The Acquisitions Department acquires books and monographic publications for the UWF libraries. These include titles which are purchased as well as gifts. The Department works closely with academic departments, librarians, potential donors, and others to build the libraries' collections in support of the teaching, research, and service missions of the university. The Acquisitions Librarian also oversees the entire library materials budget during the year and is responsible for various activities concerning the general circulating collection in Pace Library, such as repair, rebind, or withdrawal decisions for damaged books, and collection reviews and weeding.
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Books and all other materials are selected for addition to the UWF library collections in accordance with the libraries' written Collection Development Policy. This document contains the mission statements, philosophy, and policies which guide the management and building of the collections. Included are library-wide policies on collecting levels across the disciplines, publication formats, and other areas, plus collection policies for individual library units such as Reference, Special Collections, the Curriculum Materials Library, and the Fort Walton Beach Campus Library.
Collection development functions are coordinated by the Associate Director of Libraries in consultation with the Acquisitions Librarian and the library Collection Development Committee.
The Collection Development Policy was extensively revised in 1999-2000 and can be viewed by following the previously listed link. For more information, contact Dan North at (850-474-2449 or by email).
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Materials budget allocations for books and serials are made to the colleges and departments on the basis of an allocation formula adopted in 1992 and last revised in 1999. The formula incorporates data on the numbers of faculty, majors, and other UWF academic criteria, plus national benchmark data on the costs of books and serials available in the discipline.
Departments are notified of their allocations as soon as possible each year (typically late summer or early fall), and may send book orders to Acquisitions to spend out their money by the annual ordering deadline (the Friday before Spring Break).
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Teaching faculty may order materials to be charged against their department’s books allocations (books, individual editions of directories or volumes within a series, other nion-subscription items, etc.). Librarians also actively order materials across the disciplines to support the university's academic programs, in consultation with teaching faculty as needed. |
Three methods are available for faculty to submit book order requests to Acquisitions: (1) directly marking items in publishers' catalogs, brochures, bibliographies, etc., and forwarding them to the Acquisitions Dept., Bldg. 32/158 (preferred); (2) completing an online purchase suggestion form for each title; or (3) completing a two-part printed purchase suggestion form and sending one part to Acquisitions.
All requests concerning new journal subscriptions or cancellations, however, should be directed to the Serials Department, 2d floor of Pace Library. Call the Serials Librarian at (850-474-2460) or email for more information.
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Faculty are welcome to consult the up-to-date file of publishers’ catalogs, a worldwide publishers directory, several books-in-print directories from other countries, and other tools which are kept in Acquisitions.
An ever-growing array of sources for current US and foreign publishers' catalogs and books-in-print information (including US Books In Print) are now also readily available online. The extensive Links section of this page includes worldwide listings for many of the most useful sites.
Faculty also have access by appointment to Global Books in Print On Disc, a CD-ROM tool kept in Acquisitions, which includes US Books in Print plus equivalent databases from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and other English-language areas.
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Students or other library users who need materials which the library does not own are welcome to suggest titles for acquisition by completing the online purchase suggestion form or by a printed purchase suggestion request form at the Information or Circulation desks.
Items that meet the library’s Collection Development Policy guidelines will be ordered as funds permit. (Any person who has a valid Nautilus Card is advised to request a book through Interlibrary Loan if it is needed quickly.)
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Most books take two to four months to arrive after ordering, but some, especially current trade or high-interest academic books, may come in more quickly. Books published outside the US usually take longer to arrive than US-published books.
All ordered items are included in the online library catalog. Titles which are on order are indicated as "On Order" until they are received. When the item has arrived, the status changes to "In Process" until the item has been cataloged and is available on shelf. The internal "Temporary Control Number" for each item is also given.
An "In Process" item is available to any person with a valid Nautilus Card who needs it immediately, through the libraries' priority request service. The person may either fill out a priority request form at the Circulation Desk at his/her library location (the "Service Desk"), or may complete the form online. The item will be cataloged within five working days, and the person will be notified that it is available.
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Acquisitions actively welcomes donations of books and other materials from faculty, staff, students, alumni, or community users. Potential donors may contact Acquisitions for information Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 5:00 (850-474-2449 or 850-474-2453), or by email.
Each donor is asked to complete a gifts report form. Materials are reviewed according to the libraries’ Collection Development Policy guidelines. Books added to the collections are bookplated with the donor's name. Items not retained may be sold in a future library book sale or may be offered to other libraries or agencies. Persons wishing to donate only issues of journals or periodicals are asked to contact the Serials Department 2nd floor, (850-474-2460 or 850-474-2461) or email, for further information. |
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Acquisitions is located in Room 158, 1st floor of Pace Library, and is open 8:00 - 5:00 Monday through Friday. At other times, please call and leave a voicemail message, or email us.
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Dan North, Acquisitions Librarian
University of West Florida Library
Date Last Updated: May 2006