Collection Development Plan

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for developing, maintaining, and planning the collections of the James Addison Jones Library at Greensboro College. The plan addresses missions and goals of the Library and the College, faculty and staff responsibilities, collection development, acquisitions, gifts and donations, and remote access via electronic resources.

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About the college

DESCRIPTION

Founded in 1838, Greensboro College provides undergraduate and graduate students a private liberal-arts education that fosters learning in the classroom and prepares individuals for their future careers and lives after graduation.  Greensboro College provides a coeducational and independent learning atmosphere with approximately 1,000 undergraduate students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia and seven foreign countries.  The college features 45 full-time faculty who teach 42 majors and more than 1,000 different courses directly to students.

Greensboro College sits on more than 60 total acres of land including the main tree-lined campus in a historical district that borders downtown Greensboro.  It is a Yellow Ribbon school and is also designated as a Military Friendly school.  The 18-sport NCAA Division III athletic program is nationally recognized and a member of the USA South Conference.  The college is also affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

The Greensboro College 2022-2027 Strategic Plan: Path to Distinction can be found here.

MISSION statement

Greensboro College, a liberal-arts institution grounded in Methodist tradition of inclusivity, encourages students to pursue a path toward their intellectual, personal, and spiritual goals in life, career, and community as leaders and advocates for a more just world.

VISION statement

Greensboro College faculty, staff and students strive to think critically, act justly, and live faithfully.

HONOR CODE

All academic endeavors at Greensboro College are based on the expectation and assumption that each student will uphold the highest principles of honesty and fairness.  This expectation and assumption finds expression in the Academic Honor Code, which every student is committed to uphold.

• Every student is honor-bound to refrain from cheating.
• Every student is honor-bound to refrain from plagiarizing.
• Every student is honor-bound to refrain from lying.
• Every student is honor-bound to refrain from misusing library, laboratory or computer equipment or materials.
• Every student is honor-bound to refrain from disruptive classroom behavior.
• Every student is honor-bound to comply strictly with all examination and testing procedures as may be prescribed by the College, the faculty, or individual members of the faculty.
• Every student is honor-bound to report Academic Honor Code violations.

Academic Calendar

Greensboro College has fall and spring semesters as well as summer sessions. Short sessions within each term accommodate special programs.

Enrollment

Annually, approximately 900 to 1,000 students are enrolled at Greensboro College.  86% are undergraduates and 14% are graduate students.  79% of undergraduate students and 42% of graduate students are enrolled fulltime.  The college also has slightly more male students than female students.

The race and ethnicity makeup of the undergraduate student population is:

• White (45%)
• Black or African American (34%)
• Hispanic/Latino (7%)
• Unknown (7%)
• Two or More Races (6%)
• Asian (1%)

84% of undergraduate students are under 25 years old and 15% are 25 or older. 1% is unknown.  Most students are in-state (70%) compared to 30% who are out-of-state.

59% of undergraduates are not enrolled in any distance education courses.  37% are enrolled in some distance education and 4% are only enrolled in distance education.

For graduate students, 94% are only enrolled in distance education courses and 6% are not enrolled in any distance education courses.

Faculty

As of fall 2021, Greensboro College employed 45 fulltime faculty members and 61 part time faculty members.

Advising & Counseling

Faculty advisors, academic and personal counseling, career counseling, and preprofessional guidance in various fields, including dentistry, education, health sciences, law, medicine, theology and veterinary medicine.

Faculty advisors are assigned to each student, typically during their second semester at the college based on their major. If a student changes their major, they are reassigned to a new advisor within that field. Advisors assist students with academic planning, class schedules, interpreting policies and procedures at the college, and tracking program completion or graduation.

Traditional first-year students are enrolled in the Student Success Navigators Program (SSNP) to help ease the transition between high school and college.

The Office of Academic Accessibility facilitates success for all students through ongoing support. The office advocates for students with disabilities and promotes awareness of disability issues throughout campus. Students with documented learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and more are encouraged to disclose this information to the Office of Academic Accessibility in order to receive accommodations and services tailored to their needs. Examples include:

• Extended time on tests.
• Use of technological supports in the Blackwell Learning Lab.
• Testing in an environment with reduced distractions.
• Ability to record lectures.
• Reader or scribe for tests.
• Residential and dining service accommodations.

Undergraduate Degree Programs

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music Education, and Bachelor of Science.

AVAILABLE Majors

Accounting; Art Education; Biology; Biology-Allied Health in Radiologic Technology; Business Administration & Economics; Chemistry; Criminal Justice; Data Science; Education (Birth-Kindergarten, Elementary, Health & Physical, History, Mathematics, Middle Grades Language Arts/Mathematics/Science/Social Studies, Music, General & Adapted Special Education); English & Communication Studies; English Education; English; Exercise & Sport Studies; Games & Interactive Media; Health Science; History; History-Political Science; History-Religion; Human Development & Family Science; Mathematics; Music; Painting & Drawing; Political Science; Psychology; Public Health; Religion; Sculpture; Sociology; Studio Art; Supply Chain Management; Theatre.

AVAILABLE MINORs

Accounting; Biblical Studies; Business Administration & Economics; Business Analytics; Chemistry; Child & Family Studies; Christian Ethics; Coaching; Communication; Creative Writing; Criminal Justice; Dance; Data Science; English; Exercise Science; Games & Interactive Media; Health Sciences; Human Factors; Legal Administration; Mathematics; Music; Philosophy; Political Science; Psychology; Religion; Sociology; Sports Communication; Supply Chain Management; Theatre.

Teacher Licensure

Initial licensure is offered in the following areas: birth through kindergarten education (B-K), elementary education (K-6); middle grades education (6-9); comprehensive 2 Greensboro College Undergraduate Academic Catalog 2021-2022 science, English, mathematics, and social studies; and K-12 education in art, health/physical education, music, special education general curriculum, special education adapted curriculum, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (see details in the Greensboro College Graduate Academic Catalog), and theatre.

Special Programs

Ethics Across the Curriculum, Greensboro College Seminar, George Center for Honors Studies, First-Year Composition Program, Legal Administration certificate, online degree completion programs, and consortium arrangements.

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About the library

James Addison Jones Library

The James Addison Jones Library supports the academic and social community of Greensboro College through a provision of collections totaling over 300,000 print and digital books, over 27,000 print and digital journals, sound and video recordings, and music scores. These materials reflect the College’s curriculum, promote information literacy and learning amongst a diverse student body, and support faculty teaching, research, and scholarship.

Collections include the Levy-Loewenstein Holocaust Collection and Curriculum Materials Center (CMC). The Levy-Loewenstein Holocaust Collection contains over 1,400 publications, art, and artifacts pertaining to the Holocaust and Holocaust history. The CMC houses resources for teacher education faculty and students.

The Jones Library is open about 75 hours per week during the academic year. Staff members are happy to provide reference service, individual and small group instruction, interlibrary loan service, and assistance with other information needs. Greensboro College participates in NC LIVE, a statewide initiative providing access to electronic resources as well as the Triad Area Library Association (TALA). TALA is an agreement between Triad area libraries to extend borrowing privileges to the students, faculty, and staff of all participating Triad libraries.  The library is also a member of the Carolina Consortium.

MISSION STATEMENT

The James Addison Jones Library supports the academic and social community of Greensboro College and its mission through a provision of collections, services, and facilities that reflect the College’s curriculum. The library promotes information literacy and learning amongst a diverse student body and supports faculty teaching, research, and scholarship.

collection Overview

The James Addison Jones Library collection supports the mission of Greensboro College and reflects the dual traditions of liberal arts and the Judeo-Christian faith. The collections and resources of the Library support and enhance the curriculum of Greensboro College, including the core requirements, academic majors, and the programs.

BUDGET

The budget of the Jones Library includes funding for electronic resources, serials, standing orders, and monographs, as well as binding services. The budget must also cover general library supplies such as paper for student printing. The Library Director administers the annual budget and allocates funds for all library expenditures.

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Roles & responsibilities

library director

The Library Director oversees all library operations and administers the library’s annual operating budget. Their duties also include managing and supervising library professional and support staff, overseeing library space policy and use of library space. The Library Director is responsible for consulting with college faculty and staff to determine library resources and developing programs and policies in support the college’s academic programs overall.

Reference & Instruction Librarian

The Reference & Instruction Librarian provides Greensboro College students, faculty, and staff with research assistance in a variety of formats. This position is responsible for creating support materials for students and teaching library instructional classes in close collaboration with instructors. The Reference & Instruction Librarian participates in college-wide programs and represents the library in an effective and professional manner.

Library Specialist

The Library Specialist works in many areas of the library including providing instruction, reference assistance, and assisting with acquisitions and the processing and copy-cataloging of library materials. The Library Specialist also joins the rest of the library staff in covering the service desk.

Other Library Staff Members

All Library staff members provide reference service and are in a position to become aware of student and faculty needs. All Library staff members participate in the collection development process by bringing gaps in the collection or materials that should be acquired or weeded to the attention of the Library Director.

STUDENT EMPLOYEES

The Library typically hires 2-3 Student Employees via the Federal Workstudy Program. Student Employee responsibilities include shelving, designing book displays, assisting at the service desk, providing input on library events through the LEAP group, and other duties as assigned.

When possible, the Library will hire Student Employees over the summer as well.

Faculty Members

Faculty input is essential to maintaining a collection that supports and enhances the curriculum of Greensboro College. All faculty are strongly encouraged to forward all suggested material they wish to have added to the collection to the Library Director for consideration. Faculty also participate in weeding, periodicals assessment, collection assessment, and the evaluation and selection of electronic resources.

Students and staff members

Students and staff members are encouraged to suggest Library purchases. The Jones Library take student suggestions very seriously and, when suggestions are pertinent to college curriculum, the Library Director may choose to purchase suggested materials.

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LIBRARY policies

BANNED BOOKS

weeding/Withdrawal of materials

Withdrawal of library materials is consistent with the goals as listed in the library mission statement.

Obvious candidates for withdrawal from the library collection include:

• Additional copies when extra copies aren’t warranted.
• Superseded editions not held for academic or historic reasons.
• Titles not circulated for an extended period of time.
• Material containing outdated information.
• Material damaged beyond repair.
• Items missing for an extended period of time.
• Curriculum Materials Center textbooks more than ten years old.

Decisions for withdrawal of materials will be made based on the judgment of Jones Library’s Librarians. Faculty input may also be considered.

Evaluation of collection and identification of weaknesses

Jones Library staff will work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to evaluate the Library’s collection. Evaluation mechanisms may include comparing Jones Library’s collection against standard lists such as those in Books for College Libraries, lists of prize-winning books for adults and children, outstanding book lists, and bibliographies published for specific disciplines. Gaps are filled through the Library’s Acquisitions budget.

The collections and resources of Jones Library support and enhance the curriculum of Greensboro College, including the core requirements, academic majors, and the program of lifelong learning. Materials reflect an effort to represent the historic as well as the current, a range of languages and literatures, a spectrum of political and social views, and a grounding in biblical tradition. To the extent possible, the collections and resources of the library support faculty teaching, research, and scholarship, reflect the history and traditions of Greensboro College, and support the personal growth and development and recreational needs of students.

Jones Library does not have a program in which funds are allocated to specific departments for purchasing library materials, however academic departments are strongly encouraged to make suggests on new materials to The Library Director.

Materials that are purchased by request from individuals or departments are to be housed in the Library and will be accessible to all members of the Greensboro College community, in accordance with circulation policies. Materials to be housed in academic departments outside the library, including books and audiovisual material, must be purchased from the requesting department’s own budget.

Material Selection

Jones Library’s Librarians select materials for the collection after consulting reviews, bibliographies, recommended lists, or publishers’ catalogs and considering the following:

• Relevance to the curriculum or interest of the Greensboro College community
• Quality of the text and illustrations
• Authority (e.g. of author, publisher, editor)
• Contribution of the item to the existing collection
• Availability for consortia or interlibrary loan borrowing.

Materials selected are those with high standards of quality in content and format, and should support the stated goals of the Library and the College.

Multiple copies

The Library generally does not order multiple copies of books or journals. Occasionally, the Library will purchase or add an additional copy of a book that is in great demand on a permanent basis. The Library specifically does not purchase multiple copies of reserve materials unless the need for multiple copies is expected to continue. Library staff identify lost, missing, and damaged items and consider replacement.

Retrospective collection development

The amount of material purchased to fill gaps in the collection is contingent on the availability of funds in the acquisitions budget.

Gaps in the collection come to our attention through interactions at the Reference Desk, reviews, examination of bibliographies, interlibrary loan requests, syllabi, “best books” lists, articles, and other resources.

The Library Director generally initiates these purchases. Because our collection is to be actively used by the Greensboro College community, the Library does not usually purchase rare books, collectors’ items, or other materials in need of protection or special handling.

Textbooks

The Library does not usually purchase textbooks for the general collection or to place on reserve, unless the book is a reference source, survey, literary work, or other publication that will be of lasting value to the collection. Jones Library does receive a copy of each K-12 state adopted textbook used by Guilford County Schools. Because of their agreement with the State of North Carolina, publishers of state adopted textbooks must deposit one copy of each adopted textbook with each institution that offers a teacher education program. Jones Library’s collections are housed in the Education materials, found in the Reference Room.

Book format

Jones Library purchases hardcover books when they are available. The Greensboro College Community does have access to electronic books (e-books) through NC LIVE and the Jones Library does not actively duplicate in print those books available as e-books through NC LIVE. NC LIVE resources, including electronic books are available through links on the Jones Library website. The Library makes information on how to gain access to them available to faculty, staff, and students. All NC LIVE resources and most other electronic resources offered through the Jones Library are accessible off-campus through a proxy server login. The library has a collection of newspapers and journals on microfilm, but does not actively maintain the microfilm collection.

The library also purchases electronic and audiobooks through Libby. Non Print collections include music CDs and laptops.

Suggestions for purchase

All members of the Greensboro College Community may recommend items for purchase any time by contacting the Library Director by email, phone, or in-person.

Standing orders

Standing orders are funded through the Library’s acquisitions budget.

Periodicals

Periodicals in the Library live in two locations. The Library does not collect print periodicals with only a few exceptions for popular periodicals. Popular periodicals, located on the main floor in the reference room consist of local and national newspapers and popular magazines.

Thousands of periodicals are available in full text through NC-LIVE and other electronic databases available to the Greensboro College community. These databases are accessible off-campus via the Greensboro College Proxy Server. (Access requires a valid College email). Periodicals may be acquired in print or electronic format or both, determined through consultation with faculty in appropriate disciplines. When electronic periodicals are acquired through aggregators, the Library will cancel print versions only after consultation with the appropriate faculty members. The Library will make access to electronic journals as seamless as possible for faculty.

New journal subscriptions

New journal subscriptions must be approved by the Library Director. Generally, the Library does not place new subscriptions for journals that are available electronically through databases such as NCLIVE, ProQuest, or Lexis-Nexis but length of retention and embargoes will be taken in consideration.

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Collections

Main Circulating Collection

The library has a main circulating collection of approximately 63,000 circulating items. These circulating items are located on the four floors of the stacks and are accessible from the main floor and the lower level of the library. The main circulating collection includes all fields of study and is easily accessible using location guides posted throughout the library. Materials located in the Main Circulating Collection are checked out for 30 days.

Reference Collection

The Reference Collection is located in the Reference Room on the main floor of the library and houses 2,400 print resources such as encyclopedias, indexes, statistical sources, critical reviews, law research materials, biographical information, and subject specific dictionaries and encyclopedias. The Library also subscribes to electronic references sources that are available both on and off campus. For more information about this collection visit the Reference Desk in the main lobby. The Reference Collection consist of materials needed for:

• consultation, rather than cover-to-cover reading,
• identifying specific pieces of information,
• answering reference questions, and
• identifying resources for further reading.

Reference materials are selected based on the best judgment of Jones Library’s Librarian and by suggestions from teaching faculty, other library staff members, or students. Most reference materials circulate for 7 days with some exceptions.

Reserves COLLECTION

Professors place supplemental readings and other materials for their courses on Reserve so that all students in the class will have access to them. Reserve items are available at the Circulation Desk, on the main floor of the library. Reserve materials can include sample tests, solutions manuals, books, videos, study guides, periodicals, photocopied articles, computer software, and many other items.

Because instructors consider student access to reserve materials important, these materials are held where all students will have a chance to examine them for limited periods of time. Reserve items can be loaned out for 3 hours, 24 hours, or 7 days at the behest of the faculty member adding the item to reserve. The faculty member adding the reserve item can also decide if students may take the item out of the library or not.

The Library does not purchase items for Reserve and the number of items in the Reserves Collection varies based on the academic year.

The Library follows Greensboro College’s Fair Use guidelines in determining what materials can be placed on Reserve. The Library does not place on Reserve items acquired through Interlibrary Loan or checked out from another Library. The Library will place an instructor’s personal copy of an item on reserve, with the understanding that the Library will not be responsible for loss or damage.

Music Library

The Music Library Collection is located at one end of the Reference Room on the main floor of the Library. This collection provides access to thousands of circulating musical scores, compact discs, LPs, and phonograph recordings. Media stations are available for in-house listening, but compact discs and phonographs may also be checked out.

Curriculum Materials Center (CMC)

The CMC, located within the Reference Room on the main level of the library, houses nearly 4,000 resources for teacher education faculty and students. Materials include professional literature, juvenile books, activity books, curriculum guides, videos, kits, and North Carolina state-adopted textbooks.

Levy-Loewenstein Holocaust Collection

The Levy-Loewenstein Holocaust Collection was established by Richard and Jane Levy to provide Greensboro College students with a complete and up-to-date collection of publications on Holocaust history. As of spring 2023, the collection featured approximately 1,700 books in the collection.  The Levy-Loewenstein Holocaust Collection is located on the top floor of the Library. Additions to the Levy-Loewenstein Collection are made by donation. Levy-Loewenstein materials are available for 30 day check out.

Theses & DISSERTATIONS COLLECTION

The Theses & Dissertations Collection at Greensboro College contains theses of students from the Greensboro College TESOL program. The collection is located on the main floor of the library in the Learning Commons area. Theses check out for 30 days.  During the pandemic, the library discontinued purchasing physical copies of student theses and dissertations and currently offers digital copies in the GC Theses & Dissertations Collection.

Electronic Resources

Jones Library librarians select electronic resources including both databases and websites to make available to the Greensboro College community through the “E-Resources/Databases” section of the Library website. Thousands of periodicals are available in full text through NC-LIVE and other electronic databases available to the Greensboro College community. These databases are accessible off-campus via the Greensboro College Proxy Server. (Access requires a valid College email).

Recreational Reading COLLECTION

The Recreational Reading collection is located in the Reference Room area of the library.  It currently features approximately 800 books for patrons to check out. Recreational Reading materials check out for 30 days.

Graphic Novels COLLECTION

The Graphic Novel collection is located in the Learning Commons and feature approximately 400 materials. Graphic Novels in this collection can be checked out for 30 days.

SCRIPTS COLLECTION

The Scripts Collection is one of the library’s most popular areas of circulation.  It is located in the Learning Commons and features nearly 2,000 scripts that can be checked out for 30 days.

laptop COLLECTION

The library’s Laptop Collection currently houses 47 Acer Chromebooks, 37 Lenovo Laptops, and 6 MacBook Pros for students to check out.  Patrons can check out their device for up to 30 days and they are eligible for renewal.  All laptops are due back at the end of the semester during which they were checked out.  Devices can be reserved in advance by completing the Rental Request Form. Walk-ins are also accepted. All check-outs are handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Patrons are responsible for the cost of replacing any laptop device that is returned with damages considered beyond normal wear and tear. The extent of the damage is evaluated by the Library Director in conjunction with the Greensboro College IT department.

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Committees & groups

The Faculty Affairs Committee serves as the library committee. A librarian is a permanent member of the faculty affairs committee with voting rights.

The Library also has a representative at the Curriculum and Instruction Committee (CIC) as well as the Institutional Assessment Committee (IAC).

Library employees participate in a weekly meeting lead by the Library Director. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss new policies, workflow, resources, and services among other topics. During these meetings, the Library Events and Planning (LEAP) group plans and reflects on events and activities hosted by the Library. Greensboro College faculty and staff outside of the library and invited to join as well, when necessary.

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donations

Gifts

Gifts may be accepted which are consistent with collection development goals. Once a gift of a collection of books has been received, Library staff may choose to dispose of the books or other materials as they see fit. Materials not consistent with the Library’s collection development goals may be:

• offered to the Greensboro College community via the Free Shelf.
• sold to used bookstores,
• sent to charities such as Better World Books, or
• discarded.

Gifts that are cataloged and added to the collection will be classified and shelved according to their call numbers. The Library does not keep gift books together in one place, but places them on our shelves according to their classification.

Memorial books are donated to the Library or purchased with funds given to the Library to commemorate an individual or individuals. Memorial books include a bookplate commemorating the individual in whose name the book was donated. Like other gift books, memorial books are shelved according to their classification rather than kept in one place.

Resources may also be obtained through conference giveaways (e.g. The ALA Marketplace).

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DOCUMENT resources

American Library Association. (2006, June 30). Library bill of rights. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

American Library Association. (2006, July 26). The freedom to read statement. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement

American Library Association. (2006, September 6). Intellectual freedom principles for academic libraries: An interpretation of the library bill of rights. http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/intellectual

American Library Association. (2007, May 29). Freedom to view statement. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomviewstatement

Greensboro College. (2022). Academics. https://www.greensboro.edu/academics/

Greensboro College. (2022). History, vision & mission. https://www.greensboro.edu/about/history-mission-vision

Greensboro College. (2022). Path to distinction. https://www.greensboro.edu/about/strategic-plan/

National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Greensboro College. https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=greensboro+college&s=all&id=198598#programs

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CONTACT THE LIBRARY

Email: library@greensboro.edu

Phone: (336) 272-7102 x5241

Library Chat: Click the icon in the lower right of your screen to chat with a Greensboro College librarian from anywhere.