SPF-USA Library

Library	Collection Development Policy
SPF-USA Library Library Collection Collection Development Policy Services and Loan Policies News and Events Other Japan-Related Resources	Table of Contents Purpose Statement on Intellectual Freedom The Library's Patrons The Library's Collection Formats Collected Languages Collected Subject Areas Collected Collection Evaluation Weeding/Deselection Public Input Duplicates and Translations Gifts 1. Purpose The purpose of this collection development policy is to inform the public of the types of materials held by the SPF-USA Library and the reasons these materials are collected, and to serve as a guideline to library staff in developing and maintaining the collection. 2. Statement on Intellectual Freedom The SPF-USA Library supports and protects intellectual freedom, authors’ intellectual property rights, and the privacy of the library’s patrons. In accordance with the foundation's role as a non-partisan organization, the library endeavors to provide a variety of information, while neither advocating nor suppressing any particular point of view. 3. The Library's Patrons Over 20 people visit the SPF-USA Library every day. The library continues to attract new users; in 1999, more than 20 people per month registered to borrow materials from the library. Some of the most regular users of the library are students. Other major categories of patrons include researchers, faculty members, and government employees. Over two-thirds of the patrons identify themselves as using both English and Japanese materials; 30% use only English materials, and a little over 9% use only Japanese materials. Almost half of the library's patrons live in D.C.; one-third live in Virginia; most of the rest live in Maryland. Roughly half of the library's patrons are Japanese. 4. The Library's Collection As of July 2000, the library's collection includes over 6,500 books and documents, 40 newspaper and periodical titles, and more than 600 videotapes. The collection contains both materials in English and in Japanese. Close to one-third of the library's collection consists of works on business, economics, and finance. Works on Japanese history and culture constitute another 11% of the collection. Another 11% of the collection consists of Japanese language instructional materials, which are used by individuals who are studying and individuals who are teaching the language. Other major areas of the collection are: Japanese literature, 6%; sociology, 5%; U.S.-Japan relations, 3%; politics and government, 4%; education, 3%; and law, 2%. The library subscribes to a number of newspapers, magazines, and journals that cover present-day Japan. The library's videotape collection consists of documentary tapes on Japanese business, culture, and society, language instruction tapes, and feature- length films. The library's reference collection includes a number of dictionaries, directories, atlases, and government publications, such as annual reports and white papers. 5. Formats Collected The SPF-USA Library collects materials in the following formats: Books bound works, primarily works published in the U.S. and Japan, but also some works published in the U.K., Canada, and other English-speaking countries. For reasons of durability, hard-cover editions are preferred to paperbacks. However, paperbacks are also acquired when no other edition is available. Periodicals newspapers, magazines, journals, and newsletters published in and/or primarily dealing with present-day Japan. Some major U.S. newspapers are also collected. Videocassettes feature-length Japanese films, language instructional videos, and documentary videos. Sound cassettes Japanese language instructional tapes which complement textbooks in the collection. Government documents specifically, white papers and annual reports. Maps and atlases of Japan. Dissertations recently-published dissertations on contemporary Japan. The library does not collect the following types of materials, due to the prohibitive costs of acquiring, processing, storing, maintaining, and/or preserving these items: Microforms of back issues of periodicals Computer software Art works and posters Musical recordings Realia 6. Languages Collected The SPF-USA Library collects materials published both in English and in Japanese. 7. Subject Areas Collected The SPF-USA Library collection covers on present-day Japan, with a focus on works in the humanities and social science fields. The term following the subject area refers both to the current level of the library's collection and to the extent which the library is actively collecting in that field. The library uses the following collection levels: Out of scope: The library does not collect in this subject. Subjects that are out of the scope for the SPF-USA Library include: American Literature English Literature General Philology and Linguistics History of Europe Law of Europe Law of the United States Modern European Languages Music Oceanography Minimal level: A subject area in which few selections are made beyond the very basic works. The library collects materials on the following topics at the minimal level: Agriculture Anthropology Culture and Customs Fine Arts Geography History (General) History of Oceania Law (General) Leisure and Recreation Literature and Fiction Medicine Naval Science Philosophy and Religion Science and Technology Social Science (General) Socialism, Communism, Anarchism Basic information level: A selective collection of materials that serves to introduce and define a subject, and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere. The library collects materials on the following topics at the basic information level: Economic Theory Education Family and Society Library Science Social History, Public Welfare, and Criminology Statistics Transportation and Communications Women's Studies Study or instructional support level: A collection that is adequate to systematically impart and maintain knowledge about a subject. The library collects materials on the following topics at the study level: Business Practices Defense and Military Science Economics Finance Foreign Relations History of Asia History of America Japanese Language and Linguistics Law of Japan Politics and Government Trade and Industry Please note that acquisitions in all of the above subject fields are limited to works dealing with present-day Japan. 8. Collection Evaluation To ensure that we are meeting the needs of the library's patrons, the library staff will evaluate the scope of the collection and its usage on an annual basis. At that time the staff will also evaluate, and if necessary revise, the collection development policy itself, to ensure that it adequately and effectively reflects the needs and goals of the library. 9. Weeding/Deselection Back issues of U.S. newspapers will be retained for three months. Back issues of Japanese newspapers will be retained for one year. Superseded reference works will be moved into the general collection. Due to the current surplus of shelf space, all back issues of magazines are retained, and books are not removed from the general collection. 10. Public Input Members of the public may suggest the acquisition of new materials, or may question the collection of certain materials. Forms for both purposes are available at the Reference Desk. Please note that while the library fully and impartially considers all requests, the filing of a request is not in and of itself sufficient grounds for the addition/removal of a work. If you have any suggestions for items the library should include please follow this link. 11. Duplicates and Translations In most cases, the SPF-USA Library will acquire single copies of a work. For works in great demand, however, the library may acquire additional copies. Also, the library will endeavor to acquire translations (both English and Japanese) of popular and/or highly-regarded works that fall within its collection scope. 12. Gifts While the SPF-USA Library appreciates donations of books, the library will accept as gifts only those materials which fall within the scope of its collection development policies. The library reserves the right to process and store the gift as it sees fit; gifts given with preconditions will not be accepted. The library will assume only the normal processing costs; any and all other costs, including but not limited to shipping costs, assessment fees, etc., must be paid by the donor. back to top
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