FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
I. General
The Reference Collection
The Reference Collection consists of non-circulating resources designed to support the basic research and information needs of the university community in all subject fields. Reference resources of all types (including electronic products) are selected in accordance with the criteria established for the selection of library materials.
The FAU Libraries currently emphasizes the purchase of reference materials in online electronic formats to maximize their accessibility and use, and also for cost effectiveness. The library may elect to replace a title in a print format with its electronic format when the electronic version is complete, official, and permanently accessible.
The resources chosen for the Reference Collection supply as much reliable information as possible with a minimum of duplication. As a general rule, only the latest edition of a reference work is shelved in the Reference Collection. Older editions are transferred to the circulating collection or discarded.
II. Specific Reference Materials
S.E. Wimberly Library
The S.E. Wimberly Library Reference Collection supports the information needs of the faculty, students, curriculum and other programs of FAU and Palm Beach State College (PBSC) at Boca Raton campus.
- Encyclopedias.
The collection contains appropriate general encyclopedias and subject encyclopedias which are updated as new editions become available. Some encyclopedias may be purchased in electronic format. New purchases follow the FAU Libraries Collection Development Policy.
- Dictionaries.
English language, world language and subject dictionaries are purchased in accordance with collection development policies. They are updated if they become obsolete and a new edition is available.
- Indexes and Abstracts (print and electronic).
Indexes and abstracts are now available online through the FAU Libraries Electronic Collection. The print collection will be gradually deselected as the library purchases their equivalent in electronic format. See the FAU Libraries Electronic Resources Collection Development Policy for its policy.
- Bibliographies.
Standard, general and specialized subject bibliographies can be used for general reference purposes. Other bibliographies, including most author bibliographies, are acquired for the circulating collection.
- Directories, Handbooks, Almanacs, Yearbooks, and Manuals.
Directories, handbooks, almanacs, yearbooks, and manuals, both general and specific subject type, are provided as basic research tools. Appropriate new sources are added as they become available and as they are needed.
- Legal Collection.
In addition to basic legal reference sources, the legal collection contains Florida and federal law sources which specifically support the curriculum for the paralegal programs, business law, tax accounting and other legal courses. New acquisitions follow general policies. As the gradual migration continues from print to electronic material in many areas of the reference collection, fewer loose-leaf and print resources are located in the legal collection, and becoming increasingly available in electronic format.
- Annual Reports.
Annual reports are not currently received. The library subscribes to several electronic products, which include the current and past year's corporate annual reports.
- Atlases.
A representative collection of general and specialized atlases is available. Atlases are updated if they become obsolete and a new edition is available.
III. Deselection
The Reference Collection is reviewed and its materials are deselected on an ongoing basis; new editions are received and older ones are removed from the collection. A complete inventory of the Reference Collection occurs as needed by the library staff. The Head of Research and Instructional Services Department, with the assistance of its staff, reviews the collection and deselects inappropriate or outdated titles. Faculty members and other library personnel may be consulted when appropriate. Superseded editions that are removed from the Reference Collection may be added to the circulating collection or placed in FAU branch libraries if the information in them is current.
