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The Library is currently consulting staff and students on the proposed new Library Collections Policy, which will guide how library resources are selected, maintained, developed, and reviewed across physical and digital collections.

The new proposed Collections Policy strengthens the foundations that make high‑quality research and teaching possible. At its core, the policy protects academic freedom by ensuring scholars can access a broad, balanced, and responsibly managed collection—both physical and digital— that meets current and anticipated needs. It will replace the Library Collections Development Policy, last updated in 2018, which is obsolete and outdated.

It reinforces the Library’s role as a long‑term steward of knowledge, setting out how library collections will be preserved, managed, and made discoverable. Crucially, it formalises a partnership model with faculty through consultation on what is retained or relegated, recognising that collection decisions are most effective when shaped by academic expertise and disciplinary insight.

It also recognises the important role that the Library should play in the development of sustainable ‘collective collections’ initiatives such as the UK Research Reserve^[1] (UKRR) and the UK Print Books Collaboration^[2] (UK PBC) to support education and research. The policy positions Warwick within a national ecosystem of shared stewardship, enabling the Library to safeguard access while using space and resources more strategically.

The Policy aims to:

• Provide clear principles for the development and management of library collections
• Support excellence in teaching, learning, and research
• Ensure fair, transparent, and inclusive decision-making
• Improve accessibility and representation across collections
• Guide decisions on acquisitions, retention, digitisation, preservation, and withdrawal of resources
• Support responsible financial and environmental sustainability

Colleagues are invited to provide feedback on the proposed policy and/or to attend an open briefing session, facilitated by Stuart Dempster, Associate Director, and Head of Collections and Discovery, where there will be an opportunity to raise any questions and queries. Please sign up for a session on either 19th May or 20th May

The Library is also more than happy to attend any Faculty or Departmental meetings or to meet with any individual academics on a 1-2-1 basis to discuss the policy and to respond to any queries or concerns. Just contact your Research and Academic Support Librarian or email library@warwick.ac.uk to arrange this.