The reference collection includes materials that support the research, teaching and information needs of the IU Indianapolis and greater Indianapolis communities. Priority will be placed on online resources; print materials should be acquired only when online equivalents are not available. Selection of resources will be based upon the following criteria:
- Scope—Priority is given to materials, from basic to research level, that support the academic programs of the schools directly served by University Library. Materials that support the general information needs of the IU Indianapolis community and the greater Indianapolis community are collected on a selective basis.
- Language—Priority is given to English language material; foreign language material is collected for areas not covered by English works and in the fields of language, literature and foreign language encyclopedias.
- Currency—Priority is given to current material over retrospective material; however, retrospective material may be collected and maintained for historical coverage.
- Price—Purchase above $1,000 will need approval by the entire Collections Working Group
- Reputation of author/publisher
- Favorable reviews
Types of materials collected: Almanac and yearbooks, annual reviews, bibliographies, biographical sources, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, field guides, geographical sources (atlases and gazetteers), handbooks and manuals, indexes and abstracts, statistical sources, style manuals, and testing guides. Materials available from free authoritative online sources will be considered.
The Collection Working Group is responsible for identifying appropriate reference resources for the collection; reviewing the collection annually to ensure that resources continue to meet the criteria outlined above; and making decisions regarding withdrawal, cancellation, and renewal of reference standing orders. These responsibilities, in addition to the management and maintenance of the physical and online reference collection, are fulfilled by the Access Services Reference Coordinator, in consultation with the Collections Working Group and subject liaisons.