Handling of book collections

Instructions on the handling of the department’s books, newspapers, journals and thesis materials

• The Learning Centre is tasked with helping departments in the handling of information materials.
• The handling of materials must always be agreed on in advance with a contact person at the Learning Centre.
• The assessment of content must always be carried out at department as the Learning Centre does not have content specialists.
• The Learning Centre’s collections rooms are limited, and, thus, the Learning Centre reserves the right to decide which materials it added to its own collection and how these will be placed at the Learning Centre.
• Materials that are added to the Learning Centre’s collections are transferred to the administration of the Learning Centre.
• The materials that are not added to the Learning Centre’s collections can either be sent to the Repository Library in Kuopio, put in distribution for customers or be appropriately recycled.
• One piece or one annual volume of each material can be placed in the Repository Library. You can request to borrow materials kept at the Repository Library via Aalto-Finna. The service is free of charge for Aalto students and staff.

Handling of book collections (including dissertations)

a) Reducing a book collection and maintaining a core collection in the department’s facilities:

• The department selects which books will be discarded.
• If the books that are to be discarded are catalogued in the database (meaning the books have bar code stickers) the books are always sent to the Learning Centre.
• The department can discard uncatalogued books itself.
• If it is decided that books that are to be left at the department will be catalogued, a time for this is always agreed on separately with a contact person from the Learning Centre.

b) Books for which a new storage location must be found:

• The department chooses to keep those works that are important from the perspective of its research/teaching and which are used regularly.
• Those books that the department proposes to be kept must be marked with a coloured post-it between the pages so that they stand out from the other books.
• A contact person at the Learning Centre is notified of the size (in metres) and topic of the materials that the department wishes to keep.
• Theses are always sent to the Learning Centre.
• Theses are archived in the Learning Centre’s archive, if they are not part of a collection.
• Works that are already included in collections are discarded appropriately.
• Annual volumes of scientific journals can be submitted to the Learning Centre for handing.
• An effort is made to place all complete annual volumes at the Repository Library.
• Other newspapers and magazines can be discarded at departments in paper collection bins.

Handling of theses

• Theses are always sent to the Learning Centre.
• Theses are archived in the Learning Centre’s archive, if they are not part of a collection.
• Works that are already included in collections are discarded appropriately.

Handling of journals

• Annual volumes of scientific journals can be submitted to the Learning Centre for handing.
• An effort is made to place all complete annual volumes at the Repository Library.
• Other newspapers and magazines can be discarded at departments in paper collection bins.

Further information on the Repository Library: http://www.varastokirjasto.fi/fi/

Aalto-Finna database: https://aalto.finna.fi/