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1. Introduction
- Disposition is the removal of material that is no longer considered appropriate to keep based on the reasons below
- Removed material may be discarded, donated or sold.
- Disposition is done jointly by the Library and academic staff
- This policy is guided by:
- Collection Development Policy
- Retention Policy
2. Purpose
- To provide relevant and reliable information based on current needs.
- To maintain ease of access and management.
- To maintain the physical condition of the collection To create physical space
- To create physical space
3. Subject guidelines for retention or disposition
- These guidelines are not absolute. They do not imply automatic disposition or retention and do not preclude earlier disposition. They are applied at the discretion of the subject librarian, the Librarian, and relevant academic staff.
- Retention is recommended for: Anthropology, Classics, Drama & Theatre Studies, Fine & Decorative Arts, Folklore, History, Languages & Literature, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Theology
- Appraisal for possible disposition is recommended for titles published more than 15 years ago in the following subjects: Education, Geography, Law, Linguistics, Sociology.
- Appraisal for possible disposition is recommended for titles published more than 10 years ago in the following subjects: Applied Social Studies, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics & Finance, Engineering, Experimental Physics, Mathematical Physics
4. Criteria for removal of monographs
- Remove multiple copies of older editions, subject to guidelines and policies above.
- Remove multiple copies (i.e. retain one copy) of titles borrowed (including renewals) less than 10 times over the last 3 years, subject to guidelines and policies above.
- Remove titles borrowed once or less over last 5 years, subject to guidelines and policies above.
- Remove titles published more than 10 years ago for subjects not included in above guidelines, subject to policies above.
- Remove the printed versions and other formats of titles made available electronically by the Library, subject to guidelines and policies above.
- Allowing for criteria above, repair, replace or discard material in poor physical condition
5. Criteria for removal of periodicals
- Remove multiple copies.
- Remove newsletters and magazines of no academic value after 1 year.
- Remove titles no longer being received after 5 years, subject to guidelines and policies above
- Remove back-issues over 30 years old of current titles, subject to guidelines and policies above
- Remove the printed versions and other formats of titles made available electronically by the Library, subject to guidelines and policies above
- Allowing for criteria above, repair, replace or discard material in poor physical condition.
