The purpose of this Resource policy is to formulate general principles for the acquisition and development of collections, as well as the processing and preservation of the resources of the Library & Learning Resources Center (LLRC) of the Arabian Gulf University, in line with the mission of the LLRC set out in its charter.

This Resource policy is complemented by:

• - A policy of acquisition and development of collections:
• - A guideline for resources processing (cataloging, indexing and retention levels) setting out the main principles of processing, adapted to current practices and standards.

1. Overview

1.1. Adequacy with the mission of the LLRC

The LLRC of the Arabian Gulf University offers a full range of resources and documentary services to the university community and the City in response to the research, teaching, learning and culture needs of users.

The development of documentary resources focuses on the teaching and research fields, as well as the centers of excellence and areas of expertise of the University. To achieve this, close collaboration with the academic partners of the academic community is established. While respecting this mission in relation to teaching and research, the AGU/LLRC is not intended to exercise a patrimonial role.

Openness to the City is reflected in the availability to the outside public of the resources and information services developed for the needs of the institution, in accordance with contracts signed by AGU with scientific publishers or their intermediaries.

1.2. Adaptation to the scientific Resource offer

The LLRC endeavors to give the widest possible access to existing scientific editorial production, disseminated in physical or virtual form, necessary and useful for teaching and research activities, in order to contribute to the excellence of the institution. Different information channels are explored, as far as they are in line with the means of the LLRC of the Arabian Gulf University.

1.3. Accessibility of information

Support is given to media and distribution channels that allow members of the academic community to access the information offered at any point on the University and simultaneously. This is realized by the availability of online resources allowing a multiplicity of accesses or, in special circumstances, by making available several copies of the same resource.

In the case of online resources that are not hosted within the institution, the LLRC of the Arabian Gulf University guarantees access, within the framework of contracts with publishers and distributors of information.

2. Principles of acquisition

2.1. Adequacy with the strengths and constraints of the context

In a logic of complementarity, mutualisation and rationalization, the integration of resources in the collections of the LLRC must take into account:

• - Collaborations and partnerships with other academic and scientific libraries, as well as existing networks in which the Arabian Gulf University AGU-LLRC participates formally or informally. These elements determine before any acquisition whether other options can meet the needs of the university community (interlibrary loan, shared acquisition with cost sharing, obtaining a copy that can be retained and leasing copies).
• - Budgets available. Acquisitions are made after competing suppliers, comparing their offers, under the best conditions and negotiated rates, while respecting the allocated budget.

2.2. Coordination of resoources selection

The development of the collections is carried out by a coordinated and concerted selection within the AGU-LLRC. The development criteria are defined and periodically reviewed in order to set priorities and rationalize expenditures. The faculty members are involved in the definition of these orientations, according to the rules of governance of the AGU-LLRC. The selection is made by making optimum use of existing bibliographic tools.

2.3. Consideration of users' requests

Any purchase request from members of the academic community is considered and analyzed. Each application is honored, insofar as it is adapted to the disciplinary fields related to the activities of the institution, that it meets the criteria defined in acquisition policy, that it can be integrated into the budgets and that it respects the other principles of the resource policy. Any request is answered as soon as possible.

2.5. Integration of donations, legacies, deposits and exchanges

Resources obtained free of charge through donations, bequests and deposits is not accepted, except for documents that meet the discipline-specific acquisition criteria and whose information, of scientific value, is linked to the needs of the university community.

In case of acceptance, these documents are subject to the same processing process as the paid information.

Exchange of publications between institutions is studied on a case-by-case basis according to the disciplines and re-evaluated periodically.

3. Principles of Assessment, Conservation, Access and Processing

3.1. Evaluation

As the AGU- LLRC of the does not have a heritage conservation mission, the collections are re-evaluated and updated regularly according to the teaching and research needs. The objective is to adapt them to the changing context of the institution and to offer users the most relevant and current resources possible.

For the purposes of the evaluation of the collections, inventories are carried out regularly and the resources acquired by subscription (involving renewed expenditure from one year to the next) are analyzed and monitored.

3.2. Elimination and Conservation

Weeding is an integral part of the development of collections. The criteria for weeding are defined in the acquisition and development policy of the collection. The weeded material can be passed on to other partner institutions with the explicit purpose of long-term heritage conservation, teaching or some other comparable purpose.

3.3. Resource Processing, Management and Reporting

In order to make accessible and to promote the resources constituting the collections of the LLRC, processing, management and reporting operations are carried out.

Reporting and promotion are carried out through a series of channels adapted to contemporary research logics and to the uses of the university community.

Resource processing is carried out in accordance with current practices and standards, in a timely manner and at the best possible cost.

The use of already existing metadata and any form of simplification of these operations of processing, management and reporting must imperatively be privileged. The levels of cataloging and indexing to be applied are explained in the Guidelines for Resources processing which complements this policy