Material selected for purchase and/or subscription will follow the broader Collection Development Policy of the Alkek Library. The following general information is taken from the Statement of Purpose for that policy:
The Albert B. Alkek Library and its resources exist to support the instruction and research needs of Texas State University, its faculty, students, administrators and staff. Accrediting bodies of the university’s academic departments require library support for all courses offered by Texas State University, including distance learning and courses offered at our satellite campus (RRHEC).
The main purpose of the Collection Development Policy is to establish guidelines for the planned development of a balanced quality collection of materials as guided by the missions of the university and the library.
Collecting levels are intended primarily for the uniform evaluation of collections in libraries. They form a meaningful set of descriptors to use in the Collection Development Policy of the library.
These levels are used in each academic discipline, according to the discipline’s needs. The needs are based on degreed programs and levels, course offerings, and consultations with academic department library faculty representatives. These factors define the extent of the Library's collection within those areas.
The collecting levels are defined as follows:
0- Out of Scope - Library does not intentionally collect materials, in any format.
1- Occasional or general interest – Popular or topical reading material may be collected.
2 - Instructional – Library related material required for all course offerings at TxState is actively pursued.
3- Research – Material unique to the requirements of academic research is actively pursued.
4- Exhaustive – Material for a doctoral program or a research collection unique to TxState is collected to the fullest degree possible.