Withdrawal policy

It is the Library's policy to withdraw from stock items for which there is no reasonable justification for retention. Old and superseded texts can be misleading or worthless and unsought material can obstruct the search for relevant items. Stock editing is also necessary to make room for new material as the Library's collections expand within finite accommodation.

Where appropriate, relevant academic staff may be asked to help select stock for withdrawal in specific subject areas, but Library staff also withdraw stock as part of an ongoing collection management programme. The criteria used will include:

• Relevance to current or planned teaching or funded research
• Frequency of use, especially as indicated by borrowing records
• Number of copies held
• Currency, particularly in areas where information dates rapidly
• Physical condition
• Availability elsewhere, in electronic form, locally or through Inter-Library Loans

The library occasionally publishes classified lists of possible withdrawals. These contain details of those items being considered for withdrawal but where no final decision has yet been reached. The list gives academic staff the opportunity to request that selected titles be retained.