Collection Management

Collection Management

The Collection Management Department:

• Provides direct support to faculty and liaisons in selecting library materials.
• Offers training and assistance in using the library's ordering systems.
• Shapes the library collection by establishing purchasing policies and adjusting departmental allocations for one-time and database purchases.

We are available Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Library Liaisons

• Learn more about the Library Liaisons program in the Library Liaisons FAQ.
• To recommend purchase of a particular title, please use the Book & Media Purchase Recommendation Form, supplying as much information as possible.
• To request a new electronic resource, please use the e-resource trial request form.
• Books written or edited by UMBC faculty and staff are actively collected by the library. If you have recently had a book published, please share your information here so that we can order a copy. One copy is cataloged and added to the Special Collections Faculty and Staff Collection.
• There are more than one million items in the Library collection. For a further look at what your library holds, please see Find Books & Media.

Gifts and Donations

Due to the ever increasing costs associated with the short-term and long-term storage of gifts and the associated resources required to sort, review, process, preserve, and maintain materials, the Library ceased most general book and media donations as of June 30, 2017.

Special Collections Donations

Special Collections will continue to accept donations of photography materials, Special Collections materials, as well as archival books and materials. Please contact Special Collections for further information - 410-455-2353 or speccoll@umbc.edu.

General Collection Donations

• The Library will continue to accept pre-approved donations from on-campus offices and current faculty, staff and students. Please contact the Collection Management office to discuss possible on-campus donations: libraryacq@umbc.edu.
• Donations must:
• meet collection criteria and needs
• be discussed with the Collection Management department before acceptance
• Acknowledgement letters will no longer be provided and the book donation form will serve as the only receipt.
• At the discretion of the staff, gifts may be incorporated into the collection, exchanged for other materials, donated to other institutions, or sold.

Giving to the Library

Please read our Gifts and Donations information webpage.

Deliveries

Deliveries can be made to the loading dock at the rear of the library. Please view the campus map to find the library location on campus.