Scope: Policy statement on duplicate acquisitions for the general collection
Contact: Elena Feinstein
Units: Collection Strategy & Development
Date created: 09/05/2024
Date last reviewed: 09/05/2024

Policy statement

Duke University Libraries (DUL) does not acquire duplicate materials across formats, nor acquire multiple copies of the same item in a physical format for the regular, circulating collection, except under the circumstances described in this document.

Items held at other Duke campus libraries, and to which our patrons have sufficient access, will not be duplicated within DUL holdings. Freely available open access online materials will not be duplicated in physical formats unless they meet other duplication criteria.

Some cross-institutional collaborative collecting initiatives may have associated nonduplication strategies. When an item is acquired in a coordinated way by a partner institution, such as a Triangle Research Libraries Network or Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation member, DUL may plan to rely on this network access and direct our resources to acquiring and preserving complementary materials.

By limiting duplication within and across libraries, we are able to invest in a more diverse collection.

Exceptions to the principle of non-duplication in the general collection are limited to:

• Leased and/or bundled material

  • We provide access to some materials under term limited or leased models, and these may be duplicated by perpetual access holdings when relevant to our long-term collecting goals. Some acquisitions are more cost effective in bundles or packages, which may introduce duplication with existing holdings.

• Course reserves

  • Duplicate copies within and across formats may be acquired when necessary to support access to required course materials. Course reserves holdings should be regularly assessed to determine ongoing usage and weeded when appropriate, such as the close of a course that is not planned to be repeated.

• Duke Authors collection

  • Items meeting the selection criteria for the Duke Authors display (described here) may be collected in print even if we already hold them in an electronic format.

• Patron requests and user demand

  • Indications of exceptionally high interest in an item may take the form of multiple patron requests for purchase of additional copies and/or for interlibrary loans that can’t be fulfilled. Duplication for reasons of high demand will be rare and modest (e.g., a second copy but not many copies), and should only occur when there is no unlimited use electronic format available and the title is relevant to research and teaching at Duke. We do not seek to replicate the role of a public library in providing popular materials.

  • Patron requests to duplicate across formats (e.g., requesting an e-version when the print is part of local holdings or vice versa) that can’t be met by interlibrary borrowing will be considered.

  • User demand for course materials should be addressed via reserves workflows.

• Current events and cultural impact

  • We may occasionally duplicate materials that address timely issues in society, in anticipation of high user interest. The selecting librarian should have specific knowledge of the relevance of a given resource, such as its use in a reading group or event, beyond general interest in a topic. As above, duplication should be used sparingly and only in the absence of unlimited use electronic formats.

• Browsing periodicals

  • Current issues of a small number of print periodicals, such as newspapers and popular magazines, may be held in multiple library locations. Multiple copies will not be retained permanently.

In order to responsibly steward library spaces and other limited resources, any new duplication that is introduced to the collection should be accompanied by an assessment of potential weeding opportunities. Collection Strategy & Development is responsible for weeding initiatives and for interpreting the exception categories listed above.

The above policy applies to the general collection specifically; select items are intentionally duplicated between the circulating collection and the collection of the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, or within special collections.

(Approved by Collections Council September 2024)

Notes and use cases

Add updates below as the policy is applied and clarified through use.