Policies & Documentation

In parallel with the collection analysis and development of retention commitments, the EAST libraries have developed policies that will govern the membership and be incorporated into the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is to be signed by all EAST members.

In addition to the MOU, the EAST Board of Directors has approved three documents that provide further details on the organization, policies and operations of EAST.  They are:

• General Governance Policies – this document provides an overview of the organizational structure of EAST and the role each of the units plays in overall governance.
• EAST Members Rights and Responsibilities – this document details the rights of Retention and Supporting Partners as well as their responsibilities as EAST members.
• The EAST Major Operating Policies – this document includes further information on the following topics:
  • Selection – what will the criteria for selection of titles to be retained?
  • Ownership and Location – who will own the retained materials and where will they reside?
  • Retention – how long will libraries be required to commit to retain the titles?
  • Validation – is any form of validation required as a part of retention?
  • Access & Fulfillment – what are the policies for providing titles to users at other EAST libraries?
  • Delivery – how will retained titles be delivered to other EAST libraries?
  • Operating Procedures – while not expected to be included in detail in the Memorandum of Understanding, EAST will develop high level operating procedures relating to issues such as replacement of lost or missing titles.
  • Disclosure – what are individual libraries and EAST as a group expected to do to ensure retained titles are disclosed in local, regional and national catalogs?
  • Discovery – how will library staff and end users discover retained titles?