I. General

The Reference Collections.
The reference collections are non-circulating collections of resources designed to support the basic research and information needs of the University community in all subject fields. Reference resources of all types (including electronic products) and in all languages are selected in accordance with the criteria established for the selection of library materials.  

The Library currently emphasizes online electronic format to maximize both accessibility to reference publications and cost effectiveness in Library collection development.   The Library may elect to substitute electronic formats for tangible formats providing the electronic version is complete, official, and permanently accessible.

The resources chosen for the reference collection supply as much reliable information as possible with a minimum of duplication. As a general rule, only the latest edition of a reference work is shelved in the reference section. Older editions are transferred to the circulating collection or discarded.

II. Specific

S.E. Wimberly Library.
The S.E. Wimberly Library reference collection supports the curriculum, faculty research and other programs of the University.
1. Encyclopedias.
   The collection contains appropriate general encyclopedias and subject encyclopedias which are updated as new editions become available. Some encyclopedias may be purchased in electronic format. New purchases follow the library collection development policy.

2. Dictionaries.
   English language, foreign language and subject dictionaries are purchased in accordance with collection development policies. They are updated if they become obsolete and a new edition is available.

3. Indexes and Abstracts (print and electronic).
   Subscriptions to general and subject indexes/abstracts, indexes to book reviews and to works in collections are acquired to provide access to periodicals, newspapers and some books. New indexes/abstracts are acquired to support curriculum, teaching, and research needs.

4. Bibliographies.
   Standard, general and specialized subject bibliographies can be used for general reference purposes and acquired for the Reference Department. Other bibliographies, including most author bibliographies, are acquired for the circulating collection.

5. Directories, Handbooks, Almanacs, Yearbooks, and Manuals.
   Directories, handbooks, almanacs, yearbooks, and manuals, both general and specific subject type, are provided as basic research tools. Appropriate new sources are added as they become available and as they are needed.

6. Legal Collection.
   In addition to basic legal reference sources, the legal collection contains Florida and Federal law sources which specifically support the curriculum for the paralegal programs, business law, tax accounting and other law classes. New acquisitions follow general policies. As the graduate migration continues from print to electronic material in many areas of the reference collection, fewer loose-leaf services are located in the legal collection, and increasingly, legal materials are located in electronic format.

7. Annual Reports.
   Annual reports are not currently received.  The library subscribes to several electronic products, which include the current and past year's corporate annual reports.

8. Atlases.
   A representative collection of general and specialized atlases is available. Atlases are updated if they become obsolete and a new edition is available.

III. Deselection

The collection is weeded on an ongoing basis as new editions are received and older ones are removed from reference. A complete inventory of the reference collection occurs each year by the reference staff. The Head of the Reference Department with the assistance of reference staff reviews the collection and deselects inappropriate or outdated titles. Faculty members and other library personnel may be consulted when appropriate. Superseded editions that are removed from the reference area may be added to the circulating collection or placed in the branch libraries if the information in them is not obsolete or likely to be misleading.