Acquisition

The acquisition process in a our library refers to the systematic way in which the library acquires new resources, such as books, journals, electronic resources, multimedia materials, and other educational content, to add to its collection. This process is essential for ensuring that the library can meet the academic and research needs of its students, faculty, and staff.

The acquisition process in our library:

• Collection Development Policy: The library typically starts by establishing a collection development policy, which outlines the scope and objectives of the library’s collection. This policy considers the disciplines and subjects taught in the Institute, the level of courses (undergraduate, postgraduate, etc.), and the preferences and needs of library users.
• Budget Allocation: The library secures a budget from the institute administration to be used for acquiring new resources. This budget will guide the acquisition process, as it determines how much the library can spend on new materials.
• Identification of Needs: The library works closely with faculty, students, and other stakeholders to identify the current and anticipated needs for learning and research materials. Librarians often gather suggestions and requests for specific titles or subjects from academic departments and library users.
• Selection: Librarians, subject specialists, and faculty members and also students are involved in the selection of new materials. They evaluate the relevance, quality, and scholarly content of potential acquisitions based on the collection development policy and user needs.
• Vendor Relations: The library maintains relationships with book vendors, publishers, and electronic resource providers to receive information about new publications and availability. Librarians negotiate with vendors to obtain the best pricing and licensing terms for electronic resources.
• Ordering and Processing: Once the items to be acquired are selected, the library places orders with the appropriate vendors. After receiving the materials, the library staff processes them, which includes cataloging, classifying, and labeling the items before they are ready for use.
• Electronic Resources: In the digital age, institute libraries increasingly acquire electronic resources such as e-books, academic journals, databases, and multimedia content. These resources often require ongoing subscriptions or licenses, which the library needs to renew regularly.
• Budget Management: Throughout the acquisition process, the library closely monitors its budget to ensure that funds are allocated appropriately and that all necessary resources are acquired.
• User Accessibility: The acquired materials are made available to library users through various means, such as online catalogs for physical items and access portals for electronic resources.
• Evaluation: The library regularly assesses the effectiveness of the acquisition process by reviewing user feedback, usage statistics, and the overall impact on the learning and research activities of institute community members.