The collections policy of Haaga-Helia library defines principles that guide material acquisition and collections management. The aim is to provide Haaga-Helia's students and staff information materials needed in teaching, studying and research and development activities. The acquisitions policy is updated annually. The Head of Library and Information Services is responsible for the acquisitions policy.
In collections development, the focus is on accessibility and availability of resources, regardless of the publishing format. New acquisitions are primarily Finnish and English titles related to the subjects taught at Haaga-Helia. The collection is developed with a user-centred approach in cooperation with library’s customers. Unnecessary overlap is avoided in acquisitions. The access to printed materials is enhanced by collaboration with 3AMK libraries, inter-library loans, and loans of older material from the National Repository Library.
The library’s fund allocation for new acquisitions is approved annually by the Board of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences Ltd. Material acquired with the library’s allocated funds is always placed in the library's collections.
Printed resources are sourced from suppliers after a formal tender process, in a cost-efficient manner. Other supplier channels may also be used if necessary.
In the acquisition of electronic resources, the preference is on using consortia, which offer economic advantages and can be national or joint consortia of universities of applied sciences. In addition, other resources of interest can be acquired by separate licence agreements. The user statistics of electronic resources are actively monitored, and usage rates are taken into account when acquiring new material.
The lecturers of courses give the library details of new and withdrawn compulsory textbooks as well as other resources specified as additional reading in course requirements. In addition to loan copies of each textbook, copies for the reading room/reference library may also be acquired. The availability of textbooks as e-books is also checked. In textbook acquisitions, the number of course participants and whether the book will be used on several courses at the same time is taken into account. The libraries actively monitor the demand for textbooks and acquire additional copies if necessary.
The campus libraries acquire varied collections of new literature related to their fields. The collections are supplemented with publications covering a range of different topics and serving a wide audience. Titles published more than five years ago will be acquired only on special grounds. Acquisition is carried out in cooperation with the education and research programmes. All customers can also submit acquisition requests.
Electronic resources are acquired centrally for all library branches. They are available via the Haaga-Helia network. The user statistics of electronic resources are actively monitored, and usage rates are taken into account when acquiring new stock.
Each library selects the most relevant titles for its journal and magazine collection. If the journal or magazine is available in electronic format, paper copies will only be acquired in exceptional circumstances; for example, if a paper copy is needed for teaching purposes. Journal and magazine acquisitions are reviewed in the autumn each year. The availability of back issues varies by branch. Usually the current and previous annual volumes are available.
Other items are acquired as needed. Audiovisual resources acquired for the library must be authorized for loan by the copyright owner. Audiovisual resources used in teaching are not acquired with library funds for the library's collection; these items are purchased from the degree programme funds.
Collections review is an integral part of the library's collection management and it is carried out to ensure that our collections serve our customers’ needs, are current and easily accessible. We review our collections using statistical information about loans and usage, and customer feedback. Resources published over 10 years ago which have out-of-date content are withdrawn from the library's collections. There are some exclusions, such as scientific literature classics and other notable works of different fields. Course textbook collections are kept up to date by withdrawing items that are no longer mandatory reading. Collection withdrawals are made frequently. Lecturers are consulted about withdrawals of library collections related to their fields. Reduced demand or the poor condition of individual items may also lead to items being withdrawn from the library's collections. Withdrawn items are disposed of through recycling or sent to the National Repository Library.
All resources acquired with the library's funds are entered in the HH Finna online library, where they can be found by all customers. If a staff member wants to acquire a title for personal possession and not as a loan from the library, the acquisition cannot be made from the library’s funds. In this case, the lecturer should contact his or her immediate supervisor to discuss whether the title can be purchased from other funds, such as the degree programme’s allocated funds. Other resources that are intended solely for teaching purposes are also purchased from the degree programme’s funds. However, the library can take charge of the acquisition process regardless of how the acquisition is funded.
The library accepts donations to supplement and replace existing collections. Donated items are the property of the library and they can be included in the collection at the library's discretion. The selection criteria are the same as with purchased material. Only in special cases may separate collections be formed from donated titles.
HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences, Information and Library Services
20 October 2020