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Approval Plans

An approval plan is an arrangment whereby a bookseller automatically ships to a library books that fall within pre-determined parameters for on-site review. Books may then be kept for the collection or returned to the bookseller. Judicial use of approval plans can be a valuable asset to a collection development program. With careful profiling and review of materials, approval plans have proven to be especially useful for building core collections, as well as for ensuring collection breadth. Their chief virtues are:

they help compensate for unevenness brought about when individual selectors haven't the time to attend to reviewing the publishing output of their fields
they provide for collection in areas where selectors are absent or on leave
they alleviate some of the workload involved in reviewing tens of thousands of items annually for possible addition to the collection
they allow selectors to make individual acquisitions decisions with materials-in-hand
they underwrite the development of objectives and profiles for a programmatic approach to selection
they promote a connection between title-by-title and programmatic decision-making in the profile review process
they allow for purchase of material at quantity discounts
they are useful for projecting costs.

For approval plans to work well, however, incoming materials have to be carefully reviewed, and profiles need to be routinely and systematically assessed through review of returns lists, post-profiling materials received in other ways, and through periodic comparison of past receipts with lists of materials that would or should have been ordered were no plan in place.

Vassar Libraries maintain approval plans with YBP. Materials that have been received on approval and are awaiting review by faculty and librarian liaisons are displayed in the Approvals Room in the Library. Individual department and program plans are administered by librarian liaisons.