Deselection, retention and disposal guidelines

Deselection of resources

Deselection of library materials is an important collection management activity to ensure library resources are fit for purpose and responsive to change. Active management of the collections ensures that resources remain current and relevant to the teaching, learning and research activities within the University and ensure the high quality of the collection.

Library collections are regularly reviewed in line with the Collection Governance Framework.

General principles of deselection

• No longer relevant to the teaching, learning and research activities of the University

• Outdated, superseded, inaccurate, or not fit-for-purpose material

• Resources in formats that have become technologically redundant including audiotapes, VHS etc.

• Damaged or badly worn physical material

• Print titles where an online equivalent is held where it does not impact access, usability and accessibility to the resource

• Incomplete, patchy or short runs of serial titles

• Duplicate holdings of low-use or superseded titles

• Multiple copies of reading list materials once their relevance to the teaching curriculum ends

Principles for retention

Some material is ineligible for deselection and must be retained. In general, this includes material on current reading lists, core or seminal works, rare or last copy items, items replaced imperfectly by electronic formats or where electronic formats hinder some bone fide uses.

Disposal of library materials

Items that have been deselected will be disposed of according to the following guidelines:

• The library does not offer discarded items for sale as they are normally superseded or out of date and have minimal commercial value.

• Items with minimal commercial value and no other uses will be disposed of according to the University's usual disposal practices. Disposal of items will be undertaken as efficiently and cost effectively as possible

• Any request for the library to donate discarded materials to charity organisations supporting less developed countries needs very careful consideration. Factors to consider include the out-of-date nature of most deselected materials, the specific requirements and criteria of the intended recipient (normally for current and relevant content) and the expense of sorting and transporting print materials. Any requests by charities should be referred to the library.

• Requests by individuals for items flagged for disposal will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A written request stating the specific reasons can be submitted to the library for consideration by the Senior Manager, Collections. If the reason for retention relates to the teaching, learning or research activities of the University, then the material may be retained in the library or more current materials acquired to replace any superseded items.