Service Alert
Introduction | Selection | Deselection | Gifts | Reconsideration | Dogwood Digital Library | For vendors
The purpose of this Collection Policy is to guide the development and management of the Library’s resources in support of the academic, research, and informational needs of the students, faculty, and staff of Brunswick Community College (BCC). This policy provides a framework for the selection and deselection of materials, the acceptance of gifts, responses to requests for reconsideration, and relationships with vendors and content providers.
The BCC Library is committed to building and maintaining a well-rounded, relevant, and inclusive collection that reflects the College’s mission to meet the educational, workforce, and personal enrichment needs of the community. Collection decisions are made in alignment with the College’s curricula, accreditation standards, and the evolving needs of its users.
To ensure consistency, accountability, and adherence to institutional priorities, the unilateral authority to add or remove materials from the Library collection is vested solely in the administration of the Library and Brunswick Community College. Input and recommendations from faculty, staff, and students are welcomed and considered; however, all final decisions regarding the collection rest with designated Library and College administrators.
This policy is intended to promote transparency, support the responsible use of resources, and ensure that the BCC Library remains a vital and responsive academic resource.
Brunswick Community College (BCC) Library is committed to building and maintaining a collection that supports the academic, workforce, and lifelong learning needs of our users. Selection and deselection decisions are guided by the College’s mission and the evolving needs of its diverse learning community.
The Library prioritizes materials that support:
Students and faculty in curriculum (credit) programs
Students and instructors in economic and workforce development (continuing education) programs
Brunswick Early College High School (BECHS) students and teachers, as the BCC Library serves as both their high school and college library
College administrators and employees in support of institutional goals
The selection and ongoing evaluation of materials—including books, audiobooks, DVDs, journals, magazines, newspapers, and databases—are conducted with careful consideration of the following criteria, including but not limited to:
Alignment with existing or emerging BCC curricula and lifelong learning interests
Relevance to the region or historical significance to BCC or Southeastern North Carolina
Cost-effectiveness relative to program or departmental enrollment (FTE data)
Support for high-demand or high-use academic and workforce subject areas
Availability in electronic format through the Library’s subscriptions or NC LIVE
Accessibility through interlibrary loan (ILL) via North Carolina community college libraries (NCCC Evergreen)
Local availability at partner libraries within geographic proximity to BCC
Recognition or importance within its discipline, as demonstrated by reviews, usage statistics, or academic metrics (e.g., Google Scholar, Scimago, Altmetrics)
Currency of content, or enduring historical value within the field
Physical condition and durability for repeated use and circulation
This policy ensures that collection development at BCC Library remains focused, equitable, and aligned with institutional priorities.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure the library’s collection remains relevant, current, and useful to the community college’s students, faculty, and staff. Deselection (also known as weeding) is the process of removing materials from the collection that no longer meet the needs of our users or meet established collection development criteria.
Objectives:
Materials may be considered for removal based on the following criteria:
Currency:
Information is outdated or superseded by more current resources, especially in fast-changing fields such as science, technology, health, and law.
Condition:
Materials that are physically damaged beyond repair (torn pages, mold, excessive wear).
Materials that are missing pages or significant parts.
Use:
Materials that have not circulated or been accessed for a significant period (typically 5–7 years), unless they are classics or essential reference works.
Accuracy and Relevance:
Materials containing inaccurate, biased, or misleading information.
Content no longer relevant to the curriculum or community needs.
Duplication:
Multiple copies beyond reasonable demand, or newer editions have replaced older versions.
Space Constraints:
Physical space limitations necessitating prioritization of essential and high-use materials.
Format:
Materials in obsolete formats that are not readily accessible or replaceable (e.g., VHS tapes, floppy disks), unless they have significant archival or historical value.
Librarians regularly review collections based on circulation statistics, faculty input, curriculum changes, and physical condition. Deselected materials are evaluated for potential relocation to archives, sale, donation, or recycling. Materials of historical or local significance may be transferred to special collections or archives rather than discarded.
BCC Library accepts gifts of donated materials, which match our selection priorities and criteria, on a discretionary basis. Every effort will be made to incorporate accepted donations that serve user needs into our existing collection, providing they are current, in good condition, and not already owned by the library.
Gifts of donated materials are accepted by the library with the proviso that, once received, they are henceforth BCC property. As such, the library – guided by the CREW and MUSTIE methods – reserves the right to retain, relocate, redistribute, or discard these items in accordance with BCC Library’s established selection and deselection procedures. For guidance on materials that libraries cannot accommodate, please see "Please Don’t Donate These Books."
For those gifts that are incorporated into the library collection, commemorative bookplates will be placed in the items upon request.
If the donor elects to at the time of donation, a “Gift Review Form” may be completed, which results in an official acknowledgment of the gift by the BCC Foundation for tax purposes. BCC Library cannot advise on/assist with tax issues or valuations related to gifts of donated materials. Rather, the appraisal of gifts to the library is the responsibility of the donor. The acceptance of a gift that has been appraised by a third party in no way implies that the library endorses the appraisal.
Monetary gifts to benefit the library may be arranged with the BCC Foundation.
V. Reconsideration [4]
The Brunswick Community College (BCC) Library is committed to upholding the principles of intellectual freedom, the freedom to read, and the right of access to diverse information and ideas. The Library endorses the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View Statement, and adheres to these foundational documents in its selection and retention of library materials.
Library materials are selected to support the academic mission of BCC, which includes fostering critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and a diversity of perspectives. The presence of any item in the collection does not constitute endorsement of its content, but reflects the Library’s obligation to provide access to a wide range of ideas in support of learning, research, and academic freedom.
Consistent with the Library’s Selection and Deselection Procedures, materials will not be added, removed, restricted, or relocated solely at the request of any individual or group, outside of the formal reconsideration process described below.
Basis for Reconsideration
A formal Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials will be considered only if the petitioner believes, in good faith, that the material in question fails to uphold the mission of Brunswick Community College. Requests based solely on personal taste, discomfort with content, or disagreement with particular viewpoints will not constitute valid grounds for reconsideration.
Eligibility to Submit a Request
Requests for reconsideration will only be accepted from:
Requests submitted by individuals who do not meet these criteria will be considered invalid and will not be reviewed.
Submission Requirements
All requests must be submitted using the official “Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials” form. The form must be completed in full and submitted to the Director of Learning Resources and Academic Support.
Incomplete forms will not be processed. Upon receipt of a valid form, the Director will acknowledge receipt in writing within five (5) business days.
Review Process and Committee
Within thirty (30) business days of acknowledging receipt, the Director of Learning Resources and Academic Support will convene a Review Committee to evaluate the request. This committee shall consist of the following, at a minimum:
The Review Committee will evaluate:
No action—including removal, relocation, restriction, or replacement—will be taken until the full review process is complete.
Within ten (10) business days of the committee’s final meeting, the Vice President for Academic Affairs (or designee) will issue a written response to the petitioner with the committee’s decision and rationale.
If the petitioner is not satisfied with the committee’s decision, they may submit a written appeal to the President of Brunswick Community College within fifteen (15) business days of receiving the decision.
The President will conduct a review of all documentation related to the request and will issue a final written decision. This decision is not subject to further appeal.
Once a material has undergone the full reconsideration and appeal process, it is ineligible for reconsideration for a period of two (2) academic years from the date of the final decision.
Brunswick Community College (BCC) Library participates in the Dogwood Digital Library (DDL), a shared collection of ebooks and audiobooks provided through the Libby platform in collaboration with other North Carolina community colleges.
This digital collection broadens access to reading materials for BCC-affiliated users; however, as a consortium-based service, BCC does not manage or control all content selections within the platform.
Access & Eligibility
Collection Scope
For help using Dogwood Digital Library or to suggest a title, contact the BCC Library.
BCC Library does not accept unsolicited shipments of products, particularly those resulting from predatory cold calling via our telephone numbers; all orders for materials will be initiated by BCC Library with vendors through the North Carolina e-procurement system, only.
BCC Library assumes no responsibility for any unsolicited products that we receive or for the return shipment and associated costs of those products.
