The mission of  Crater Library & Publishers for its repository  is to collect materials in all formats to build up our repository and satisfy our community’s leisure reading  and research needs. Our primary emphasis is on acquiring relevant  print and electronic materials.

1.0 COLLECTION LEVELS

The American Library Association has defined the following levels of collection as numerical values to describe a library’s collecting activity and goals

1. Minimal level. A very limited collection of general materials, including monographs and reference works.
2. Basic level. A highly selective collection which serves to introduce and define the subject, to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere, and to support the needs of general library patrons..
3. Study level. A collection which supports university or college course work, or sustained independent study; that is, which is adequate to maintain knowledge of a subject required for limited or generalised purposes, or less than research intensity.
4.  Research level. A collection which includes the major published source materials required for dissertations and independent research, including materials containing research reporting, new findings, scientific experimental results, and other information useful to researchers.
5. Comprehensive level. A collection in which a library endeavours, so far as is reasonably possible, to include all significant works of recorded knowledge for a necessarily defined field.

CRATER LIBRARY & PUBLISHERS collection acquisition shall cut across the following categories:

Fiction | Non-Fiction | Scholarly Literature | Grey Literature | E-zines| Rare and Manuscript Collections 

Collections can either be in print and/or electronic format.

CRATER LIBRARY & PUBLISHERS collection can be acquired through the following ways.

• PRINT -: (a) Purchase by the library management

(b) Donations, Gifts, Bequests 

• E-RESOURCE -:  (a) Retrieved online as open access or public domain copies

(b) Purchase by the library management

(c) Donations, Gifts, Bequests 

2.0 SELECTION RESPONSIBILITY

The librarian and the editor are responsible for collection development in all areas. They shall work closely with each other to determine, select and approve e-resources which shall be uploaded to the repository. They will also ensure that no areas of  the collection development proper are ignored and the collection as whole is developed objectively, consistently and thoroughly.

3.0 GUIDELINES FOR INITIATING ACQUISITION OF COLLECTION

The librarian and editor should observe the following guidelines for initiating acquisition of an individual or institution’s collection.

• The librarian and editor will recommend the collection for acquisition. However, the decision to approve or disapprove them will rest with the management.
• All collections desired to be acquired must be thoroughly vetted to ensure it is relevant and useful to our community.
• Desired collection must be approved by the management of CRATER LIBRARY & PUBLISHERS before correspondence is initiated with the owner of the collection.
• The requests for materials will be initiated by email. All management staff must be copied.
• The librarian will keep track of the collection growth based on the collection statistics generated on a regular basis. 

4.0 SELECTION CRITERIA

The general criteria to be used when vetting and selecting a collection  for acquisition. 

• Curriculum support: Collections should be vetted to know if it supports any level of  academic curriculum.
• Research support: Collections should be vetted to know if it supports research — anthropological, chronological and historical.
• Collection continuity: Updating the collection with new titles and editions on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.
• Reference materials: Bibliographies, catalogues, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, indexes and abstracts, directories, and manuals fall under this category.
• Audiovisual media: E-books, audio (MP3)and videos which support each academic curriculum or research purposes..
• Language: English is the principal language of materials acquired for CRATER LIBRARY & PUBLISHERS. However, Nigerian local languages, French, and a lot others,will also be acquired..
• Cost: Cost of materials will also be a deciding factor in acquiring materials. It will be preferred that collections are given for free to CRATER LIBRARY & PUBLISHERS and the public.
• Duplication: The acquisition of duplicate copies of print and/or e-books or any other library materials is acceptable as it will be donated to poorly funded school or public libraries.
• Gift and exchange: The staff and management of CRATER LIBRARY & PUBLISHERS  welcomes gratis materials from individuals, government, religious homes and private organisations and departments to enhance our collection. However, any materials which are found to be questionable will not be added to the collection. CRATER LIBRARY & PUBLISHERS accepts mutually beneficial exchange agreements as an appropriate method of acquiring important materials which fall within the context of its subject profiles.

5.0 RETENTION/WITHDRAWAL

Materials which do not support the collections’ stated purposes and objectives or those may be found offensive may be withdrawn. Materials will be identified for withdrawal as they come to the attention of the librarian.

6.0 COLLECTION EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

CRATER LIBRARY & PUBLISHERS collection needs continuous evaluation in order to be sure that the digital library is fulfilling its mission and growing its collection  in all formats to satisfy its community’s leisure reading  and research needs in a timely manner.