Collection Development
The UMA Libraries collect materials that support the academic curriculum of the University in a variety of formats, including books, periodicals, government documents, videos, sound recordings, microfilm, and online indexes and databases. Katz Library also houses the Terry Plunkett Collection of Contemporary Maine Writers and is a participant in the Maine Census Data Center Program.
Development of the library collection is a collaborative project involving librarians and faculty. Librarians are responsible for overseeing the development of the collection in their areas of interest or specialization. Suggestions for book orders and other materials are welcome. The library encourages purchase requests from faculty, although budget considerations may mean that not all titles can be purchased.
Unfortunately, textbooks are not purchased for the Libraries' collections. Library staff understand that the cost of textbooks is a barrier to success for far too many UMA students. However, approximately 85% of existing course textbooks are unavailable to libraries in any other format than print due to textbook publishers building their profit models around selling e-textbooks directly to students. Among major textbook publishers that will not allow libraries to purchase an e-textbook version of their publications are Pearson, Cengage, McGraw Hill, Oxford University Press Canada, Elsevier imprints (especially in veterinary and health science), and Houghton. If your course curriculum requires textbooks by these publishers, students who do not purchase the textbook will not have any alternative access to the textbook content.
For a detailed collection development policy for the Katz and Nottage Libraries, please visit the UMA Libraries Collection Development Policy.
For more information about UMA Libraries collection development, contact library collections staff:
