Collection Management Guidelines: Retention

Decision to remove materials from the collection will be made by the Executive Director. 

Weeded materials will be stamped "Withdrawn" before being given away or discarded.

Multimedia will be held for 2 years until determined disposable by Executive Director.

Technology will be retained as long as it is still relevant and sustainable.

• Older camera equipment and accessories that is replaced with new equipment and accessories will be added to the circulating collection.
• Older generations of tablets and accessories will stay in circulation as long as they continue to function properly.
• Apps are evaluated every semester to add or drop for circulation and for circulating tablets depending on:
  • Cost;
  • Evaluation of the app by librarians; and
  • Curriculum needs.

Print books: In general, books will be held in the collection for ten years. Some books will remain longer, depending on:

1. 1. Current updates available;
   2. Subject matter;
   3. Edition, author of distinction, etc.

Print journals are withdrawn based on a balance of several factors:

1. 1. Cost;
   2. Availability and accessibility in electronic format;
   3. The nature of electronic format (i.e. aggregated, leased, owned, etc.);
   4. Availability for access from other local, regional, and national libraries through InterLibrary Loan;
   5. Focus of specialty; and 
   6. Importance of the journal title in that field of study (Impact Factor and Eigenfactor).

The NSU HPD Library is an NLM resource library that participates in MedPrint.We maintain print archives for previously subscribed titles that have been identified as important to our collection and/or important for local, regional, and national archiving and lending purposes. 

We attempt to focus our print archives in the following areas: Osteopathic Medicine, Optometry, and Dentistry.

Electronic books are actively maintained and reviewed periodically based on the following factors:

1. Required title or recommended title on course book lists;
2. Cost;
3. Availability and accessibility in electronic format;
4. The nature of electronic format (e.g. - aggregated, leased, owned, etc.);
5. Focus of specialty;
6. The amount of use the title has received over a reasonable amount of time (data examined between 1 to 2 years of use by statistic provided by the vendors, local click-through counts, and turn-aways)

Electronic journals are actively maintained and reviewed periodically based on a balance of several factors: 

1. Cost;
2. Availability and accessibility in electronic format;
3. The nature of electronic format (e.g. - aggregated, leased, owned, etc.);
4. Availability for access from other local, regional, and national libraries through InterLibary Loan;
5. Focus of specialty;
6. Importance of the journal title in that field of study (Impact Factor and Eigenfactor); and
7. The amount of use the title has received over a reasonable amount of time (data examined between 1 to 2 years of use by statistic provided by the vendors, local click-through counts, and use by InterLibrary loan).