We appreciate the generosity of those who would like to donate materials for our collections. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept gifts for the circulating collections because of constraints on shelving space, as well as significant costs for evaluating and processing gifts of tangible personal property.

If you have rare or unique materials, please contact Liz Siler, Associate Dean for Collection Services, who will work with our subject librarians and Special Collections and University Archives unit to determine if they are appropriate to add to the collections.  

Materials dropped off or sent to the library without contacting us first will not be considered for the collection and will be disposed of at our discretion.
 

You can find more information on our Collection Development Policy page.

We subscribe to licensed e-resources, such as databases, journals, and books, in support of the educational and research needs of the UNC Charlotte campus community. Access and use of our e-resources is governed by both copyright law and license agreements that restrict use to defined authorized users such as members of the campus community (generally faculty, employees, and enrolled students) as well as on-site, walk-in users. It is the responsibility of all authorized users to use these resources only for individual, non-commercial, research or learning purposes, as generally set forth below.
 

Users are advised that violation of these terms potentially jeopardizes campus access for all other authorized campus users and exposes violators to sanctions. By using these e-resources, authorized users are indicating awareness of and compliance with the following terms and conditions.

Under our e-resource licenses, users generally may not:

• Permit anyone other than authorized users to use the licensed materials
• Modify or create a derivative work of licensed content or remove, obscure or modify any copyright or other notices included in the license materials
• Use the licensed materials for commercial purposes, including but not limited to the sale of the licensed materials
• Upload any licensed materials on an open website, including social networking sites
• Engage in systematic downloading, distributing, or retaining substantial portions of the licensed materials
• Use software such as scripts, agents, robots, or spiders to retrieve information
• Use library subscribed materials in AI tecnology unless you recieve direct permission to do so.

Faculty, students and staff with questions about copyright or use of the licensed e- resources may contact the Associate Dean for Collection Services, Liz Siler via email. Additional information can be found on our copyright information page.

Open access publishing of scholarly work assures research is available online at no cost for the reader and increases the dissemination of ideas to improve our global society. Unlocking unnecessary paywalls to influential research not only increases the impact of research conducted at UNC Charlotte, but supports information equity for people around the world.
 

Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte regards Open Access publication of scholarly works as a foundational aspect of a sustainable communication system for scholars and researchers.

To support this idea, we provide the following services to researchers on campus related to both publishing in open access journals (Gold OA) or depositing work in Niner Commons (Green OA):

Education and Support

• Understanding author’s rights and publishing agreements
• Identifying reputable Open Access publishing opportunities
• Informing about Open Access requirements of granting agencies
• Hosting outreach events on the benefits of Open Access.

Open Access Article Publication Subvention Fund - This is a fund to assist UNC Charlotte authors across campus with the cost of article processing charges (APCs). Niner Commons - We provide our community with access to Niner Commons, an Open Access platform to disseminate the scholarship created by UNC Charlotte researchers. This platform hosts all of UNC Charlotte’s theses & dissertations, as well as peer reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, working papers, videos, open education resources (OER), research data and more. Digital Publishing - Atkins library provides a platform and digital publishing services of scholarly works including online journals, eBooks, digital exhibits, and conference proceedings.

We strive to provide users with the information they need to be successful in their research and education. We continuously evaluate the print collection to ensure the collection is relevant and up to date. In addition, the library continues to plan for new spaces, which requires Special Projects to review large parts of the collection.
 

Special Projects Review Procedures

In order to effectively execute rightsizing projects it is advised library personnel follow the steps laid out below:

1. The review project will be planned by the Collection Development Committee at the request of the Dean of Libraries.

2. Lists of items to be reviewed will be divided by call numbers and shared with the subject specialist who will make decisions on the future of the item. 

3. Once the items for removal are identified, Collection Services will remove the items from the collection and the catalog. 

4.  If necessary Collection Maintenance staff will consolidate the collection in one area, creating additional space in the library.

Regular Review

Upon the completion of planned rightsizing projects, subject librarians will be expected to continue rightsizing the collection on a regular basis to ensure the collection stays current and relevant for our users, and collection space remains manageable.
 

1. At the beginning of each year, each of the subject librarians will be given a list of the current holdings in their subject area. The list will include overall circulation information, year acquired and year published.

2. The subject librarian will review the list and make decisions based on predetermined rightsizing criteria and their subject area expertise. Titles with interdisciplinary appeal should be marked and shared with appropriate subject librarians.

3. As books are selected, they will post titles poised for removal in a shared document for other subject librarians to review and make recommendations. 

4. Titles selected for removal will be given to the Collection Services staff to be discarded from the collection and removed from the catalog.

Criteria for Removal – These are general guidelines to follow when rightsizing the collection. Other factors might need to be considered depending on the subject area. Removal decisions may be made in consultation with the Collection Development Committee.

• Currency - The content of library materials should be accurate and up to date. Materials that are superseded by newer, revised, or updated editions may be removed. The library takes into consideration faculty and students whose scholarship and teaching require the use of historical texts.
• Usage - Low or no usage may be a factor in removal decisions. Library personnel should consult circulation statistics or other reports to determine viable candidates for removal. Removal based on usage will not apply to material purchased in the last seven years to allow time for discovery and use.
• Physical Condition - Materials that are badly deteriorated or damaged and beyond reasonable preservation efforts will be removed. New copies can be purchased if necessary.
• Duplicates - Because of space limitations the library may remove duplicate copies of library materials. Library staff will take into consideration the need to have more than one copy of a title on hand, especially for materials that are heavily used or are a part of a university-wide program.
• Completeness - Materials that are part of a multi-volume set of which the library does not have all volumes can be considered for removal in consultation with the CDC and the CDL.
• Uniqueness - The library will not remove materials that are considered unique or of importance to the library.
• Permanent Retention Agreement - Atkins Library has agreed to keep selected monograph titles as part of shared print retention agreements with other libraries.

Researchers must complete and sign a registration form once each academic year (August 1 - July 31) and must provide acceptable identification (driver's license or photographic I.D.).
 

Special Collections staff assist patrons in locating books, documents, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and other material, as well as access to the UNC Charlotte Archives, the information source for the University's history. In some cases, staff may direct you to other sources in Atkins Library and outside the University.

All purses, coats, briefcases, backpacks, and other personal belongings are to be deposited in provided lockers. Only pencils may be used in the Reading Room. Food and drink are not permitted.

Personal computers, digital cameras, and portable scanners may be used in the Reading Room provided that such use does not disturb other researchers. Use of cellular phones is not permitted.

Please use one manuscript box at a time, and remove one folder at a time. Manuscripts and archival materials are to be maintained in the order in which they are received by the researcher. If any material is discovered to be out of order, please notify the staff member on duty. Please do not rearrange papers.
 

If you have any questions about the use of Special Collections materials, please consult the Reading Room staff.