This document represents a uniform and consistent Collection Development Policy for the BA libraries.
The Policy should be a living document, thus it requires updating on an ongoing basis. It is easiest if this is scheduled on a regular basis, e.g. annually, as an item on the agenda of a meeting of the concerned library units. Such updating needs to be noted in the title page and page footers of the document and within the "Amendment History" section below, to assure users that the most current version is always available.
There will also be, at certain times, requests for changes to be made to the Collection Development Policy by members of the library's board, library personnel, or concerned citizens. This is a good indicator of an ongoing interest in the Policy being a relevant document to which all can refer for various aspects of their professional work or personal interest. However, the elements of the Policy need to remain consistent in format and content. Keeping the above factors in mind, the following procedures are to be followed:
All suggestions for changes to the present format should be submitted to the Head of Collection Development.
Suggestions for change which appear reasonable to the Head of Collection Development should then be discussed with the concerned library units.
Suggestions for change should be agreed to by a majority of library units as well as the Chief Librarian.
Once a change to the format has been approved, all individual sections of the policy should be modified accordingly by the staff member(s) responsible for updating the Policy. This must be done within a reasonable period of time (not more than three months) in order to retain the consistent appearance of the entire document.
The different library sections represented in this document should examine the relevant sections of the policy on at least an annual basis.
Proposed changes should be agreed on by a majority of library units as well as the Chief Librarian.
Changes to the policy should be made in a timely manner and their nature indicated in the "history" statement of the document.
If the document requires no updating then a statement to this effect is also noted on the "history" statement of the document.
First draft submitted for revision on December 2004.