LIBRARY POLICY FOR SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
1
Mission.
1.1
General Mission of the Library.
The primary mission of the San José
State University Library is to support the academic life of the University.
The heart of the Library's mission is academic research and curricular support,
broadly defined. First, it makes resources available to students who conduct
research related to their curriculum. By teaching students how to retrieve
information from the worlds' repositories of knowledge, it helps to make them
self‑reliant and informed citizens. Second, it helps faculty conduct
research necessary for the preparation of classes as well as scholarly research
that expands human wisdom and knowledge. By aiding the faculty and students in
these ways, the Library makes a major contribution to the well being of both
our local and universal communities.
SJSU also recognizes the
desirability of encouraging the pursuit of knowledge by all people, and
therefore makes its library resources as widely available as is consistent with
its primary mission of service to its academic community.
1.2
Mission of the Library Collection.
The Library Collection Development
Program’s primary objective is to acquire materials that are essential to the
University’s academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The
Library collects information resources in all formats (e.g., books,
periodicals, microforms, software, recordings, electronic formats, etc.).
Aware of the increasing diversity of the University’s students, faculty, and
programs, the Library acquires multicultural materials and works which present
a variety of viewpoints.
The Library Collection Development
Program’s secondary objectives are to support
1) the research needs of San José State University faculty and 2) the
informational needs of the University community and the citizens of California. The Library recognizes a responsibility to maintain a collection of materials
unique to San José State University as the oldest public institution of higher
education in California. The Library collection complements and is
supplemented by other materials available within the CSU and from other
libraries.
2
Governance.
2.1
Administrative authority and officers.
2.1.1
The administration of the Library is vested in the Board of Trustees of
the California State University, who have delegated this authority to the
President of San José State University. The Board has also mandated that the
Academic Senate shall be the primary advisory body on the academic mission of
the Library, which in turn vests this advisory function in its committee
structure and its policy recommendations.
2.1.2
The Library is an essential resource for the Academic division of the
University and vital to the curriculum of the University, and is in the
administrative charge of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
who is the chief academic officer of the University.
2.1.3
The Library Director reports to the Provost and is responsible, through
personnel and budget administration, for the effectiveness of the Library’s
operations, the quality of its collections, the competence of its staff, its
governance, and additional programs assigned by the Provost. The Library Director,
equivalent to an academic dean, serves on the Council of Deans as well as
appropriate faculty, administrative, or Library committees. The Library
Director works closely with all the Associate Vice Presidents in Academic
Affairs and must insure that the plans of the Library are consistent with the
overall academic policies and mission of the University. The Library Director
works closely with the City Librarian in coordinating those library operations
and facilities that are shared jointly with the City, and sees that academic
needs are supported by the relationship. The Library Director provides
leadership to the faculty and staff of the Library and facilitates
communication and collegiality between the general faculty and the Library.
The Library Director works with the Academic Senate and its committees to
formulate and revise University Policy concerning the Library.
2.2
Shared resources. San José State University shall seek to maximize its
library resources by sharing a facility with the City Library, subject to
reciprocity and to the limits imposed by academic needs. The academic needs of
San José State University shall be considered absolutely primary in the
implementation and administration of any or all library agreements by SJSU personnel.
2.3
Name of the library organization. The name of the library supporting
the academic mission of the University shall be the San José State University
Library. This refers to the organizational entity and the academic collection
of materials, and will be reflected on all official correspondence by
University library personnel. This library may be housed in a physical
facility with a different name which reflects a shared use of a building, which
should be named in a manner consistent with University Policy and Trustee
policy.
2.4
Administration and shared resources. All decisions that are properly
shared with the City Library will be made according to the governing
agreements, with University participation in the decisions conforming as
closely as possible to the procedures described in this policy.
2.5
Charge of the Library Committee.
2.5.1
The Library Committee advises and assists the Library Director on
matters concerning the academic role of the Library.
2.5.2
It serves as liaison between faculty and students and the Library
administration, faculty, and staff; examines the relationships between the
Library and the general faculty, the various colleges and the programs of the
University, for the purpose of recommending improvements in Library services,
as well as the stature of the Library.
2.5.3
It recommends ways of assuring the stewardship of the Library’s various
collections of materials.
2.5.4
It recommends ways of assuring that the Library provides an atmosphere
appropriate to quiet study and research.
2.5.5
It widely consults representatives from all groups and disciplines who
use the Library’s support for curriculum and research, so as to advise the
Library Director on campus needs for the Library’s collections and academic
services, and receives periodic reports on the Library’s progress and
expenditures toward meeting those needs.
2.5.6
It meets periodically with the City of San José Library Commission as
“The Joint Library Committee” for purposes of sharing information regarding the
Joint Library, and it appoints three of its members (at least two of whom shall
be faculty) to a “Joint Library Subcommittee” to serve with an equal number of
City Library Commissioners to advise the Co-Managers of the Joint facility on
policy issues related to joint affairs, as listed in 4.2.3 of the “Operating
Agreement.”
2.5.7
It may, with the cooperation of the Library, sponsor events within the
Library that bring members of the University community together with other
citizens of the region for discourse on subjects of common scholarly and
literary interest.
2.5.8
It conducts periodic reviews of this policy and makes recommendations
to the Academic Senate for appropriate revisions.
3
Users' Rights and Responsibilities.
3.1
Confidentiality of Patron Records.
3.1.1
The San José State University Library has the responsibility to protect
each individual library user's right to privacy with respect to information
sought or received and materials consulted, borrowed or acquired.
3.1.2
All patron records of San José State University Library are
confidential. Such records, whether print or electronic, include but are not
limited to, circulation records from any library department, interlibrary loan
requests, faculty book requests, and requests generated from online searches.
The confidential information in these records includes, but is not limited to,
subjects researched, materials consulted, individual titles borrowed, and
patron name, address and social security number.
3.1.3
The social security number serves as the campuswide identifier for both
student and faculty/staff. If library users are not willing to supply the
social security number or other campuswide identifier number assigned by the
University for use in the circulation system, the Library will not offer those
individuals borrowing privileges.
3.1.4
With the exception of persons acting within the scope of their duties
within the operation of the library, patron records are disclosed only upon
written consent of the patron involved or under court order or subpoena.
3.1.5
When an individual has urgent need for library material that has been
checked out by another, the Library staff will contact the individual who has
the material and ask the person if he/she is willing to return it immediately.
3.1.6
The Library may keep statistics to track circulation patterns based upon
user status or other factors, but this information will be aggregated and not
released with any individual identifiers.
3.2
Users of the library have a right to:
3.2.1
-- a library environment free of disruptive activity,
3.2.2
-- confidential access to library materials,
3.2.3
-- library materials that are complete and not defaced,
3.2.4
-- surroundings free from tobacco smoke, food, beverages, and resulting
problems, most notably infestation by insects and vermin,
3.2.5
-- quiet areas for individuals to study and to engage in research.
3.3
Ensuring a pleasant and productive environment for study and research
for all users requires that each user of the library follow this policy and
refrain from the following activities:
3.3.1
Talking or noise in the areas designated as quiet study areas.
3.3.2
Bringing food or beverages into the library public service areas, study
areas, and book stacks.
3.3.3
Smoking in the library.
3.3.4
Cutting, defacing, ripping, or tearing pages from any library
materials. Mutilating or destroying records, compact disks, computer software
or other library media material.
3.3.5
Removing library books, magazines, other materials, or library property
without proper library check-out.
3.3.6
Soliciting in the library, i.e., asking people for money, to sign
petitions, and so forth.
3.3.7
The University will actively pursue disciplinary action and other legal
action for the offenses listed above.
3.3.8
Persons who commit or attempt offenses as stated in this policy may be
asked to leave the library and the campus, may be subject to the sanctions of
warning, fines, restitution, forfeiture of library use, suspension, expulsion,
and prosecution, and may be accountable to the University and to city, state,
or federal authorities.
3.4
Academic freedom and freedom of information.
Recognizing the need for complete
freedom of information in an academic environment, there shall be no censorship
of any library resources within the San José State University Library.
4
Circulation.
4.1
Circulation rules, fines, borrowing periods, etc.
4.1.1
Unless otherwise indicated in this policy, all circulation categories
and rules, fines, borrowing periods, borrowing limits, recall and wait list
procedures, and all other matters necessary to assure the availability of the
collection and resources of the University Library for academic purposes shall
be set by the Library Director in consultation with the Library Committee.
4.1.2
Guidelines for circulation rules, fines, etc. The purpose of
circulation fines and rules are to assure the availability of the collection
for academic purposes. Fines should serve both as a substantial deterrent to
those who would unfairly deprive others of access to materials, and should also
provide sufficiently for the true replacement costs of any lost materials.
Lost out-of-print materials warrant a substantially higher fine than lost
in-print materials.
4.2
Faculty Loans and Charges for Library Materials.
4.2.1
Faculty/staff loan period. The loan period for faculty and staff for
regular stack books shall be until the last day of the semester in which the
books are checked out.
4.2.2
At the end of each regular semester, all regular stack books loaned to
faculty are to be returned or renewed. The library will notify faculty members
each semester of the regular stack books charged to them. Faculty may renew
books in person, by mail, or electronically.
4.2.3
Any library materials charged to a faculty member which are needed by
another University patron or are needed for reserve will be recalled and must
be returned within 14 days. For overdue recalled materials, faculty will be
charged rates similar to those charged student borrowers.
4.2.4
Faculty with outstanding fines will be blocked from remote access and
blocked from library services.
4.2.5
Faculty on leave are responsible for providing their departments with
forwarding addresses. Faculty who do not wish to receive library notices
through their departments are responsible for providing the library with their
current address. Faculty who will be beyond reach of recall notices or
otherwise unable to return materials within 14 days are responsible for
returning all library materials before leaving.
4.2.6
Temporary faculty, teaching associates, and graduate assistants who are
issued faculty identification cards and University staff will be treated as
faculty members with regard to library privileges.
4.2.7
Immediate family members of faculty may use the library by applying for
a special card at the Circulation Desk. They must observe the same rules as
apply to courtesy borrowers.
4.3
Types of circulation access.
4.3.1
General access.
General access refers to the bulk
of the academic collection, to which normal access and borrowing privileges
apply.
4.3.2
Reserve access.
Reserve access refers to readings
required by faculty for courses and examinations, which are set aside for short
term lending. SJSU faculty shall have the right to place materials on
"reserve" for short-term lending--typically 1-3 hours or several
days, as appropriate for the nature of the course or exam. The length of the
periods and the fines for failure to return the materials will be set by the
Library Director, in consultation with the Library Committee. Instructors will
be consulted to help determine the most appropriate lending period for the
reserve materials supporting their course or exam. These materials would
typically be reading either required or recommended for a particular course or
a particular examination. Reserve circulation restrictions will apply equally
to all users, including faculty.
4.3.3
Periodicals access.
Periodicals, whether new or old,
will circulate only to faculty and only for periods of three days or less, as
determined by the Library Director in consultation with the Library Committee.
4.3.4
Reference and Rare and Valuable Materials.
Books designated as reference
works, printed indexes, particularly rare or expensive scholarly texts and
similar materials should be restricted to use in the Reference Room or in Special
Collections, or placement in locked cases. Faculty may nominate titles to
their respective Selectors for transfer to Special Collections or locked cases.
4.3.5
Restricted Circulation.
Materials in high demand may
circulate under special restrictions necessary to assure their availability for
legitimate academic uses. These restrictions may include shorter lending
periods, shorter recall return periods, limited borrowing at peak academic
times, or limiting borrowing to University users only (“University use”).
Restricted materials will normally receive priority status for reshelving and
will be clearly marked upon checkout to alert borrowers of the special return
requirements and abbreviated lending period.
4.4
Procedures for Restricting the Circulation of materials in high demand.
The Operating Agreement for the
Joint Library provides the University a mechanism (the “safety clause”) to
assure that public circulation of its collection will not endanger the
Library’s primary obligation to support the academic mission of the
University. The following provisions in this University Policy outline how the
University shall go about determining whether and how to exercise this safety
clause. Two principles must guide all University decisions concerning this
matter. First, the academic mission of the Library, and support for curriculum
and research, is of primary importance. Second, in the interest of making
public resources widely available, there should be no arbitrary or unnecessary
restrictions on circulation if the academic mission of the Library is assured.
4.4.1
Circulation system. The University shall, either alone or in
conjunction with the City Library, maintain a circulation system capable of
tracking the history of use by each title in the collection, subject to the
confidentiality of patron records indicated elsewhere in this policy. The
system must be able to track the frequency and length of usage during the past
year for each item that circulates, the recall rate, and the general category
of each user of the title over that time period. It must be capable of making
this information automatically addressable so that it can be used in setting
and adjusting the circulation category for the title, and for generating data
about the usage patterns of the collection, including the usage patterns for
individual subject categories of the collection.
4.4.2
Activating circulation restrictions. The Library Director, in
consultation with the Library Committee, shall identify specific circulation
patterns, based on circulation frequency, recall frequency, and borrower
category, that will activate each form of restricted status. These patterns
shall be regularly reviewed and adjusted in order to assure that academic needs
are well served.
4.4.2.1 “High
demand” pattern. The “High demand” pattern results in reduced circulation
periods and in review by faculty to determine if the item is essential for
reserve status in order to support particular courses or exams. The City
Library will be automatically notified of University materials that are placed
on "High Demand" due to heavy non-University use, and given the
opportunity to provide appropriate mitigations for this use.
4.4.2.2 “Excessive
demand” pattern. The “Excessive demand” pattern shall be activated if items
already on “High demand” status continue to circulate at a rate that endangers
their reasonable availability for academic use, and a significant proportion of
the circulation derives from non-University use. These items will be
temporarily restricted to “University Use” for up to six months. The City
Library will automatically be informed and a request made for an appropriate
mitigation -- normally the purchase of an additional copy if the book is in
print. If no mitigation is available or the City is unable to grant the request
for mitigation before the end of the six month period, then the title will
become permanently restricted to University Use, subject to review if
additional information or developments arise. If an appropriate mitigation is
attempted and proves to be effective, then this restricted status will be
lifted.
4.4.3
Review and alternatives to the Automated Restriction process.
4.4.3.1 The
Library Director shall exercise judgment in cases where the automated
restriction process produces inappropriate, unforeseen, or undesirable results,
and shall consult the Library Committee concerning problems that arise in the
automated restriction process.
4.4.3.2 Procedure for rapid declaration of restriction.
Titles that are in high demand for reasons other than circulation history may be
preemptively placed on temporary restricted status. Normally a faculty member,
via his/her department chair, will inform the University Librarian that a
particular item or monograph should be treated as a “high demand” title either
for the balance of the semester or until the ordinary electronic process has
triggered the restricted status. The Library Director, in consultation with
the Library Committee, shall develop appropriate guidelines and a simple
procedure for implementation.
4.5
Monitoring circulation patterns.
Annual Report on Circulation
patterns. The Library Director shall report annually to the Library Committee
on the circulation patterns within the lending portion of the collection. This
report shall help monitor the number of books that qualify for various
categories of circulation usage, as well as helping to identify problem areas
and areas of high-use. The report should also be shared with library faculty
and staff and with the general faculty to inspire feedback germane to collection
development.
5
Faculty and Staff Support for the Curricular and Research Needs of the
University.
5.1
General faculty and staff support.
The academic mission of the Library
shall be advanced by specialized practices unique to a University or an
academic library setting, whenever such practices are customary in libraries of
institutions of higher education. Library faculty and staff will be enabled to
carry out academically oriented functions and shall not merge unique academic
functions and practices with the City Library.
5.2
Expert support for the curricular and research needs of the University.
The University Library shall
provide support for the curriculum and the research needs of the University by
maintaining an academically oriented reference collection and employing a
department of Library faculty to assist general faculty and students with their
curricular and research needs. The Library faculty, through formal instruction
in a classroom setting, individual appointments, at the reference desk, and
through well printed and electronic guides to selected discipline information
resources, will advise students in identifying, locating, evaluating, and
effectively communicating information required for coursework assignments, thesis
research, and other academically related research. The University Library will
establish and maintain its academic support services in such a way that
University faculty and students, who seek help for University coursework and
research, will receive the most appropriate type of assistance from qualified
University experts. For University faculty and students using services and
collections within the physical Library building, the University Library will
enable faculty and students to quickly identify services and collections
provided to meet their curricular needs. As a component within a varied mix of
services and collections, the University will provide a proximate service point
or service points with personnel qualified to assist students with the use of
the main University collection.
5.3
Professional expertise of Reference Librarians.
5.3.1
Librarians assisting SJSU students and faculty with their
curricular or research needs shall be University faculty governed by the
University Policies regarding appointment, retention, tenure, and promotion,
post-tenure review, academic freedom and professional responsibility, and all
other appropriate University Policies. These faculty members will have
appropriate qualifications in both Library
and Information Science (the MLS) as well as qualifications in relevant
specialized academic disciplines. To obtain the necessary knowledge of the
curriculum and the nature of research assignments, the Library faculty must
develop and maintain close working relationships with faculty in the subject
disciplines for which they do specialized reference, instruction, and
collection development. Library faculty must have a knowledge of scholarly
publication and research strategies appropriate to all disciplines with a
deeper understanding of those in the librarian's own subject specialties. The
Library will take appropriate measures to assure that Library services are
designed to enable Library faculty to maintain their expertise related to
disciplines and that University students and faculty are directed to the most
appropriate University Library faculty for their academic needs.
5.3.2
Adjunct or temporary faculty and staff may be appointed to assist in the
delivery of these services provided that their qualifications are approved
though procedures agreed to by the Reference Department, its Head, and the
Library Director -- corresponding to the normal appointment process for adjunct
and temporary faculty in other academic departments, with Department Chairs,
and Deans.
5.4
Library Academic Services Plan.
The University Library shall
develop an evaluation plan to determine the effectiveness of services
supporting the curricular and research needs of the University, which shall
parallel the Program Planning process in the other academic disciplines of the
University.
The University Library in consultation with the Library Committee shall use the
evaluation plan to assess these services, and use the results of the assessment
to redesign services to enhance research and instructional services provided to
University faculty and students. After the initial assessment, the evaluation
shall be conducted every five years.
6
Security of the Collection.
6.1
Electronic anti‑theft systems. The University shall see that effective
electronic anti-theft systems are positioned at all public exits.
6.2
Possibility of search. All individuals who have physical access to the
University Collection must be informed that they may be subject to search upon
egress from the facility. The Library Director, in consultation with the
Library Committee and legal counsel, shall determine whether and in what
circumstances to actually conduct searches.
6.3
Surveillance of other exits. Every emergency exit and service exit will
be kept under recorded electronic surveillance. The Library will prevent any
unauthorized person from leaving the building through these exits without being
visually recorded and triggering an alarm.
6.4
Physical security of the collections.
Installation, regular maintenance,
and necessary replacement of flood control equipment, fire suppression
equipment, earthquake mitigations, and other repairs and equipment necessary to
assure the physical safety and condition of the collection in the event of
flood, fire, earthquake, or disaster shall always occupy the Library's highest
budgetary priority, after any measures necessary to assure public safety.
Regular maintenance of such equipment shall never be deferred.
6.5
Monitoring of theft and loss.
6.5.1
Regular audit of the collection.
The University shall conduct a
complete inventory of its collection every ten years to determine the number
and distribution of missing items. The results of this audit, including the
number and distribution of missing items, shall be publicly reported to the
Library Committee and the University as a whole.
6.5.2
Limited audits of portions of the collection.
If there is some evidence of
substantial theft or losses in particular portions of the collection, and if
there has been no recent general audit, the Library Committee shall request
that the University Librarian conduct an immediate inventory of the portion of
the collection in question to verify the loss rate.
6.5.3
The prevention of the theft of the University Collection is one of the
highest obligations of stewardship. If an audit reveals a high theft rate in
part or all of the collection, the University Librarian shall consult with the
Library Committee and take all necessary measures to reduce the theft rate. These
measures might include restricted access, transfer to locked cases, changed
circulation policies, additional security guards, superior anti-theft devices,
additional searches of patrons upon egress, and building reconfiguration.
7
Evaluation of the Print Collection.
Maintaining a high-quality academic
Library collection requires periodic evaluation of the collection with
reference to the mission of the University and periodic relocating or
discarding of materials. In all cases, the primary goals are to improve the
effectiveness of browsing and to provide space for new acquisitions.
Collection evaluation is a responsibility of all librarians involved in
collection development. (The government publications collections are evaluated
in accordance with depository requirements.)
7.1
Relocating Materials (Stack Shift).
This level does not involve
discarding any materials. Criteria are usually frequency of use and
publication date. The procedures are relatively automatic and standardized and
usually require minimal selector review. Library departments involved:
Collection Department, Systems, Stack Maintenance, and affected departments in
cases of specific collection review (Reference, for example).
7.2
Discarding Materials.
7.2.1
Withdrawal of Duplicates.
This type of evaluation begins with
computerized identification of duplicate copies and circulation history. Since
this does not involve the withdrawal of unique copies, the procedure requires a
moderate level of selector review. Library departments involved: Collection
Development, Systems, Stack Maintenance, Cataloging, Acquisitions.
7.2.2
Evaluating Collections Supporting Discontinued Programs.
Recognizing that the interests of
departments frequently overlap, the primary selector must consult with his/her
assigned faculties and other selectors, who in turn will consult with faculty
of relevant departments and other University constituencies. The historical
research value of materials should also be taken into account. Library support
of the informational needs of the community should also be considered, and the
evaluator should retain at least a "basic information" level in the
discontinued program subject area. Consultation with other CSU institutions
maintaining programs similar to the one discontinued should be part of the
process of disposing of discarded materials. Library departments involved:
Collection Development, Systems, Stack Maintenance, Cataloging, Acquisitions.
Other involved: faculty, community, other CSU libraries.
7.2.3
Evaluating Collections Supporting Current Programs.
