Collection principles

Our Collections align with RMIT’s values of diversity, equity and inclusion. We address any concerns by consulting and collaborating with our user community.

Resources in our Library Collections are digital by preference. This means they are available 24/7 to our users across all campuses and locations and support equity and accessibility needs.

Digital resources are subject to availability, licensing conditions and cost.

We encourage the use and discovery of open educational resources (OER) as a first preference to subscription and paywalled resources where available and appropriate.

User experience and accessibility requirements are embedded in our resource selection and acquisition processes. We are guided by the RMIT University Digital Accessibility Procedure.

Collections are accessible through relevant platforms and technologies on demand. We select resources that are available to all RMIT staff and students and work via our authentication service as a preference.

Items not available in our Collections may be purchased as needed or loaned from other institutions through our collaborative resource sharing networks.

We use a range of methods to acquire new resources, such as consortia agreements, open access, outright purchase, subscription, auto-upgrade, evidence-based and patron-driven models, Read and Publish Agreements and other emerging models.

We may use alternative practices to source indigenous and diverse materials.

Our Collections will continuously evolve and be shaped by our RMIT user community including Library staff, academics, educators, researchers and students. This collaboration will help ensure that we meet the diverse needs of the learning, teaching and research activities of the University.

We will manage Library Collections to ensure they remain relevant, current, reflective and authoritative to the learning, teaching and research activities of the University, as well as responsive to the needs of RMIT’s diverse community.

We review our Collections using evidence-based methods, such as cost, usage, COUNTER-compliant and publisher/vendor data to ensure they meet the principles of this framework.

We partner with and prioritise vendors, publishers and suppliers with sustainable and ethical business practices and models.

We align our strategies and operations with the University budged cycle to ensure Library Collections remain financially sustainable.

We respect user privacy through RMIT’s Privacy Policy and the CAUL Procurement Guidance Statement to Vendors on Privacy and Unauthorised Access Processes.

We make the terms and conditions that apply to the use of our resources consistent with the University’s Intellectual Freedom Policy. We uphold the rights of staff and students to exercise their freedom to engage in research, education and scholarship in their chosen areas of study and research. We also acknowledge that some resources contain bias and views that are not endorsed by RMIT.