Binding Policy
The binding policy recognises the Library's responsibility for providing research materials over a period of time and protecting materials against damage, theft and vandalism.
It is mainly concerned with journal holdings, but not exclusively. Faculty Librarians will decide at the point of order whether and at what time of year new subscriptions should be bound.
The binding fund, for journals, is held centrally and not divided into departmental allocations. Books requiring new binding will be cross-charged to departmental allocations.
Binding Criteria
- The title should normally have an anticipated shelf-life of at least five years.
- The title should have an anticipated heavy usage. This may be as a result of a wide readership, cross-disciplinary appeal or constant use.
- A title should be bound if its anticipated popularity might lead to theft and vandalism.
- Titles which satisfy the above criteria, but which are already supplied with a durable binding or an electronic archive (including a rolling archive such as JSTOR), are not normally bound.
- Ephemeral material which is to be held in special collections or the University Archive may be bound to ensure its conservation.
