Library Information Resources: FAQ for New Faculty

Library Collection Development Policy
The Library's primary goal is to support teaching at Middlebury College by providing information resources for students and support materials for faculty class preparation. Faculty are encouraged to make requests for acquiring resources that support this mission. Books intended primarily for faculty research are purchased on a selective basis. It is expected that faculty use interlibrary loan to acquire specialized books and journal articles required solely for research.

How do I place items on Reserve for my students?
The Library places on reserve for classes a variety of materials in several formats. Please consult the Reserves homepage for detailed explanations of its procedures. In the meantime, here are some points to keep in mind.

1. Start early! Please compile and send lists of materials to be placed on reserve to the Reserves Coordinator well before the start of a term: July for Fall term, October for J-term, and November for Spring term.
2. Check the catalog! When compiling a reserves list, please check MIDCAT to determine whether the Library owns all of the materials you want placed on reserve.
3. Tell us what we need to purchase! Once you determine what we don't own, make requests to purchase items through the online request form as early as possible. On these requests, be sure to include the course number and semester or term for reserve, so that the items will be cataloged directly for the Reserve Desk when they arrive. These steps are necessary because the acquisitions department needs time to acquire and process materials well before the beginning of a semester or term.

How do I request that books be purchased for the collections at Middlebury College?
As mentioned earlier, faculty are encouraged to request that the Library acquire specific books for its collections. You may do so in whatever way is convenient for you: by sending publisher catalogs to your liaison with titles circled and initialed; by sending e-mail lists to your liaison; or by using the online request form.

Here are some points to remember.

1. Please search MIDCAT to determine whether we own a title before you request that it be purchased.
2. On paper requests sent to liaisons, please write your full name somewhere on the document. Please indicate if you would like the catalog or list returned to you.
3. For books that you need ASAP, please mark the requests as "rush-hold" for yourself and "rush-reserve" for those going on Reserve. Indicate the course number for the latter. These requests are rush processed and are either held for you at the Circulation Desk or sent directly to the Reserves Desk. Note: rush orders are more expensive in both price and labor, so please use this option sparingly. The fewer rush orders we process, the more books we can buy.

What books should I order through the College bookstore, and what books should I order through the Library?
You should order course textbooks through the bookstore, as the Library does not collect them as a matter of routine. Please refer to the information packet sent to you by Georgia Best, the bookstore textbook manager, for details about this process. If you would like a copy of a textbook the Library does not own to be placed on Reserve at the Library, you should add an extra copy on to your textbook order (note on the form that one copy is for the Library) through the online request form. Please indicate that the request is for Reserve and that a copy of the book will be at the bookstore.

How do I request that new journals be purchased for the Library collection?
Requests for new journals should be coordinated through your department chair, who will pass them on to the department library liaison. New purchases generally are accompanied by cancellations on a one-for-one basis, provided these cancellations are acceptable to affected academic departments. Requests from departments are reviewed by the Library serials review committee throughout the year, with most decisions deferred until May and June. Liaisons are expected to make a case for new subscriptions, taking into account anticipated use, cost, content indexing, and availability.

What online databases and journals can I access through the Library?
Online information resources include databases with bibliographic and other information (graphics and links); full-text and e-journals, datasets, and reference materials such as encyclopedias. A single link from the Library's homepage will access most databases both on- and off-campus. Remote access is available to Middlebury students, faculty, and staff. Others must come to one of the campus libraries to use the databases. The Library maintains a comprehensive list of databases and journals (print and electronic) available to the college community.

How do I request an interlibrary loan for materials not in the Middlebury Library?
If needed materials are not held by the College, the library will try to borrow or photocopy the items from another library through interlibrary loan. Requested items may be available in as few as three days or as many as 21. Every effort is made to ensure the shortest possible receipt time. Materials may be requested online using the Interlibrary Loan Request Form. Please note that Middlebury uses the ILLiad ILL software program, which requires that first-time users set up an interlibrary loan account. Instructions are available on the Request Form page.