A central library initiative is to “ensure the development of a high-quality collection of books, journals, databases, and media to meet the ongoing needs of the academic community. The librarians will work closely with faculty to ensure the acquisition of the best possible resources to advance research, learning, and teaching. The library will facilitate access to resources that is effective and intuitive for discovery and use.”
Rolfing Library aspires to present a broad spectrum of research, viewpoints, and creative materials in its collections. In all collections decisions, the library supports academic freedom. The presence of an item in the Rolfing Library collection does not imply that the library or university endorses the ideas, the author, or the material. Questions or concerns about library holdings may be conveyed to the Library Director.
Selected library staff members are designated as liaisons for specific academic programs/departments; these liaisons have primary responsibility for the selection of resources to support those departments. High value is placed on acquiring materials that teaching faculty members recommend.
Relevance is evaluated by examination of curricular goals and course syllabi and by consulting with teaching faculty. Each subject area/collection is assigned a collecting level using the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) framework (see Appendix). Works outside the collecting level for that subject area/collection are acquired only as funds allow. Funding for areas may be adjusted based on statistics and available funding.
Excellence is judged by a variety of methods, including reviews published in respected sources and the quality of the author’s or publisher’s previous offerings. In our collections, we seek to provide a range of argument and opinion that reflects the range present among scholars in a given field. We do not limit our acquisitions to authors whose arguments or opinions accord with the university community’s theological convictions, although we place high value on collecting the works of such authors.
The library liaisons will be aware of the accrediting standards for their disciplines and ensure that the collection meets those standards.
Library staff primarily purchase newly-released books to add to Trinity’s collection. However, exceptions may be made if a liaison believes an older title seems necessary or relevant to the collection, or if a faculty member requests an older title. An older title is also purchased if it replaces a previous holding that is in poor condition or missing.
Works in languages other than English are collected when possible to support the curriculum, depending on the difficulty of purchasing and cataloging.
When purchasing a book, it is preferable to buy a new rather than a used copy. However, if the book is out of print, then the library may attempt to find a copy that is in good or very good condition. Additionally, if a new book is unreasonably expensive, a used copy may be acceptable.
Textbooks are highly relevant to the school’s programs of study but are collected by the library only in exceptional cases. The university expects students to acquire their own textbooks.
Trinity maintains a non-circulating Reference Collection. Reference Collection holdings include atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, frequently-used commentaries, citation style books, and essential Hebrew and Greek grammars.
The liaisons are responsible for keeping their areas up-to-date. A liaison may choose either to weed an outdated reference book, or to move it into the circulating Main collection. If a duplicate copy of the outdated reference book already exists in Main, then the reference copy should be weeded.
Trinity circulates print copies of students’ theses, projects, and dissertations, up to the year 2013, in its Dissertation Collection. From 2014 onward, Trinity stopped collecting print copies of its theses, projects, and dissertations, and only makes them available online through ProQuest. Some dissertations prior to 2014 are available in ProQuest, but these are also available in print at the library. Similarly, some Trinity theses and projects prior to 2014 are available online through TREN, but again, these are also available in print at the library. The full-text of some dissertations, theses, and projects may not be available due to restrictions assigned by the author.
The Media Collection exists to provide a wide variety of non-print media to support the university’s academic mission and to provide a source of materials that provide cultural enrichment. The Media Collection will be selective, rather than comprehensive, including mainly non-print media that supports the current curriculum of the university and promotes academic discourse among students, faculty, and staff. The same policies and objectives applied to book selecting are applied to selecting audio-visual materials, with such added criteria as quality of sound, photography, color reproduction, and compatibility with available equipment. Media collections have experienced rapid transitions in format. The Library and subject liaisons must carefully consider new formats and select materials in those formats that offer the best accessibility and usability.
We select nonfiction, documentary, and instructional films in much the same manner as books—either by faculty request or by subject librarians’ recommendation. Because nonfiction films are often significantly more expensive than a book on a comparable topic, we ensure that the videos we select support the curriculum, are accurate and timely, and have the potential for long-term use. We select feature films, short films, and other videos both to support the curricular areas of Trinity, and to provide for recreational viewing for the Trinity community. We select feature films based on recommendations from recognized critics, Oscar winners and nominees, inclusion in the National Film Registry, and from our own viewing experiences. Review sources we may consult include IMDB Parental Guide, Rotten Tomatoes, Common Sense Media, and Plugged In. These films are then evaluated according to the following criteria: 1) technical quality, 2) aesthetic appeal, 3) content quality, and 4) appropriateness for our community. Given the library’s desire to provide materials that stimulate intellectual growth and critical thinking, the library periodically purchases videos with content that some might find objectionable. The library evaluates each of the purchases for the video collection to determine if the redeeming qualities of the item are significant enough to outweigh the questionable content. DVD and Blu-Ray are the preferred formats, though other formats may be purchased on a case-by-case basis.
Electronic is the preferred format for audiobooks, as this allows access to the broader Trinity community. All new titles will be purchased unabridged when available. Audio CDs and other formats will be considered for purchase if unavailable electronically. Much like the film collection, the audio book collection is cultivated to support the academic and recreational needs of the Trinity community. Titles are added to this collection at the request of faculty, subject librarians, and student requests (as applicable).
The library seeks to support the curricular needs for research and performance of the Trinity communities by providing access to resources relating to music in a variety of formats, including digital streaming and audio CDs. Top priority is given to materials directly related to curricular needs, at the recommendation of faculty or subject librarians.
The library strives to preserve the history of Trinity and make available resources which may be unavailable elsewhere. To that end, the library has worked to digitize recordings from previous Chapel sessions held at Trinity. These recordings are available on CD in the library.
Trinity’s electronic resources include ebooks, article databases, digital image collections, online journals, and streaming media. These resources exist to serve all of Trinity’s community, but especially distance learners, students who live off-campus, the university’s growing online programs, and other patrons who prefer electronic access over the traditional analog format. Selection decisions are made on the basis of content, utility, indexing, ease-of-use, remote access, subject specialist recommendations, evaluations from trials, collection overlap, license terms, affordability, and usage. Databases that are offered by consortial arrangement may be preferred when they offer the best pricing structure. Preference is also given to electronic resources that come from a reliable vendor with responsive customer support and standardized statistical reporting.
Free internet resources can provide unique content and enhance traditional resources in a university library. Internet resources are considered for addition to the library’s Databases A-Z page after evaluation and recommendation by subject liaisons. They may also be cataloged and made accessible via the library’s online catalog and/or discovery interfaces. Rolfing librarians use the following guidelines to identify appropriate free internet resources: quality (credibility, regularly updated, adds depth to collection); user-friendly interface; stable URL linking; print subscriptions that have moved to online open access; and/or provides information on areas of particular focus for the campus (e.g. Bible and theology, missions, or topics of Trinity’s research centers). The library will regularly remove links to resources that are no longer available.
The library collects journals in print and/or electronic format, with electronic format preferred when available. Priority is given to subscriptions that are required for accreditation or are crucial for Trinity’s curriculum and student research.
Because of the ongoing cost commitment for journal subscriptions, all journal requests are carefully reviewed. Factors that influence the approval of a journal subscription may include: the extent to which the journal supports the curriculum; whether it is indexed in sources available at Rolfing Library; whether there are similar titles in the collection; the cost of the journal; and other factors determined by the library staff. New journal titles are evaluated in the spring and ordered once a year in July. Subscriptions begin the following calendar year.
The library accepts donations from TIU faculty of scholarly books. Donations from other sources are accepted on a case-by-case basis.
The library may not add every item from a donation into the collection. By agreeing to donate materials to the library, donors accept the library’s right to do whatever is deemed appropriate with the materials. For example, if the library already owns an item, if it is outdated, if it is in poor condition, or if it does not fit within the scope of the collection, the library has the right to dispose of it.
The goal of interlibrary loan is to provide students and staff with efficient and helpful access to material beyond the collection at Rolfing Library. In order to accomplish this, we participate in local and national consortiums that lend and borrow material. Interlibrary loan statistics are used by liaisons in order to help determine if a journal or book should be acquired by the library.
The library does not collect in this area.
A subject area in which few selections are made beyond very basic reference tools. Usually limited to the English language and the printed media of books and periodicals.
A selective collection of materials that serves to introduce and define a subject and to delineate its major topics. Although it is not designed to provide support for all subtopics in subject areas, the collection should be comprehensive enough to support broad subject areas. It should offer an adequate base for locating general information as well as include some basic materials that direct the user to other relevant information. The collection should include major dictionaries and encyclopedias, selected editions of important works, historical surveys, general works devoted to major subtopics in the field, important bibliographies, and a few major periodicals in the field.
The advanced basic information level collection includes a selection of basic books and periodicals on the subject in general, subtopics covered within the curriculum, a broader selection of works by important authors, and descriptive and evaluative works on their theories, research and/or writing. While the collection is at the minimal or basic level, special attention is given to maintenance of bibliographical and reference sources at the instructional support level or higher.
An introductory instructional collection that includes a broad range of books, journals, and other appropriate formats in the subject area; a significant number of classic retrospective materials; all seminal works and key journals in the broad subject area; some seminal works and key journals in subtopics of the subject areas; and works that describe or evaluate theories, research, or writings by important figures in the field.
An advanced instructional collection that builds on an introductory instructional collection by including a significant number of retrospective materials of appropriate format in a subject area; a significant number of seminal works and journals in subtopics of the subject area; a substantial collection of works by secondary figures; works that provide more in-depth discussion of research, techniques, and evaluation; and most of the important reference tools in the subject, including major periodical indexes, abstracts, and bibliographies.
A collection at this level includes the major published source materials required for dissertations and independent research. It is intended to include all important reference works and a wide selection of specialized books, as well as a very extensive collection of journals and major indexing and abstracting services in the field. Pertinent foreign language materials are included. Older material is retained for historical research. The majority of reference works in the area should be available.
A collection in which a library endeavors, so far as is reasonably possible, to include all significant works of recorded knowledge (publications, manuscripts, and other forms), in all applicable languages, for a necessarily defined and limited field. This level of collecting intensity is one that maintains a “special collection.” The aim, if not the achievement, is exhaustiveness. Reference works of all kinds are added regularly. Older material is retained for historical research.
Created, March 2017
Revised, June 2021
The ebook collection supplements and expands the print collection; it does not merely duplicate it. Departmental liaisons select titles according to the needs of the departments they support. The General Policy tab section explains selection criteria.
Liaisons weigh the particular needs of each department to decide whether ebooks or print books will be more beneficial for its purposes. In particular, they consider the needs of their online, distance, and commuter students. Additionally, the library takes the compatibility of an ebook across a wide variety of device platforms into consideration. An ebook priced substantially greater than its corresponding print book is purchased only when there is sufficient added value (e.g., greater accessibility, multiple-user options, interactive components). Duplication of books in the print collection or the purchase of additional e-copies is considered for in-demand titles, essential commentaries, course reserves, and other heavily-used texts.
Purchase two copies if the author is current TIU faculty: one for the Faculty Authors collection, the other for the Main collection or eBook.
For prolific authors with ten or more books already in the collection, purchase two copies, one for Faculty Authors, one for main or eBook, and evaluate collection every two years to determine which books should stay in FA and which should be moved to Main (see Weeding section)
Priority hierarchy (in descending order):
Tenured faculty
Full-time faculty
Emeriti/retired faculty
Former faculty
Works by adjunct faculty will not normally be added to the Faculty Authors collection (exceptions may be made at the discretion of library staff)
Purchase one copy for the Faculty Authors collection if author is current TIU faculty (exceptions may be made at the discretion of library staff).
If possible, library staff may reach out to the professor to see if he or she has a spare copy to donate to the library
Books edited by TIU faculty or books that contain contributions by TIU faculty are added to the Faculty Authors collection at the the discretion of library staff
For books that contain contributions by faculty members, or which are ABOUT faculty members, library staff may decide to purchase two copies (one Faculty Authors, one Main), but are not obliged to do so
We focus on weeding books by prolific authors (to conserve space) or by authors no longer affiliated with Trinity
Every two years, evaluate the collection based on circulation statistics
For books by prolific authors with low circulation stats or non-foundational works that are older than five years, remove the book from Faculty Authors and add it to Main
Weed and move to Main books by faculty who left the university but did not retire from here
Original: March 2015
Updates: 2/10/2021; 6/12/2023
The Mission of the Gleason A. Archer Archives is to provide access for research scholars and TIU faculty, staff, and students who want to learn more about the school's history or its founding denomination, the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). Additionally, the archives include items related to Trinity’s history and cover fundamentalism and evangelicalism since the late 19th century. Items that do not fit within the scope of this collection will be considered for withdrawal, unless there are special circumstances.
The Archer Archives accepts donations that are relevant to the scope of its collection. By making a donation to the Archer Archives, donors grant the library the right to do whatever it deems appropriate, whether that means permanently keeping it, eventually disposing of it, displaying it, or giving it to another institution.
EFCA Digital Collections
The Rolfing Library's Digital Collections contain material digitized from the EFCA Archives in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Gleason Archer Archives in the Rolfing Library. Through the links on the collections’ pages, visitors may browse and download digital material for private use. The scope of the collections cover - among other things - the history, theology, missionary activity, sermons, and development of the EFCA denomination, its predecessors, and institutions.
Weeding is an essential aspect of collection maintenance. Weeding enables the library to stay true to our mission and makes it easier for patrons to find what they need.
The following considerations help to determine whether any given item should be kept or withdrawn:
Does it provide ongoing support for the curriculum?
How does it fit the ARL collecting level that has been selected for the subject area / collection?
Is it a classic or influential work in its field?
Is it regularly used?
Do we have additional copies?
Do we own a copy or copies in a preferred format (or should we acquire such)?
Is it especially rare, valuable, or otherwise suitable for transfer to a special collection?
Is it the last copy in Illinois?
What is the opinion of teaching faculty in relevant subject areas?
Should it be replaced by a more recently published work?
Is it in such poor condition that continued use is difficult?
Withdrawn materials may be sold, given away, or discarded.
The library participates in a last-copy program with our primary consortium, CARLI. This program seeks to preserve the last copy of books within the Illinois academic and research library community. The project allows any CARLI library that withdraws a last-copy book to donate it to another CARLI library that will retain the title for resource sharing in Illinois.
Rolfing Library glorifies God and edifies the Trinity International University community by:
Providing access to quality resources • Fostering collaborative relationships in a warm and welcoming environment • Promoting lifelong learning
