Information Resources Policy

The library collections are developed in collaboration with the scientific community.

The metadata of the information resources acquired for the library collections is stored in the library information system according to the international RDA standard and national instructions and recommendations. We use the Oula-Finna search service as the customer interface for our library information system. The usability of Oula-Finna is being developed constantly.

We evaluate the information resources for example with the help of the user statistics of our e-resources and borrowing statistics of the printed material. We retain actively used material in our collections and dispose of rarely used material. The discarded printed material is sent to the National Repository Library if our specialists consider it worth keeping in the national collections.

We support our customers’ information needs by offering them free borrowing from the National Repository Library and fee-based interlibrary services.

Acquisition of new material is primarily based on the acquisition suggestions made by the staff and students of our scientific community. Our information specialists also actively monitor newly published information resources and make selections.

We apply an “electronic first” principle to book purchases (preferring an e-book when possible), depending on availability, price and terms of use.

We use the library acquisitions budget for course textbooks and study material included in the degree requirements. University teachers´ personal copies of textbooks (examiners­´ copies) are funded by the individual disciplines. The examiners´ copies of Oamk teachers are acquired by the educational units.

The number of textbooks we acquire for a course is 30-50% of the number of students taking the exam simultaneously, estimated by the teacher. The emphasis is on e-textbooks because then the number of copies we can offer for students is usually higher than with printed books. E-book acquisitions depend on the availability and terms of use of the books. In our textbook acquisitions we aim at interactive collaboration with the teaching staff of the discipline.

More copies of textbooks are acquired if

• completing a certain course is a precondition for taking the next study modules
• the textbook is used in several courses
• the course resembles a reading circle, or the textbook is otherwise needed during the whole course
• the discipline is book-oriented

Fewer copies of textbooks are acquired if

• the book is used as additional reading
• the book is available as an open online publication. We follow the request load of the textbooks and acquire more copies if necessary.

According to the university’s Equality and Diversity Plan education materials are selected and prepared in such a way that, if necessary, they can be provided in a format that is accessible to those with visual impairments and others with a reading-related disability.

For students with reading-related disabilities we offer Celia accessible literature services. Other special arrangements supporting studying must be stated in a student´s personal study plan, responsible parties of which are student counselling, the student and the accessibility contact person.

We acquire electronic resources both directly from vendors (with direct license agreements) and as a member of the FinELib consortium, who negotiate the license agreements for its members. Access to the e-resources is provided according to the terms of the agreement. We promote the availability and findability of open access material to meet the needs of our staff and students. University of Oulu and Oamk students and staff members can also access the e-resources off campus.

The e-resource license agreements are organization-specific, which is why the provision of e-resources is not identical between the University of Oulu and Oamk.

We mainly subscribe to electronic versions of scientific journals. The individual disciplines are responsible for the selection and funding of the journal collection. The disciplines go through the list of journals each spring and decide which subscriptions they wish to renew. We provide them with user statistics and Jufo classification information to support the journal evaluation process. We also subscribe to non-academic periodicals and newspapers, the library’s information resource budget permitting. Our newspaper collection has a local emphasis.

Legal deposit activity is based on the Act on Collecting and Preserving Cultural Materials (1433/2007). The purpose of the act is to archive and preserve Finnish cultural heritage for information users. The National Library of Finland and the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI) are responsible for legal deposit activity in Finland. Oulu University Library receives almost all Finnish printed publications for its legal deposit collection, except for newspapers. The library also provides access to electronic legal deposit material.

Printed legal deposit materials are kept in the legal deposit archive in the Pegasus Library. Library users may borrow the material by placing an order for reading room use. The staff of the University of Oulu and Oamk may also borrow the material for use in their offices.

The maps, official publications and statistical publications that the library has received as legal deposit copies are available for browsing and use by customers in the reading room. Electronic legal deposit materials are available for customer use on the legal deposit workstations.

Several scientific journal subscriptions acquired through the FinELib consortium include not only access to the articles, but also a possibility for researchers to publish their own articles open access without paying an article processing charge in journals included in the license agreement.

The library also promotes open access publishing by paying subsidies and by offering information and guidance.

Our special collections are mostly donations, for instance resulting from book collection campaigns in the 1960´s, but some items have also been purchased. The special collections are not actively accumulated.

The library accepts donations only when the material is useful for the researchers, teachers and students of the University of Oulu or Oamk. Donated material is placed among other materials in our library and our usual retention and disposal policy is applied to them. Donated material will not form separate collections.