1. Introduction
The Library is committed to actively building and developing relevant and dynamic collections to support teaching, learning and research at the University of Sunderland. Development of collections sits within the wider context of:
- Fulfilling University learning, teaching and research priorities.
- Aligning with Digital First policies.
- Constraints of a fixed estate.
- High cost and inflation rates for resources.
- A dynamic and digital HE environment.
- High student expectations.
- Emerging digital content purchasing and open access models.
The University operates within a digital curriculum and blended learning environment. The Library activity focuses on the development of digital Library collections as an alternative to print holdings wherever practicable and appropriate. Digital collections ensure users have access to relevant, high-quality and sustainable content, and it is within this context that this policy sets out the principles of library activity in relation to the life cycle of content.
2. Operating Principles
This policy supports the delivery of the University’s learning, teaching and research strategy and is reviewed on a 3-year cycle to ensure continued relevance, compliance with sector expectations and financial sustainability. The policy will be reviewed sooner if significant institutional, financial or external changes require it.
The policy applies to all Library-managed collections, physical and digital and is intended for use by Library staff, academic colleagues and other stakeholders involved in learning, teaching and research support. The policy seeks to:
- Set out a clear framework by which the Library acquires, manages and makes content accessible to ensure maximum use and best value.
- Foster an understanding of the Library's work.
- Underpin budgetary decisions to achieve effective allocation of resources, balanced collections, and value for money.
- Ensure selection of content is a collaborative process between academic staff, students and Library staff through a shared understanding and consistent approach.
- Provide a recognised procedure for ongoing management of collections which includes retention and disposal of content to align with current learning, teaching and research requirements alongside financial and space constraints.
- Allow an agile response to rapid change and development in content provision and changing University priorities.
3. Inclusive & Accessible Collections
The Library is committed to developing inclusive, accessible and representative collections that align with the University’s learning, teaching and research strategy and support a diverse academic community. In addition, collections will support the University's equality, diversity and inclusion priorities and relevant accessibility legislation.
In selecting and licensing content, the Library will prioritise formats and platforms that support accessibility standards, include compatibility with assistive technologies and screen-reading software and will seek to minimise barriers to access for disabled users and those with differing learning needs.
The Library will work in partnership with academic colleagues to identify and address gaps, bias and under-representation within collections, supporting inclusive curricula and reflective and teaching practices.
4. Acquisitions
The Library seeks to ensure cost-effective, equitable, and sustainable acquisition of content. This is achieved by:
- Membership of consortia purchasing groups to achieve the best terms and discounts.
- Independent negotiation of discounts with separate suppliers outside the consortia.
- Utilising purchasing agreements negotiated by national bodies such as JISC, purchasing digital content wherever available and affordable for maximum coverage and increasing diverse patterns of online user engagement.
- Minimising the purchase of duplicate copies of print books.
Reading lists are a key driver for Library acquisitions. Academic staff are encouraged to maintain accurate and up-to-date lists and to engage with the Library during programme development and review processes. The purchase of new materials is dependent on demonstrable need, format availability, and available budget.
The Library aims to achieve a mixed economy of content to satisfy user demand and access including, although not limited to, the following:
- Digital content, including ebooks, databases, theses, and other digital resources.
- Printed materials, including books and serials.
- Streamed digital media.
- Digitisation of key chapters and excerpts from print books for inclusion in reading lists.
- Print and digital interlibrary loans.
- Special Collections archives.
- Open access resources deemed to be of high quality and multi-disciplinary.
4.1 Budget Management
The allocation of the Library budget is measured and balanced to ensure equity in all disciplines. Purchasing decisions are data-driven and informed by collection strengths, demonstrable need, usage, format availability, and access. The Library aims to purchase all materials on a reading list tagged as ‘Essential’ and ‘Recommended’ reading.
Where available and affordable, digital content with appropriate and sustainable licensing will always be purchased to support blended learning and ensure wider access and inclusion for all user communities. Purchase of additional licences is demand-driven using “turn away” statistics and student feedback.
The Library aims to spend 80% of the book budget on ebooks and 95% of the serial budget on e-serials and databases.
4.2 Purchasing Ratios
The following ratios are used to guide purchasing decisions:
| Category | Ebook | Print book (where no ebook available) |
| Tagged as ‘Essential’ on a reading list | Unlimited licence (where available) | 1 copy per 10 students |
| Tagged as ‘Recommended’ on a reading list | Unlimited licence (where available) | 1 copy for 15 students |
| Optional/suggested for purchase | Best value licence option | 1 copy |
Total number of print copies purchased of one title should never exceed 20.
4.3 Selection & Development
- Selection of content is made through partnership and conversations between Library and academic staff. This can be formally (through programme/module development and review processes) or informally through liaison meetings, one-to-one communications and recommendations.
- Content will be independently selected by the Library as required and requested by library users using the Library Suggest a Book service and ‘turn away’ statistics, which indicate unsatisfied demand.
- The Library will select the most appropriate and cost-effective licence for provision and access to digital content. This will be determined by user numbers, expected patterns of use across the curriculum and historical usage.
- Where available and affordable, multi-discipline ebook collections will be selected and purchased if they represent better value for money than individual ebook titles.
- Where multi-discipline ebook collections are not available, discipline-specific collections of ebooks may be purchased. Academic staff are requested to make the best use of these collections and review collection content before suggesting the purchase of content that is not included within an existing collection.
- Other (legally published) material will be considered for selection provided it is relevant to the learning, teaching, and research activities of the University and the cost can be justified in terms of budget allocations and value to Library users.
- The Library may also operate User Demand and Evidence Driven Acquisitions models to purchase digital content.
- Resources will not be selected or purchased for sole or restricted use; this includes content purchased via new purchasing models based on FTEs. All print and digital content will be fully accessible to all Library users, where licences allow.
- The Library will not permit print materials purchased from Library funds to be housed or loaned permanently outside the Library’s premises.
5. Access
Print collections are available on open-access shelves within Library buildings. The retention of printed materials is primarily determined by levels of use and their ongoing relevance or currency.
Digital collections - including individual ebook titles, ebook subscription packages, serials, and database subscriptions - are provided online through contractual licences purchased from external publishers and suppliers. In most cases, access to the Library's digital collections is restricted under licence to authorised users, specifically students and staff of the University of Sunderland. However, a small number of licences permit limited walk-in access within Library premises.
5.1 Authentication
Shibboleth Single Sign-On (SSO) is the Library's primary authentication system. Where SSO is unavailable, hosted EZProxy is used as an alternative method.
Rationale:
- To ensure robust identity management.
- To provide consistent access to electronic resources for both on-campus and remote users, while facilitating personalised features such as notes and folders.
- To streamline account lifecycle processes (access is revoked when University IT accounts expire in accordance with authentication requirements).
5.2 Transnational Education & Partner Provision
The Library will always seek to support equitable access to learning resources for Transnational Education (TNE) students and partner institutions where licensing and funding permit. Access to some digital resources may be limited or subject to additional cost due to publisher licence terms.
Decisions regarding provision for TNE cohorts are informed by academic need, usage, value for money, and contractual feasibility. TNE access is reviewed as part of routine collection management.
6. Open Research, Open Access, & Open Education Resources
The Library supports open research principles and the responsible development and use of open access (OA) resources and open education resources (OER) content to improve access, visibility and sustainability of scholarly outputs.
OA resources and OER will be actively considered alongside licensed content as part of collection development and review activity, and aligned with the University’s research strategy and the management of the Institutional Repository.
The Library supports sustainable open publishing and collective funding models, where these represent value for money and reduce reliance on high-cost commercial publishing, ensuring compliance with sector expectations, including REF, UKRI, and Jisc guidance.
7. Data, Analytics, & Impact
Collection development and management decisions are informed by qualitative and quantitative evidence to ensure relevance, value for money, and alignment with University priorities.
The evidence considered includes usage data, cost-per-use, reading list alignment, student and academic feedback, and patterns of engagement across disciplines. This approach supports the effective allocation of resources and enables the Library to demonstrate its contribution to student success, retention, academic outcomes, and institutional value.
8. Digital Preservation, Sustainability, & Risk
The Library recognises the importance of long-term access to digital content and will consider preservation, platform stability, and licence sustainability when making purchasing, renewal, and cancellation decisions.
Where available, perpetual access will be sought for purchased content. Risk-based assessment will inform decisions relating to subscription cancellation, publisher platform changes, or content withdrawal, and where subscriptions end, access arrangements and alternative provision will be reviewed to mitigate impact on learning, teaching, and research.
9. Artificial Intelligence, Text and Data Mining, & Acceptable Use
Use of Library content must comply with licence terms, copyright legislation, and the University's acceptable use policies. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, text and data mining (TDM), or automated analysis of licensed content is permitted only where explicitly allowed by publisher or supplier licence terms.
Use of AI technologies does not override contractual or copyright restrictions, and users remain responsible for ensuring lawful, ethical, and compliant use of the Library’s content.
10. Digitisation
The Library actively encourages digitisation of key chapters and excerpts from texts for inclusion in recommended reading lists as tagged ‘Essential’ and ‘Recommended’ reading. This maximises content availability and access and provides focused reading and direction for users.
Library staff will work with academic colleagues to increase the proportion of digitised content made available under our current licence terms and promote digitisation services as an alternative to purchasing additional licences and or print copies of a text.
11. Special Collections
A University Library Special Collections Archive Collection Policy exists to reflect the distinct requirements of the unique Special Collections held within the Library.
The Library’s Special Collections facility is now full, and the ability to accept any further material is severely constrained. A full list of the criteria by which the Library decides whether new deposits can be accepted is set out in the University Library Special Collections Archive Collection Policy.
12. Theses
All University of Sunderland PhD theses are added to the University’s Institutional Repository, SURE, upon final submission. If required, candidates can request an embargo period; approval for this is granted by the Postgraduate Research Degree Sub-committee.
13. Audiovisual
The Library holds a range of audiovisual materials. As with other formats, these items are subject to Library stock management review processes and may be withdrawn if they are no longer demonstrably relevant to current learning, teaching, and research, or if usage is low.
Where content remains relevant, and where copyright legislation and available funding permit, material may be digitised and made available online.
14. Donations
Donations are welcome where space permits, and content specifically and directly adds to existing collections. Ownership of donated items is transferred to the Library at the point of receipt, unless otherwise agreed with the donor.
Donations will be interfiled and shelved with other content and will not be retained as a discrete collection unless agreed with the donor. Donations will be subject to collection management and review processes.
The Library does not undertake to accept or retain all donations offered, and potential donors should contact the appropriate Academic Liaison Librarian in the first instance. Acceptance of donations is determined by:
- Relevance to current curriculum needs.
- Currency of subject matter.
- Non-duplication with existing stock.
- Condition of items.
- Non-excessive processing costs.
- Available space in Library buildings.
15. Collection Management & Review
To ensure Library collections remain current and relevant to learning, teaching, and research, all content is subject to routine review to determine value to the user, relevance, degree of use, and best use of space. Reviews inform future purchasing decisions and withdrawal of content.
To note: budget constraints may supersede other criteria in terms of deciding whether subscription content is retained or cancelled.
15.1 Review Process
Library staff will identify potential electronic and print items for withdrawal using specific criteria (see 15.2 Withdrawal Criteria).
Review of electronic content:
- Library staff will inform appropriate Academic Heads/Team Leaders of the subject areas under review and the time period for the review process. This is generally 3 weeks but may be extended if required.
- Library staff will provide a list of links to electronic resources for review. Academic Heads/Team Leaders are asked to forward this information to relevant colleagues and teams who will complete reviews within the agreed time frame.
Review of print books, serials, and audiovisual content:
- Library staff will inform appropriate Academic Heads/Team Leaders of the subject areas under review and the time period set for the review process. This is generally 3 weeks but may be extended if required.
- Library staff will ensure selected items are available for physical review for the agreed time period.
- Academic Heads/Team Leaders are asked to forward this information to relevant colleagues and teams who will complete reviews within the agreed time frame.
At the end of the review period, items are withdrawn unless agreement is reached with academics for the items to be retained.
15.2 Withdrawal Criteria
The Library will use the criteria in the table below as a guide when deciding if content should be retained in Library collections or withdrawn. All potential withdrawals will be checked against recommended reading lists and highlighted to relevant academic colleagues before withdrawal
Where items do not meet the criteria for retention and are therefore subject to withdrawal, and where able, they will be disposed of by reuse and recycling.
The Library is a member of the UK Print Book Collection (UKPBC), an initiative supported by the British Library, Jisc, and SCONUL. Where a title is identified as one of only seven held across the membership of the collective, the Library has committed to its long-term retention.
| Criteria for retention | In relation to | Note |
| Content remains relevant, current to the subject being taught and fit for academic purposes | Electronic and print resources | None |
| Content is cited on a reading list | Electronic and print resources | Library staff will consult directly with the owner of the reading list |
| The edition of the item is still relevant to current learning, teaching and research | Electronic and print resources | If the item is referenced on a reading list, Library staff will consult directly with the owner of the list |
| There is evidence that the item is still being consulted and/or borrowed | Electronic and print resources | None |
| Content has significant historical relevance and value | Electronic and print resources | None |
| The item is part of a multi-volume work or series which is being retained | Electronic and print resources | None |
| There is no available electronic version of the text, and it is in good physical condition | Print resources only | If the item is not in good condition, a replacement copy will be ordered and the original withdrawn |
| Resource content is of specific historical value | Print resources only | None |
| The item is not readily available from the British Library through interlibrary loan | Electronic and print resources | None |
| The item is the last version available | Print resources only | Under the CLA HE Licence, the Library must retain a print resource or maintain access to the catalogue record as proof of ownership if content from this resource has been digitised |
| The item has been identified as one of only seven titles across the UKPBC consortium | Print resources pre- and equal to a 2010 publication date only | A retention statement is added to the bibliographic record; the item will either remain in the main collection or will be moved to the Library Store |
Policy: Collection Development Policy 2026-2029
Owner: University of Sunderland Library
Reviewed by: Collections and Systems Manager
Approved by: Assistant Director Student Journey (Libraries & Learner Development)
Policy review: This policy is subject to a 3-year review
Update history:
- June 2020 - Library Collections Manager
- May 2021 - University Library Services Senior Management Team
- Nov 2023 - Collections & Systems Manager
- April 2026 - Collections & Systems Manager