Policy Documents

PDFs of the following full Library Policy documents are available from the right-hand links:

Collection Management Policy

The Library’s Collection Management Policy derives from the Library’s strategic directions, established in support of the University’s academic goals:

to provide good access to information in a manner appropriate to the needs of customers and to maximise the use of existing Library resources
to provide optimum academic support for Library customers’ teaching, learning, and research
to provide for the special requirements of customers
to exploit fully communications and information technology
to exploit opportunities for regional, national, and international collaboration.

This document also contains information on collection management policy relating to:

Research and course materials
Donations
Housing and preservation of stock
Stock editing.

The Library collaborated with academic departments in order to agree subject-specific collection management policies. Please follow the link on the left to view these policies.

Gifts Policy

Durham University Library has throughout its history benefited significantly from the generosity of its friends and benefactors. Many important, valuable and useful gifts, and numerous donations of money to purchase library materials, have enriched both its teaching and its research collections. To this day, gifts to the Library of relevant publications and collection items in all formats are welcomed and encouraged. All gifts are accepted at the discretion of the University Librarian. In so doing, the Library wishes to focus on materials that it would like to retain, and normally will not accept material which will not be added to the Collection.

The Library's Gifts Policy sets out the guidelines which should apply when consideration is given to any offer to donate material to the Modern and General Collections of Durham University Library.

Special Collections

The Collecting Policy for Special Collections is designed to support the research and teaching of Durham University, and to develop coherent collections which build on existing strengths as a service to scholarship generally. The Preservation Policy defines the responsibilities and activities undertaken by Special Collections staff to ensure that the University collections are safeguarded for current and future users.