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Policies

Access, Circulation, Collection Development, Gifts

Collection Development Policy

The Lloyd Sealy Library seeks to advance the mission (opens in a new tab)  of John Jay College of Criminal Justice by focusing its acquisitions on the fields of criminal justice and related areas of public safety and public service. To that end, we acquire print, multimedia, and electronic material at the appropriate research level relating to criminal justice, forensic psychology, public administration, protection management and forensic science. We do this with the goal of supporting research and teaching in those areas.

We collect materials in the supporting social sciences as fully as our budget will allow. Resources in other subjects are purchased as we are able to afford them, and most of that is in the form of reference material.

In addition, we aim to support the curriculum as a whole in terms of specific course assignment materials, except for textbooks.

As part of the University consortium, we make decisions in the context of the 19 campuses that make up CUNY, and this enriches and enhances our users’ access to both print and electronic media in a wide range of subjects.

Please fill out our form to suggest purchases (opens in a new tab)  to the Library.

Deaccession Policy for Print Materials

The Lloyd George Sealy Library actively builds and maintains collections that support learning and scholarship at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, especially in the fields of criminal justice broadly defined. To ensure the print collection remains relevant and accessible, the Library periodically withdraws (deaccessions) materials that no longer meet our needs.

Why We Withdraw Materials

Materials may be removed when they are:

  • Outdated, inaccurate, or superseded by newer editions.
  • Damaged or beyond repair.
  • Rarely used and not of long-term research value.
  • Duplicated unnecessarily and/or available in electronic format.
  • In obsolete or inaccessible formats.

What We Keep

The Library makes every effort to retain:

  • Items of significant historical, cultural, or academic and research value.
  • Works by the College’s faculty.
  • Items that are unique to CUNY or are designated as committed to retain by the CUNY Shared Collection Development Plan.
  • Materials accessioned as belonging in our Special Collections and Archives.

What Happens to Withdrawn Items

Whenever feasible, withdrawn materials are offered to:

  • Other libraries or educational institutions.
  • Donation programs and free distribution to the students.
  • Recycling or disposal (if other options are exhausted).

Our Commitment

Deaccession ensures that library resources remain accurate, accessible and aligned with the College’s curricula and research interests as well the needs of the worldwide criminal justice research community. The process follows state regulations and professional library standards, with decisions made by librarians in consultations with faculty when appropriate.

The policy is reviewed regularly to reflect evolving academic needs and best practices.