Collections Development Policy

UOF library material collection purpose is to offer information about general interest and needs of Fujairah community and UOF community but first of all to support university activities like teaching, learning and research needs of the current curriculum of each section. UOF policies and strategies for the library collection development are defined and updated by the manager of the library by removing from the library outdated materials, selection and acquisitions of more/new materials in consultation with the Library Review Committee. The goal of UOF library’s collection development effort is to build collections that support the needs of UOF programs, the faculty, and the entire Fujairah community. This collection development system reinforces the UOF and Library missions. The Library also recognizes its responsibility to respond to the research needs of the faculty. It will continue to do this through its commitment to providing access services including electronic databases. This policy provides a framework for the original principles and guidelines in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and maintenance of library resources. It also helps to communicate the Library policies concerning goals and methods to faculty, students, staff, and users. As academic programs, information needs, and technology change, the Library remains committed to meeting new information demands.

The library collections aim to fulfill the following objectives:

• Provide the best and enough, varied, and relevant materials like electronic and printed resources to support all university courses and programs
• Support and availability of appropriate resources in order to assist each university section in their teaching functions.
• Update the collection of printed and electronic materials to provide program delivery in the library.
• Upgrading general interest electronic and printed materials for the overall enrichment of the Fujairah Community and UOF community.
• Outsource and develop reference collections that allow UOF library to provide the best information services to the users in support of instruction and operations.
• Support users in continuing education program with resources to support career upgrading
• Outsourcing and maintaining copies of textbooks that are required to support university courses, extra teaching material and curriculum.
• Offering available materials in order to support users in research requirement of faculties programs and subjects offered by UOF.
• Development of UOF archival material and properly maintain the data base in addition to the existing materials

Monographs will be collected according to the following criteria:

• Quality of the work and appropriate academic level.
• As per the academic programs and subjects, training and researching programs, or service activities of UOF.
• Expectation of use.
  1. Paperback editions are collected for high temporary use materials.
  2. Paperbacks will also be collected when the format is the only one available or the price is much higher than the cloth edition.
  3. Substantively different editions may be collected if required

4. Unabridged editions are preferred over abridged editions as there is no rule of collection. There is an exception when the original edition is no longer available in the market.
5. If required reprint editions are sometimes purchased when original editions are no longer available or are too much expensive
6. Collections of journal articles published as monographs may be purchased when the   library system does not own the journal in paper format or electronic format.
7. Spiral editions or loose-leaf editions are not preferred formats by the library.  Only important materials available in these formats only will be collected and only if necessary required.

Weeding is the process of removing materials from the library’s collection, to make shelf-space for new acquisitions in idea of upgrading and maintenance of current academically relevant collection. Removing printed and non-printed materials from library collection will be done on a regular and ongoing basis following factors:

•  Duplicate copies that are in demand.
•  Unnecessary materials and not part of the required subject collection.
•  Materials with no historical value.
•  Inaccurate or uncomplete or outdated information.
•  Damaged material that cost of repair outweighs the value of the resources.
•  Damaged and/or replacement can be easily purchased from the current market.

Damaged, missing, lost or worn-out library materials will be replaced based on the     following criteria:

•  Material that planned to be replaced meets the general UOF library collection policy criteria.
•  Frequently of material in use justifies replacement.
•  Material is used for specific class reserve reading or/and is on a faculty recommended reading list.
•  Material is not available in any other format in UOF library.

Library employees will be familiarized and periodically trained in the proper care of library materials, especially for certain not-print formats. UOF library users will be always informed about the proper care and handling of those items when the case.

•  Library in charge will ensure that temperature and humidity controls are optimal for maintenance of library materials.
•  Some of damaged materials that cannot be replaced are subject for being repaired when the decision is made to retain the item.