Collection Policy Statement

The University of Iowa Libraries make accessible distinctive materials that support intellectual freedom and the University’s academic mission. In the management of its collections, the Libraries fully subscribe to the Library Bill of Rights, issued by the American Library Association.

Collections Principles

  • It is the responsibility of the Libraries to make resources available for review, discussion, rebuttal, and further inquiry at the University of Iowa.
  • Libraries’ collections serve the educational and research mission of the university and the educational and research resource needs of the UI community and beyond.
  • The appearance of a resources in the collections or on display in the library environment does not imply advocacy or endorsement of the ideas or statements found in that resource. For more information about the library collection services, please see the University Ops Manual, Section 18.3 Collection Services.

Open access

The Libraries advance the public good by pursuing shared infrastructure and transformative business models that create sustainable solutions for open scholarship. The Libraries is committed to eliminating barriers that restrict access to research and publishing, while recognizing the rights of creators.

Collaborative collections

The Libraries collaborate with state, regional, and national consortia to coordinate infrastructures, collections, resource sharing, and preservation responsibilities. These partnerships ensure the Libraries’ collections and services are sustainable, allow for the collection of unique materials, and increase the breadth and depth of accessible content.

Accessibility standards

The Libraries strive to ensure access to all its resources and require materials to meet accessibility standards in accordance with university expectations and applicable laws.

Sustainability

The Libraries’ content and collections program is collaborative, environmentally and financially sustainable and data-driven. The Libraries:

  • Recognize and respond to campus needs by performing continual collection assessment.
  • Provide efficiencies and cost savings to campus using strategic purchasing and licensing agreements to achieve sustainable pricing.
  • Balance the needs of the present with the needs of the future, focusing on long-term perpetual ownership, while providing short-term access when appropriate.
  • Build and maintain physical collections, considering space constraints and deaccessioning materials when needed.

Budget

As sound stewards of university resources, the Libraries work towards strategic transformation and financial sustainability, approaching budgetary constraints in strategic and transparent ways. The Libraries:

  • Expect transparent license agreements with pricing models and structures that recognize and align with budget realities.
  • Participate in multi-institutional consortia to maximize collection budgets, collective negotiations, and consortial resource sharing networks while reducing costs.
  • Partner with colleges and departments across campus to purchase and maintain critical collections.
  • Continually assess resources for continuation, renegotiation, or cancellation.
  • Utilize and enhance resource sharing and alternate access methods.

Privacy

The Libraries is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all patron data in compliance with federal and state laws, university policy, and professional standards. The Libraries may collect anonymized usage data to improve access services, teaching and learning initiatives, and increase collection management efficiencies.

The Libraries’ website links to other sites and services that are neither contained nor controlled within the Libraries’ online environment. Where the Libraries contract with vendors for digital information products and resources, every attempt is made to include user privacy protections. However, the practices of these external sites are not under the control of the Libraries. Thus, the Libraries encourage users to read and understand privacy statements at external sites.

Reviewed and approved by the Libraries Cabinet, Feb. 26, 2026
Reviewed and approved by the UI Office of the General Counsel, April 3, 2026

Reconsideration Principles 

It is the responsibility of the Libraries to make resources available for review, discussion, rebuttal, and further inquiry at the University of Iowa. Libraries’ collections serve the educational and research mission of the university and the educational and research resource needs of the UI community. The appearance of a resource in the collections or on display in the library environment does not imply advocacy or endorsement of the ideas or statements found in that resource.

Reconsideration Policy 

Materials acquired or produced in alignment with the Libraries’ Collection Policy will not subsequently be removed based on concerns of false, misleading, pejorative, defamatory, offensive, or potentially harmful content.

For more information about library collection services, please see the University Ops Manual, Section 18.3 Collection Services.

Special Projects