The primary goal of the University Libraries is to provide access to resources and information which support academic programs involving teaching, research, and service. To meet this goal, the Libraries select, acquire, organize, and preserve recorded knowledge and provide gateways to additional knowledge worldwide, employing state-of-the-art technology.
The acquisition of library materials and the provision of gateways is guided by the needs of the primary users: the Florida State University students, faculty and staff. The Libraries also share resources with the students, faculty, and staff of other institutions of the State University System (SUS) and researchers outside the University community.
The collection development process supports the curriculum, program offerings, and research of the University. Decisions are made with the advice of the teaching, research and library faculty and others in the University community.
Levels of Collecting
The Libraries acquire materials defined by the following five categories:
A. Research Level: Materials which support faculty and graduate research. Collecting scope includes source materials for thesis writing and independent research, materials containing research reports, new findings, scientific experimental results, highly specialized reference works, journals, indexing and abstracting services, monographic resources, and other information useful to research.
B. Instructional/Study Level: Those materials which are necessary to support undergraduate and graduate curricula as well as sustained independent study. Collecting scope includes extensive acquisitions in the subject areas emphasized by the academic departments.
C. Basic Level: General materials which are basic to introducing a subject field. Collecting scope includes bibliographies and the catalogs of other libraries, major general dictionaries and encyclopedias, historical surveys, and general periodicals of a literary or scholarly nature.
D. Minimal Level: Materials on subject areas with limited application to the academic programs.
E. General Reading Interest Level: Materials which support the general reading and recreational interests of the University community.
FSU-Panama Branch Library
The FSU-Panama Branch Library is the most comprehensive English language academic library in the Republic of Panama. It primarily serves students and faculty engaged in undergraduate teaching and learning. The collection serves the teaching and research needs of the faculty and university and supports the courses taught therein with links to national and FSU-Tallahassee information resources.
The FSU Panama Branch Library houses 50,000 volumes in five areas:
The General Collection consists of materials recently selected by faculty in support of the curriculum.
The Open Stack Collection contains materials that support the curriculum, supplementary reading, and general interest needs of FSU faculty and students.
The Reserve Collection is located at the Front Desk and consists of materials faculty have identified to support classes or as supplemental reading in general subject areas for classes.
Special Collections houses materials on Panama and also specialized Spanish language items.
The Reference Collection consists of materials such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and directories. These items may be used in the library.
Types of Materials
A. Monographs including paperbacks, reprint and variant editions, study guides, and textbooks
B. Archival materials
C. Maps and Globes
Requests from FSU-Panama faculty, administrators, staff and students for materials to be housed at the FSU-Panama Branch Library should be directed to the FSU-Panama Branch librarian.
The FSU Libraries located in Tallahassee, Florida house almost 10 million items. FSU faculty and students may request these items via ILLIAD (InterLibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database). This same system may also be used to request Interlibrary Loan items from other libraries.
Through license agreements and consortial arrangements, the FSU Libraries make proprietary electronic resources available to the entire FSU community. Faculty and students at the FSU-Panama Branch Library have access via the Internet to these resources which include 290 databases, 100,000 electronic books, and 19,000 electronic journals.
Electronic Resources are purchased centrally by the FSU Libraries and access is made available to the entire FSU community via IP authentication for persons located on any FSU campus and via proxy access for off campus users.
The collection is weeded as items are reviewed by staff during normal library operations.