2. Selection. The library will prioritise the purchase of material to support the university’s programmes and research specialisms. Academic Librarians will work closely with academic staff, researchers and students to identify the best content to meet their needs. Selection decisions will be evidence led, using NSS data, module evaluations, new programmes/deletions, student voice, reading list requirements and usage data. Selection will also consider sustainability and supply chain emissions for both print and digital content.
2.1. Academic staff should use the University’s online reading list system to specify resources required for their modules, and this data will be used to lead purchasing. Please see Reading List Guides for Staff, including considerations and best practice for Reading List Diversity.
2.2. New database and journal subscriptions will be evidence led and considered semesterly by the Library Collection Management Group, with programme teams represented via their Academic Librarian.
3. E-first. The library operates an e-first approach. This means we will prioritise the purchase of electronic resources, where available, to maximise access. E-first does not mean e-only.
4. Access. The library will select material prioritising the following access criteria:
4.1. Simultaneous and multiuser access
4.2. Off-campus availability
4.3. Free from restrictive Digital Rights Management (DRM), where possible
4.4. Accessible for students with additional needs, supplemented by the use of RNIB Bookshare and the Alternative Formats Service for print disabled students, where applicable.
4.5. Easily discovered via NELSON
4.6. Easily integrated into NILE and online reading lists
5. Licensing. The library will:
5.1. Purchase resources on an institutional licence (a shared library model) to enable resource sharing across the institution.
5.2. Purchase electronic material in perpetuity, where appropriate for the subject discipline, to build an asset base and a financially sustainable e-collection.
5.3. Aim to negotiate licences that cover use by our Partner students and staff, where relevant.
6. Print Material and Digitisation
6.1. Material will continue to be sourced in print, if available, where: the cost of the e-version is prohibitive; an e-version is not available; the item is indicated as essential on a reading list; the item does not meet the access criteria in section 4; in response to an evidenced demand for a specific title as print; or upon request from a student with an additional need.
6.2. Key readings can be digitised upon request under the University’s Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) licence and made accessible via online reading lists.
7. Interlibrary Loans. Most scholarly material not available from the University of Northampton can be sourced via interlibrary loan.
8. Donations. Donated print material will only be accepted if it is of significant value to the research or teaching needs of the institution. The library reserves the right to dispose of unwanted donated material.
9. Resource Management and Disposal. The management and removal of resources is based on their usage, their relevance to the current curriculum, their integration into reading lists and their value to active staff research. Disposal will use sustainable approaches, prioritising re-homing or re-use in the first instance, then recycling.
