Library Mission Statement: The library’s mission is to support the University’s mission in the pursuit of academic, instructional, and institutional excellence by [1] providing curriculum-supportive collections, [2] fostering information literacy, and [3] delivering quality customer service.
Description of Users: The University library collections support the curriculum offered at Sullivan University. Students range from those enrolled in certificate programs to doctoral programs on two campuses in Louisville and one in Lexington, both on-line and on-campus. The library collections also support the teaching and research needs of the University faculty and administration.
Purpose of the Collection: The library collections consist of circulating print and electronic monographs, reference works, media, periodicals, bibliographic databases, faculty reserves, and equipment. In addition to a general collection intended to support well rounded baccalaureate education, the collection highlights areas of curricular focus including Health Sciences, Business and Management, Culinary and Hospitality Studies, Design and Technology, and Legal Studies. The library supports, to a lesser extent, general fiction and children’s literature for the recreational needs of the Sullivan community.
Selection: The selection of library materials is a joint effort between the University faculty and the library staff. Physical and electronic materials will be chosen based on the following criteria: relevance to the curriculum, timelines, quality of scholarship, needs of the students, cost, and format. Foreign language materials will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
De-accession: Materials can be discarded from the collection after a review by the library staff. Criteria for withdrawal include relevance to the curriculum, obsolescence, multiple copies, physical condition, and prolonged absence of the physical object.
Statement on Textbooks: The library does not collect textbooks, those works intended for classroom use and are labeled “required texts” in course syllabi.
Donations & Gifts: The library accepts donations of small, in-kind books or periodicals on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the library director. Gifts on a larger scale will be considered in consultation with the University Provost.
Challenged Materials, Censorship, or Concerns: Specific complaints and censorship issues are addressed by the Sr. Director of University Libraries in consultation with the University administration. The library subscribes to the provisions of the Library Bill of Rights, The Freedom to Read Statement, and Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks: An Interpretation of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS.