Approval Plan for Monographs

Policy adopted August 1996

Approval Plan for Monographs

The University Libraries have an approval plan with a major vendor chiefly to supply materials for undergraduate curricular needs. The approval plan provides new monographs as quickly as possible, and gives selectors the advantage of reviewing the books first hand before making a decision.

Collection Development librarians and vendor representatives have devised a subject profile, which specifies one of three levels of coverage for each subject included in the BGSU curriculum:

• Books are sent on approval for subjects that are central to the curriculum.
• Notification slips are sent to inform library faculty that books on less central subjects are available.
• Materials are excluded; no books or notification slips are sent

Subjects not covered by the curriculum or materials systematically acquired by other means are excluded entirely. The vendor ships books or notification slips on a weekly basis as determined by the profile. 

Ordering materials "on approval"

Bowling Green State University Libraries do not place "on approval" orders for material other than what is received on the approval plan, nor do they accept offers from a company or salesperson to send material "on approval". Exception is made on a case-by-case basis for expensive non-book materials, for which price may make an on-site review desirable before selection.