Collection Management

About the department

Collection Management plans the purchase and acquisition of materials in all formats within the limits of the university's fiscal resources to meet the instructional, scholarly, and research needs of Florida Atlantic University students, faculty, and staff. The department collaborates with faculty to utilize allocated funds in a manner consistent with departmental and programmatic priorities and the Libraries' collection development policies. Once materials are ordered, acquired, and processed the Collection Management staff ensure that access is seamlessly available to all FAU users.

The major areas that fall under Collection Management include:

• Acquisitions - Orders and receives materials for the electronic and print general collection. Also manages renewals and cancellations of subscribed resources and works closely with the Libraries' Business Manager in submitting invoice payments.
• Collection Development - Selects resources in all formats to add to the general collection and reviews current holdings to identify gaps in the collection. Prepares accreditation reports and reviews for program and course proposals.
• Deselection (a.k.a. Weeding) - Reviews and identifies materials in the general print, media, and microform collections for withdrawal. Please see the Libraries' Weeding Guide for more information.
• Electronic Resources - Maintains and manages access to licensed e-resources such as databases and e-journals.
• Metadata Description and Processing - Provides bibliographic access to books, media, and selected electronic resources of the general collection.
• Serials Management - Processes electronic and print serials such as journals, annuals, and book series. Also reconciles and reviews subscribed journal packages during renewal periods.

For further information about Collection Management services, please contact lycollmgmt@fau.edu.

Microforms Weeding

The Libraries discovered that its microfilm collections have begun deteriorating due to vinegar syndrome. Because of this, the Libraries have weeded through all general microforms in the Wimberly Library, including microfilm (16 or 35 mm film on reels) and microfiche (sheets of film containing images of printed pages). Vinegar syndrome occurs when the acetate film begins to decay resulting in the release of a vinegar odor and acetic acid vapors. The film itself degrades and becomes unusable, and once the process begins, it can easily spread from reel to reel. Vinegar syndrome is often caused by less than ideal storage conditions such as room temperature fluctuations and high humidity, both of which are prevalent in the Wimberly Library.

Many microform collections are available electronically through purchased or subscribed journal backfiles or database archives. Please contact your library liaison for assistance. Interlibrary Loan provides article delivery and short-term loans to the FAU Community for resources that are not available in the collection.