Acquisition of Library Materials

Faculty members have the majority of the responsibility of selecting appropriate new materials for the University Libraries.

Materials Budget

The University administration determines the total library materials budget for the fiscal year on the recommendations of the Dean of University Libraries. A large portion of this budget is allocated to selections made by academic departments based on a formula recommended by the Faculty Library Committee. Materials needed by faculty in their schools, departments or offices on a permanent basis are not purchased with library funds.

Materials paid for out of the library budget must be ordered by the library staff, using vendors under contract to the library so that maximum discounts can be achieved. Faculty members who place their own orders for “approval” or “review” materials will be asked to return the materials, and to place orders in the usual way through the library.

Book Budget Allocation

Based on the library's budget, the Dean of University Libraries determines the total amount of library collection development funds to be used by the academic departments for the purchase of library materials. The following procedure describes how that amount is divided among the academic departments.

  1. Departments offering graduate courses will be allocated:
    20% of the amount to be spent on materials using the formula:
    50% Based on student hours sold the preceding year (May term to Spring semester).
    50% Based on courses offered over the preceding two years (May term to Spring semester). In addition, a separate allocation from graduation tuition will be made using the above formula.
  2. Departments will be allocated:
    80% of the amount to be spent on materials using the formula:
    30% Courses listed in the undergraduate catalog
    30% Student undergraduate hours sold (May term to Spring); upper division hours x 1.5
    30% Number of F.T.E. Faculty
    10% Book Cost Factor
  3. Additional funds for graduate tuition will be allocated as in part 2.

The HSU Office of Institutional Research will provide the data on student hours sold and F.T.E. faculty. The number of graduate courses offered is determined by counting courses listed in each semester’s schedule over the past two years.

In the interest of maintaining the integrity of the library collection, the Dean of Libraries is responsible for insuring that materials ordered by individual departments or schools are appropriate to and adequate for the research needs of students. Thus, the Dean of Libraries may require a department to reconsider how it is utilizing its allocation if the department orders appear counter to the research needs of HSU students and faculty.

Book Orders

Book order requests should be submitted to the library staff member serving as the department's liaison.

  1. Book order requests may be submitted in one of the four following ways.
    1. CHOICE Reviews - These cards are distributed to academic departments on a monthly basis. To order from these reviews, write on the review card the department name and the name of the faculty member submitting the order.
    2. Printed Order Forms - Use the libraries materials order form for other order requests. The library needs the following information:
      1. Author
      2. Title
      3. Publisher
      4. Date of publication (if known)
      5. Your source of information about the book.
      6. Department name placing order.
      7. Grad or undergrad library fund
      8. Name of faculty selector
      9. Titles owned by the Abilene Library Consortium will not be duplicated for HSU unless you check the lower corner of the form indicating the importance to HSU.
    3. On-line ordering at http://www.hsutx.edu/library/
    4. If the item ordered is basic to its discipline, check the order card line “Check here if copy is needed at HSU when one exists in Abilene.” If the item is basic and the order is submitted by Choice card – mark the card HSU and the library will order an ALC duplicate. If the order is not marked to duplicate, the order card will be returned if a copy is listed in the ALC database.
    5. If ordering from a publisher’s flyer or a sale catalog, please attach a copy of the catalog to the Book Order Form.
    6. All faculty book order requests should be approved by the department head or dean in each academic area before being sent to the librarian serving as liaison with the department.
    7. The Library Staff will do the following:
      1. Determine if the title is already in the collection or is already on order. (The library does not order duplicate materials.)
      2. Check for availability and current prices.
      3. Order and process the book.
      4. Notify the faculty member submitting the order when the book has been cataloged and is available for use.
      5. Notify the faculty member when a requested title is already in the collection or is out of print.
    8. For most titles, a hardback edition (when available) will be ordered instead of a paperback edition. (For exceptions, please consult with the Dean of University Libraries.)
    9. Deadlines: Please consider book ordering as an ongoing process by submitting orders throughout the year. After the projected costs for periodicals, approval plan purchases, and other standing orders have been deducted, the amount remaining should be committed in the following manner:
      • June 1 25% should be committed
      • October 1 50% should be committed
      • December 1 75% should be committed
      • February 1 100% should be committed
    10. Each department should submit approximately 10% above its budget in case of cancellations. Orders received after February 1st will be ordered the following budget year. Funds left uncommitted at each of the above deadlines will be reallocated or spent by the library staff to balance the overall library collection.
    11. Status of budget commitments: The Library will provide department heads with monthly reports (July through February) of the amount of the departmental library budget which has been spent or committed.

    Education Curriculum Materials

    The Education Librarian selects Texas state-adopted public school textbooks on a regular basis. Faculty members who wish to purchase other specialized education materials (kits, tests, etc.) should first consult the Education Librarian (ext. 1244). Gifts of recent state adopted textbooks are appreciated.

    Electronic Files

    Electronic data, such as CDs or disks, must be usable on equipment owned by the library at the time of purchase. Use by the general HSU Community must be covered by the purchase license. Electronic material orders must be screened by the ETS Director and approved by the Dean of Libraries.

    Audio-Visual Materials

    Faculty members may purchase audiovisual materials from their department’s library materials allocation.

    New Periodical Subscriptions

    Subscription requests are to be submitted to the Dean of Libraries on book order forms, which should be filled out as completely as possible. As with books, these order requests should be approved by department heads or deans, since the orders represent an ongoing commitment of the department’s library materials budget.

    Requests for new periodical subscriptions must meet the following criteria established by the Library’s selection policy:

    1. The periodical must be indexed in one of the indexes to which the Library subscribes or be available electronically.
    2. As a general rule, HSU does not add subscriptions for periodicals which are carried in one of the other libraries in Abilene (Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, Abilene Public Library). Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Dean of University Libraries.
    3. The department requesting the periodical must agree to subscribe to the newly selected periodical for a minimum of five years.

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