• Section 1 - Purpose and Scope
• Purpose
• Scope
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Statement (Principles) 
• Section 4 - Procedure
• Responsibilities
• Selection
• Publication and preservation
• Deselection
• Section 5 - Associated Documents

Section 1 - Purpose and Scope

Purpose

(1) This policy:

1. outlines the principles and practice for the selection, curation, acquisition, management, and disposal of the Library’s collection; and 
2. articulates the criteria for selection of scholarly information resources that advance the teaching, learning and research activities of the University.

Scope

(2) This policy applies to all University staff and students engaged in the selection, management, and use of information resources, including archival collections.

(3) This policy does not apply to the University’s Art Collection which is governed by the Art Collection Policy. 

Section 2 - Definitions

(4) For the purposes of the Policy refer to the Definitions (Academic) Policy and the definitions below:

1. Library collection includes physical information resources held at the University’s campuses and digital information resources curated and accessed via the Library’s collection management, discovery and institutional repository systems.
2. Digital Rights Management (DRM) means the  use of technology to restrict the use of copyright digital content. Examples of DRM enforced by commercial publishers includes limiting the number of users who can concurrently access a learning resource; and restrictions on downloading and printing copies.
3. Commercial Licence means a licence made through an agreement with a publisher or vendor to enable staff and students to access and use Copyright Material for certain educational purposes without seeking explicit permission from copyright owners.
4. Statutory  Licence means a licence made under provision of the Copyright Act that permits educational institutions to reproduce and communicate a range of Copyright Material without having to seek explicit permission from copyright owners.
5. Open Access means a set of principles and a range of practices through which material is distributed online, free of cost or other access barriers. Through licensing via an open licence (usually a Creative Commons Licence) freely available material can be legally shared and reused. .
6. Cross Connect means the University’s repository, used to collect, index, store and disseminate the University’s research and scholarship of teaching and learning outputs.

Section 3 - Policy Statement (Principles) 

(5) The Library acquires, curates, and provides access to relevant, authoritative, diverse and up-to-date information resources aligned with the University’s learning, teaching, and research activities.

(6) Information resources selected:

1. are appropriate to the level of study, Unit Learning Outcomes and modes of participation; 
2. are accessible when needed (including for individuals with disabilities); and
3. facilitate research, scholarship and knowledge curation.

(7) The Library is committed to protecting the Indigenous Cultural and Property rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples. The Library manages its collections, including archives, in culturally respectful and appropriate ways by implementing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols for Libraries, Archives and Information Services and consulting with community representatives. 

(8) Financially sustainable procurement strategies are used to maximise the University’s return on investment, including evidence-based and patron-driven acquisition models, and, where possible, leverage open access publishing opportunities.

Section 4 - Procedure

Responsibilities

(9) Library staff are responsible for:

1. purchasing, curating, subscribing to or providing access to information resources in accessible formats.
2. providing and maintaining systems, to enable access to open, licensed and copyright information resources.

(10) University staff are responsible for:

1. accessing, using, and returning physical items according to the Library’s borrowing guidelines.
2. accessing and  using information resources in ways that comply with the Copyright Act, Copyright Policy, and Statutory and Commercial Licences. 
3. consulting and partnering with Library staff to identify information resources required for teaching, learning and research.
4. depositing eligible Open Access versions of their research outputs and Scholarship of Learning and Teaching activities to Cross Connect for publishing. Eligible versions may include Submitted, Accepted and Published versions of outputs, depending on the rights retained by the authors at the time of publication.

(11) Students are responsible for: 

1. accessing, using, and returning physical items according to the Library’s borrowing guidelines
2. accessing and using the Library’s collections in ways that comply with the Copyright Act, Copyright Policy, and Statutory and Commercial Licences.

Selection

(12) Information resources will be selected based on their alignment with the University’s learning, teaching and research programs, cost-effectiveness, discoverability, and accessibility. The order of most accessible to least accessible formats is

1. Open Access content, including Open Education Resources, Open Textbooks and Open journals
2. Content with no Digital Rights Management or user license restrictions
3. Content with Digital Rights Management and user license restrictions
4. Physical items.

(13) Suggestions and requests for the Library collection are assessed according to the criteria in clauses (6) and (12). Decisions regarding purchases, curation of subscriptions are the responsibility of the Director, Library Services and their delegates as per the Delegation Rule. 

(14) The University promotes the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OERs) as a preferred option to commercially published textbooks.

(15) The Library will make every effort to provide access to learning resources to enable student learning success but cannot guarantee copies of prescribed textbooks for every student. Students are expected to obtain their own copies if required for learning tasks.

(16) Duplicate copies of items are avoided. Multiple copies of physical items or additional licenses for digital items may be acquired based on unit enrolments or demand.

(17) Donations are only accepted if they meet our standards for selection and:

1. be in good physical condition,
2. not already be held in our collections or available online, and
3. be relevant to the University’s teaching and research programs or be within the scope of the University’s archival collections.

(18) The Director, Library Services reserves the right to determine the retention, location, cataloguing treatment, and other considerations related to the use of donated items

Publication and preservation

(19) Southern Cross University is committed to making SCU-authored research materials, data, and outputs as open as possible via the University's repository, Cross Connect, and relevant data repositories. Research and scholarship outputs will be made openly accessible as copyright, intellectual property and licensing agreements permit

(20) Staff and HDR students may be required to provide written evidence confirming their rights to include or publish works in Cross Connect, where works include third-party copyright material.

(21) The Rules relating to Awards for Higher Degrees by Research (Rules 7, 8 and 9) require candidates to deposit a digital copy of their thesis in Cross Connect. Library staff manage the process of thesis deposit, including any embargo periods and copyright content.

(22) The Library manages and preserves archival and high value collections on behalf of the University community. Selection, storage, and disposal guidelines for archives are governed by the Library Archives Procedure.

Deselection

(23) Library staff continuously review digital and physical information resources and maintain only active and relevant collections that empower the University's learning, teaching, and research activities.

(24) Deselection decisions are based on evidence and consider usage data, scope, condition, accessibility, teaching and research alignment including professional accreditation requirements, financial and physical space constraints.

Section 5 - Associated Documents

(25) This Policy should be read in conjunction with:

1. Copyright Policy
2. Library Archives Procedure
3. Assessment Teaching and Learning Procedures
4. Research Publications, Dissemination and Authorship Procedures
5. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols for Libraries, Archives and Information Services
6. Rules Relating to Awards – Rule 7- Masters by Thesis Awards
7. Rules Relating to Awards – Rule 8 – Professional Doctorate Awards
8. Rules Relating to Awards – Rule 9 – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Awards