Library Assessment Plan

The Collections department of the Pace University Library serves as a critical component of the academic community, strategically building, maintaining, and providing access to diverse resources across our Westchester County and Lower Manhattan campuses. The department's approach integrates comprehensive collection strategies with emerging acquisition models to support the educational and research endeavors of the Pace University community. The library's collections foster lifelong intellectual growth, discovery, and self-fulfillment by ensuring versatile access to needed information resources for all members of the Pace community.This approach enables responsive collection development that addresses both immediate requirements and long-term academic priorities.

Pace University Library Collections department broadly oversees collection building and discovery.  This includes selection and management of print books and e-books, and continuing resources (including the licensing and purchase of electronic information resources), as well as cataloging, metadata, and technical services for the Beekman and Mortola Libraries. Streaming video content is managed separately, while still included in this category.

Cataloging and Technical Services are often perceived as back-room functions, however, they have a direct impact on student learning and success. They are responsible for providing and maintaining records in the Library catalog that users need to access many Library resources. This section of the Library Collections department has a large impact on discovery, which is one of the principles included in the Standards for Libraries in Higher Education. Discovery relates to how libraries enable users to find content in many formats through the organization of knowledge.

Library Collections are supplemented by Interlibrary loan Services which facilitate access to materials from libraries worldwide, ensuring that research, teaching, and learning endeavors are not constrained by the boundaries of any library's physical and digital holdings, recognizing that scholarly inquiry often requires materials beyond any single institution's capacity to collect.

Collection Development Philosophy

Our collection development philosophy embraces an expansive view of resources, encompassing print and multimedia formats, licensed electronic resources, digitized content, and other materials that advance research, teaching, and learning. We utilize data-driven and evidence-based evaluation to inform continuous improvements to collections that support evolving academic needs.

The department upholds fundamental principles of intellectual freedom and inclusive representation, guided by the American Library Association's Foundational Principles of Intellectual Freedom. We develop collections that represent diverse perspectives and uphold users' rights to access a broad range of viewpoints while protecting privacy and confidentiality following professional standards and New York State law. 

The collection development strategy of the Library maintains a commitment to representing diverse perspectives and scholarly voices, and encourages the acquisition of materials that represent marginalized communities, challenge dominant narratives, and support interdisciplinary study.

The Pace Library’s collection development strategies support educational and research endeavors across Pace University’s New York City and Pleasantville campuses. The Library provides access to print and digital resources that enrich the undergraduate, graduate, doctorate, professional, and continuing education programs offered by the Dyson College of Arts & Sciences, School of Education, Lubin School of Business, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, Sands College of Performing Arts, and the College of Health Professions. 

In addition to curriculum-focused materials, the library’s collections include resources that facilitate faculty and student research, university initiatives, and lifelong learning among the broader Pace community.

The Library's collection development policy provides guidance and direction for librarians, faculty, staff, and administrators involved in strategically acquiring and managing library resources that support Pace University's educational and research mission.  The policy guides developing and maintaining print and digital collections that promote learning and support effective teaching and scholarship.