Resources to support teaching, learning and research
Library Policy No 6
Underlying principle - Support for University initiatives
The University has amongst its goals, to meet the needs of students to gain flexible access to learning, and to foster an environment for research. The innovative use of information technologies plays a role in meeting these. By embracing the opportunities for educational delivery provided by communications technologies, the University has moved progressively and strategically towards flexible delivery of its programs. This includes the delivery of courses online and offshore.
The Library contributes to meeting University objectives by providing access to resources in a range of formats. It recognises the diversity of the university community and seeks to balance a move to online resources with its substantial and continuing commitment to resources available in print. It accepts that individual Schools, Research Centres and Institutes will move to reliance upon resources in electronic format at different rates.
Online information resources and the Library
The Library is developing its online collections within the framework of a consolidated fund and selection policy for all subscriptions regardless of format:
- it is actively pursuing a move to electronic journals in support
of the University's online and internationalisation initiatives
- it will not initiate a print subscription where an online version
is available as a separate entity unless there is a strong justification
from the relevant school/research centre. Criteria for subscription to the
print format includes quality of images and purpose of collection
- where practical the Library has adopted a policy of cancelling print titles which are currently received in electronic form and replacing these with the online version
- the online component of the Library Materials Budget is reviewed
each year to reflect University priorities as part of the budget process
- the principles of online vs. print resources outlined above also apply to titles purchased from Research funds however these are managed separately from the consolidated fund
Balancing competing needs
- The Library subscribes both to resources used by large numbers of undergraduate students across multiple disciplines and to resources supporting small groups of specialist researchers. Its collections are intended to balance the sometimes different needs of teaching, learning and research
- all subscriptions regardless of format are subject to standard selection criteria
- Library resources may be partially or fully funded by Research Centres, Schools or Divisions
- Online resources generally cost less than those in print. The Library reviews titles currently available online as well as in print at UniSA as a means to contain costs
- the advice of Divisions and Research Centres will be sought in determining priorities in the selection and retention of individual journal and database subscriptions. The Electronic Products Committee will act as a decision making body for electronic collections (aggregations)
- if access to individual resources is lost or continuation of a subscription cannot be justified, funds saved will be available for the purchase of replacement titles based on University and Divisional priorities supported by the Library’s subscription selection criteria
Access to resources and collections
All visitors to the Library may use most resources available in print. Access to electronic databases and full-text journals and services subscribed to by the Library is restricted by licence to current staff and enrolled students of UniSA. You may view, print and/or download contents from these services provided such use is for your University studies, teaching or research, does not constitute sequential and systematic downloading of an unreasonable volume of licensed content or amount to or result in commercial distribution or plagiarism. Use of these resources is limited by the appropriate licence conditions, copyright legislation and University Policy on use of University Information Technology facilities.
Endorsed Library Leadership Team December 2003
This policy replaces that on Online Resources first endorsed in August 2001
Enquiries: Stephen Parnell