The ultimate responsibility for selection in a subject area falls to the Selector assigned to that subject area. The collection goals and policies outlined in this document are used to guide the Selector in performing their duties. Staff, faculty, patrons, and the general public may make recommendations for purchase, though the Selector will make final determination of whether material is added to the collection.

Materials should be reflective of the undergraduate and graduate courses offered by the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The Mardigian Library utilizes the Research Libraries Group (RLG) Conspectus guidelines to determine collection levels - it is important to note that these guidelines are aspirational and reliant upon changing factors such as funding and availability of material. Below is a table of the RLG Conspectus guidelines and where they may be applied to collection development at the Mardigian.

When selecting materials for inclusion in a collection, the following criteria are used to guide the Selector in making decisions. This list is not exhaustive and only provides a minimum of the considerations a Selector may use when selecting material.

• Quality/Accuracy
  The information provided by the resource is reliably accurate, demonstrably factual, and reasonably comprehensive or complete. Indicators of quality can include peer reviews or librarian reviews of the material, the presence of an authoritative author or publisher, a professional look and feel.
• Relevancy
  The resource provides information that can enhance learning, research, or instruction in the selection area at appropriate collection level.
• Authoritativeness
  The credentials of the author and/or publisher are clearly identifiable. The legitimacy of the publishing agency of the resource is apparent and recognized as reputable.
• Currency
  Within the parameters of the subject area, the resource is considered current and relevant to the contemporary research and educational needs of the subject.
• Accessibility
  Considerations regarding the accessibility of materials may inform whether a Selector selects one material over another. Some examples of accessibility considerations may be whether the material is in a format that works with available campus accessibility resources, or whether the material includes captions (when relevant).
• Other Considerations
  The following considerations are examples of additional considerations that Selectors may take into account when deciding to purchase materials. While not exhaustive, they are included here due to how frequently they may be considered as a part of our workflow:
  • Cost - Selectors may need to consider the price of material when deciding to purchase something, most frequently with electronic resource licensing. Items that are atypically expensive for their license or format may face stricter scrutiny than similar items. This is a crucial part of our responsibility to balance the needs of the campus within the limits of our finite materials budget.
  • Format - Selectors may also consider the format of the material - whether it is electronic or physical, or what specific type of physical material it is - when deciding to select material.