Withdrawal Procedures:

Librarians will create a list of titles being considered for retention and post on the library collection development website, generally during the first week of the month. 

Each list will have a review period of approximately 4 weeks. 

Recommendations to retain an item should be communicated by email and should include a rationale for retention. 

At the end of the review period, books on the list which Kenyon has not chosen to retain will be processed for withdrawal.

Retention Parameters

Deselection, or withdrawal, is just one part of collection development and is best understood within the context of the library’s overall collection development policy (http://kenyon.libguides.com/cdpolicy).  Our goal is to create a dynamic, relevant and effective collection that supports the college curriculum.  Retaining materials that no longer meet current or projected future user needs is a sign of poor collection stewardship.

Just as deselection should not be viewed in isolation, neither should the Kenyon collection.  Kenyon's collection is a small subset of the broader OhioLINK collection, and the physical collection is but one part of the overall collection. 

Gifts

The library accepts gifts of materials relevant to Kenyon's needs and in usable condition. These gifts may be single volumes or larger collections.  Due to the high costs of managing the gift process, the Library's primary interest is to acquire only materials which are highly relevant to Kenyon's needs. All potential gifts will be evaluated in terms of the collection development goals of the library.