library's statewide responsibilities, and
official mandates for collection and preservation of materials.

Goals

The goals of the Library in developing its collections are:

To provide reference information and materials in all formats to support the work of New York State government;
To support libraries throughout New York State with in-depth information in subject areas designated by the Collection Development Policy;
To be an in-depth source of information about New York State including its history, government, cultural and physical environment.

Scope and Purpose

The New York State Library's Collection Development Policy is a strategic and vital management tool that defines what material should be collected to support the goals of the Library as detailed above. It also outlines the general policies for building, maintaining, and preserving collections to implement the Library's objectives.

The Library's Collection Development Policy was formulated taking into account:

other library resources in the State's library systems,
other State-funded library collections, and
library resources available in the Capital District.

Use of standard format and language ensure compatibility with collections of other libraries. The collecting levels (see Definition of Collection Levels) are based upon the WLN (formerly Washington Library Network) collection codes that have been used in several American Library Association publications.

Policy Revisions

The Library's Collection Development was completely reviewed and revised in 2024 by the Collection Development Committee. However, because of an ever-changing fiscal environment and its impact on the Library's budget, as well as rapid technological advances, expanding information resources, and opportunities for resource sharing with other institutions, no collection development policy should remain static. The Library's Collection Development Committee will periodically update sections of this policy as needed. New or revised sections will indicate the date they were added or updated.