Niagara University Library's primary role is to collect and provide access to materials that support educational programs. An attempt is also made to support the research needs of faculty and administrators and to provide materials that support the personal and intellectual enrichment of the University Community.
Intellectual Freedom
In supporting educational programs, the Library attempts to purchase materials representing a wide variety of viewpoints. No censorship is exercised on materials of a controversial nature or because of the unpopularity of an author's point of view or mode of expression.
Selection Guidelines
The primary goal is to acquire materials that support the curriculum.
The Library purchases books based upon the following considerations:
The most important factor in a purchase decisions is circulation. Will the book be used? But an attempt is also made to maintain a core collection that represents the current scholarship of the disciplines being taught at NU.
The Library normally purchases current materials and does not attempt to build or maintain extensive discipline-specific historical collections (that is, we don’t attempt to maintain materials that document the history of a discipline).
For most disciplines we don't acquire the most specialized materials until our users request them, and then we buy those materials (books, DVDs, or individual articles).
In pre-selecting books and media, we focus on developing high circulation areas, which tends to cluster in General Education disciplines.
The Library does not usually purchase textbooks, except in disciplines that are textbook oriented. Duplicates are only purchased in subject areas of high circulation.
The Library acquires primarily English language materials. Exceptions to this are foreign language dictionaries and materials that are used in the teaching of foreign languages.
Weeding
We usually withdraw books from the collection that have not circulated in 10 years provided that they are not core to the discipline or classics. We are careful not to employ this guideline when evaluating oversize and other books likely to be used in-house rather than checked out.
The Library encourages its users to suggest books for the collection and will consider acquiring them on a case-by-case basis.
Graphic Novel Collection
This collection consists of a selection of bestselling and award winning graphic novels. Typically, the Library will acquire the first volume in a series to get readers started but not acquire entire runs.
Recreational Reading Collection
The purpose of the Recreational Reading Collection is to provide access to newly published books that enlighten, entertain, or amuse.
The Recreational Reading Collection consists of a selection of current and recent bestsellers (mostly fiction but some nonfiction as well) and some recent book award winners. The Library tends to acquire standalone fiction rather than series fiction.