Mission Statement Of The University Of Maryland Libraries

Mission Statement of the University of Maryland Libraries

The University of Maryland Libraries enable the intellectual inquiry and learning required to meet the education, research and community outreach mission of the University.

Introduction

The UMD Libraries develop collections which support the curricular and research programs of the University. We partner with peer institutions to provide the most complete collections that we can make available to our researchers. Selectivity and response to specific needs have become the hallmarks of collection building for the 21st century. The philosophy of collection development that centered on acquiring everything available on locally important subjects has given way to the realization that
Support faculty research and identify areas of potential interest and purchase resources which meet the needs of new or emerging areas of research.
Evaluate the content of all information resources according to the standards of authority, comprehensiveness, validity, language, time periods and geographical areas presented in the collection development policy subject statements.
Generally do not add books to the general collection that have been self-published or published with a book packager.
Preservation Policy

The University of Maryland Libraries is committed to ensuring the preservation and long-lasting availability of its research collections and resources in all formats. The Libraries comprehensive Preservation Program as administered by its Preservation Department, provides a wide range of services to care for collections. Preservation is accomplished through a variety of collection- and item-level approaches and strategies. Actions are taken to prevent or slow down the deterioration of library materials, improve their condition, or provide access through reformatting to preserve intellectual content and to protect fragile originals. Proper storage environment and housing, careful handling, binding, and treatment of individual items (conservation) are methods used to protect and
We reserve the right to accept or decline materials based on these and other criteria that serve the best interests of the University and the library collections.

Every effort is made to accept only items appropriate to be added to the library collections. Items not added may be sold, exchanged with other libraries, or discarded at the discretion of the University Libraries.

Prospective donors of large collections or personal libraries of an academic or research nature should provide a list of items available in advance. Ongoing space constraints do not permit us to keep whole gift collections intact as physically separate or discrete collections within a publicly accessible stack area. The University Libraries also encourage monetary assistance to cover the costs of processing larger collections that are selected for addition. Timely processing and handling of materials requiring special treatment are especially dependent on additional resources.

Desirable