Review & Withdrawal Policy: Home

Scope
The ongoing review and withdrawal of resources ensures that the University's collections continue to meet the ongoing requirements of its academic community in a transparent and consistent way.

Withdrawal Criteria

Relevance
The Collection Development Policy details the University’s collecting priorities, these focus on -

• reading list materials
• collections development
• research priorities
• diversifying collections 

all resources will be reviewed with reference to these collecting priorities and other criteria detailed in the Collection Development Policy.

Condition
Relevant damaged resources will be replaced or repaired.  Irrelevant damaged resources will be withdrawn.

Withdrawal
Resources will be withdrawn if they -

• are replaced by a new edition, except where the old edition is still relevant, complements the new edition or is itself considered to be of academic or intrinsic value
• contain information which is misleading or out of date
• are held in obsolete formats, except where are relevant and can be updated by acquisition or by transfer, if permitted by UK legislation or licence
• are irrelevant.

Low Usage
Resources will be considered for withdrawn if  - 

• they have not been referred to or issued for five years or longer unless they are judged as still relevant and add value to the collection
• there are multiple copies and combined usage is low, in which case duplicate copies may be withdrawn.

Rare or Unique Items
In accordance with the Archives & Special Collections Policy, items that are considered to be rare or unique and relevant will be moved to the University’s Archives & Special Collections.

Review Process
Review is a continuous process with materials being identified for withdrawal throughout the year in accordance with this Policy.

Discard
Once resources have been identified for withdrawal, they will be -

• offered for resale, if unsuitable -
• offered to the academic community, if unsuitable -
• sent for recycling.

Dispute
The Library may consult with the academic community when reviewing collections and resources.  If withdrawal is uncertain or disputed it will be referred to the Head of Resources, Discovery & Liaison for determination.  Appeals will be considered by the Director of Student Services who will consult the appropriate Director of School before making a final decision to withdraw. 

Review
The Library will review this Policy every year and any significant changes will be considered and approved by the Director of Student Services.

January 2024
Review: January 2025