The UT Health San Antonio Libraries are at the heart of the Health Science Center community, serving as a hub for knowledge, education, and scholarship. Primary clientele includes students, faculty, staff, and researchers who are affiliated with the Health Science Center either onsite or offsite.
Mission
The mission of the UT Health San Antonio Libraries is to promote learning, inspire discovery, and connect with our communities. This mission is accomplished by providing expert library services and access to reliable health sciences information.
Purpose of the Policy
The purpose of the Information Resource Development Policy (IRDP) is to guide collection development and management decisions and to ensure that information resources accurately and effectively support the mission and goals of the university..
Goals of the Policy
The goals of the Information Resource Development Policy (IRDP) are as follows:
Library staff collect, develop, and maintain collections in a variety of formats, however the preferred format for collection materials is electronic and/or online accessible. Collections focus on the following core subject areas: dentistry, medicine, nursing, basic medical sciences, allied health sciences, and public health. Materials are also acquired in related subject areas such as: pharmacy, psychology, health care management, and history of the health sciences.
Electronic Collections - Electronic resources are the primary information format for the UT Health Libraries. Electronic collections consist primarily of e-journals, e-books, and databases. Access to electronic resources is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is also available off-campus for affiliated users.
Physical Collections - Circulating physical collections are maintained off-site at the Joint Library Facility in Bryan, Texas. The Joint Library Facility is a collaborative storage facility that houses print resources for a network of Libraries. Libraries that opt to store their materials in this facility retain ownership of the resources. In addition, libraries with duplicate holdings can claim ownership of stored copies. Physical collections consist primarily of books and journals and are accessible through the Interlibrary Loan Service.
Historical Collections - Historical collections are housed in the P.I. Nixon Medical Historical Library on the 5th floor of the main Library building. Collections include manuscripts, rare and historical books, historical medical instruments, and archival materials. The Nixon Library houses the University Archives and maintains historical documents about the university as well as scholarly works produced by students at the university. The historical collections are open to all researchers, and access to physical materials is by appointment. Content that has been digitized is accessible 24/7 through the library’s Digital Archive.
Information resource decisions are based on a solid understanding of the teaching, learning, and research priorities of the Health Science Center. The overall collection budget and final selection decisions are established by the Senior Library Director with input from the Associate Director of Resource Management. Selection decisions also consider the valuable feedback received from the Library Committee, Library Liaisons, and the Collection Development Committee.
The Library Committee is composed of representative faculty appointed by the President of the University and works with Library leadership to serve in a consultative and advisory capacity.
Library Liaisons are assigned to each of the schools, work as an integral part of the curriculum, and provide input about resource needs based on program requirements.
The Collection Development Committee is composed of Resource Management Librarians and representatives from each of the library divisions.
Resource Management librarians are primarily responsible for collection assessment, access, discovery, selection criteria, cost analysis, consortia activities, and policies and procedures.
Selection Criteria
Active review of information resources and institutional programs is an ongoing practice that aids in determining what resources should be acquired, retained, and discontinued. The following criteria are applied in the review process: quality, relevancy, cost, format, accessibility, and usage.
Deselection Criteria
In order to maintain a relevant collection, deselection is a necessary part of collection development practices. The following criteria are used when evaluating materials for deselection: low usage, relevance to academic programs, currency of information, historical significance, condition, duplication, and availability in the Joint Library Facility.
Resource Sharing and Cooperative Purchasing
The UT Health San Antonio Libraries participate in several resource sharing and cooperative purchasing partnerships that expand the depth of information resources available to its clientele. Partnerships include the UT System Digital Library Consortia, the South Central Academic Medical Libraries Consortium, the TexShare Consortium, the Joint Library Facility, and the OCLC Library Cooperative. Through these partnerships the Libraries are able to expand borrowing privileges and increase access to electronic resources. In addition, participation in cooperative purchasing often results in larger discounts and greater purchasing power for resources.
Approved by the Library Committee, 2-3-97
Revision approved by Mary Moore, Ph.D., Director of Libraries, 6-23-2006
Revision approved by Rajia Tobia, Executive Director of Libraries, 1-29-2009
Revision approved by Rajia Tobia, Executive Director of Libraries, 10-12-2011
Revision approved by Owen Ellard, Senior Director of Libraries, 04-06-2018
Revision approved by Owen Ellard, Senior Director of Libraries, 05-25-2023