Collection Development Policy Manual
Johnson Learning Commons
Collection Development Policy Manual
Name
University of Arkansas Rich Mountain Johnson Learning Commons (Mena, Arkansas).
Introduction
The following policy cannot be definitive for all time since a library is not a static institution. Therefore, this document is subject to change. The library maintains the flexibility to make adjustments in strategies in order to support new and existing curricula and react to changing budgetary conditions.
UA Rich Mountain’s Mission Statement
UA Rich Mountain provides transformative education to all learners.
Library Mission statement
The Johnson Learning Commons provides access and services to information seekers to support instruction and the UA Rich Mountain curriculum.
Vision Statements
Johnson Learning Commons is every student’s gateway to an expanding world of information.
JLC encourages student learning with a hands-on philosophy that inspires critical thinking and information literacy.
JLC works to instill competency skills in students so that they have the ability to access, retrieve, analyze, review, and utilize information and document sources.
JLC serves as a resource to students to understand copyright and plagiarism so that students document sources and thereby contribute to student achievement throughout their personal and academic goals.
By providing library service, the staff guides information seekers in their pursuit of knowledge and lifelong learning resulting in enriched lives and achievement of personal and academic goals.
The Johnson Learning Commons serves the informational needs of UARM registered students, faculty, and staff. It also serves the community members of Polk, Montgomery, and Scott counties. Any resident may use the facilities during hours of operation.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in the collection development of the library and to aid in registered students’ use of library resources. Faculty is encouraged to have these students use the library’s resources and to provide lists of current materials for their subject areas to augment and enrich student learning.
To support a community college curriculum, the library gathers input from faculty and staff. The Director of Library Services has final authority on which items fit into the collection and will make that decision based on the Collection Development Policy. The Collection Development Policy is grounded in the College’s and Library’s mission and vision statements. Significant expenditures will require the approval of the Vice Chancellor of Academics.
The Johnson Learning Commons supports American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights , Academic Libraries and Intellectual Freedom | Advocacy, Legislation & Issues, Freedom to View Statement, and Freedom to Read Statement It provides collections of books, photographs, and other resources for the interest, information, and education of patrons. Access will not be denied due to origin, age, background, or views.
The Johnson Learning Commons is a component of UA Rich Mountain. Its fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 the following year. UA Rich Mountain is responsible for its organization, programs, and finances. UA Rich Mountain allocates funds annually to JLC and assists with grant writing proposals and identifying additional revenue sources. The college provides facilities which house the collections, offices, study rooms, tutoring areas, computer lab, and archival room. UA Rich Mountain is also responsible for the utilities and maintenance of the area. Compensation for the library staff is part of the UA Rich Mountain budget and federal work study allocation.
Allocation for funding the library’s collection is based on circulation data, historical purchasing, curricula, and patron demand.
The library will procure materials that add permanent value to college’s pursuit of intellectual advancement as well as meet the demands of the curriculum. The collection will be built on diverse viewpoints. These selections are made to provide varied and unrestrained research for registered students utilizing the library’s resources.
JLC supports the free exchange of ideas with collections that provide access to a selection of material on all subjects that support the UARM’s mission. The library provides access in accordance with the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View Statement. The college library strives to balance access to, and ownership of, information resources that offer the widest possible range of viewpoints. Material will not be excluded because of frankness of language or controversial approach or because the political, moral or religious, sexual, social, economic, or scientific views expressed or because of the race or national origin, politics, or religion of the author.
No materials will be excluded from the collection because of the race, religion, nationality, or political views of an author, the language, or the controversial content of an item. The endorsement or disapproval of an individual or group will not cause an item to be automatically excluded.
In an effort to maintain a current and relevant collection, the library staff frequently evaluates the collection to ensure that it meets the current curriculum, research and informational needs of faculty and students, and user population’s needs. Materials that no longer meet the needs of UARM may be removed from the collection. The library staff is responsible for tracking research trends, and faculty may be consulted during these evaluations and offer valuable input.
The library’s collection evolves to support the curricula, the mission of UARM, and registered students’ needs. Deselection or weeding is necessary to maintain a current, academically useful collection. Deselection provides quality control by the removal of outdated, inaccurate, and worn-out materials.
JLC welcomes monetary and in-kind gifts. Due to the limited shelf space, the library must be selective in adding material to the collection. All gifts will be considered, but, unfortunately, the library is not able to accept all offered material. For additional information, please refer to the Collection Development Procedures.
Special collections/archives reflect UARM’s mission and the area’s cultural history. These materials can be in a variety of formats that support the history of the college and research needs unique to UARM. Donations to the special collections are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Faculty, staff, students, and community members may voice concerns or submit formal complaints to library materials. For more information, please refer to JLC’s Reconsideration Procedure manual about the review process. JLC will follow the Library Bill of Rights, adopted by the Council of American Library Association which is an expression of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Upon approval of the Collection Development Policy by administrators at UA Rich Mountain, this document will be available to view on the library’s website. Printed copies will also be available upon request in the library. This policy will be reviewed annually and updated as needed.
Reviewed August 2025