Collection Development

The Collection Development Department serves to assess the collection, seek new and/or improved materials to support the University’s academic needs, and acquires materials in various formats. We welcome and solicit requests for materials from University Faculty, students, and community patrons. Along with these requests we also process gift donations from library users.

Selection Process

One portion of the selection process is to send to Faculty Choice Cards (provided by the Association of College & Research Libraries) for review and selection. The Collection Development department distributes these to help faculty remain aware of new materials in their area of study and assess their interest in us acquiring them.

Please be aware: If an item has been selected, ordered or received by the Library but is still being processed in our Technical Services, the catalog record for the item will display a message reflecting its availability.

Requesting Materials

Members of the PSU community may suggest a title for the Library to review and potentially add to the collection. If you make a special request for an item and it is then purchased by the Library, you will be notified when the item is available for your use. Please see form on the right for suggesting new materials.

Gift Materials

The Collection Development department processes gift materials or book donations given to the library. Items donated will be recorded and processed. In accordance to Library Guideline 24 the Collection Development Librarian will determine whether to add gifts to the collection or handle in a different manner. To donate materials, contact the Collection Development Librarian or use the form on the right when dropping off items at one of the library locations.  

New Materials

You can view a list of new materials recently added to the Library’s collection. The list is updated quarterly, please contact the Collection Development Librarian for more information.