The undergraduate curriculum seeks to develop critical thought and the ability to acquire and organize knowledge. This is the foundation for the professional and pre-professional programs at the bachelors and masters level. The mission also supports participation in the doctoral programs offered by The City University in selected areas.

Brooklyn College Library provides the maximum support possible for current instructional needs. The Library supports faculty research needs to the greatest extent possible within financial constraints.

The Library collects in relation to the degree offered. Currently, no area is comprehensively covered. The emphasis may change over time as the program changes. Any attempt at comprehensiveness is focused on current teaching and research areas. The collection is not static and the Library will add and cancel materials to reflect changing user needs.

The Library collects materials in all formats: print, electronic, audio-visual, computer files, etc.

The Library accepts gifts and will appropriately acknowledge the grantor. Items added will become part of the general collection. Materials may be refused, or if accepted sold or discarded if not needed.

Brooklyn College Library is part of The City University Library System and participates in the open access programs which broaden the resources available. The Library also participates in other consortial arrangements.

The Library makes collection development decisions in consultation with its user community and maintains formal liaison relationship with academic departments. However, the Library Department bibliographer has the ultimate responsibility for the allocated budgets. All faculty and students are encouraged to recommend titles for purchase or linkage. The Library does not specifically purchase materials to support community needs, but shares its resources with the community, most especially the sister City University schools.

The Library is moving toward increased reliance on electronic resources while acknowledging the continued and critical importance of our print collections. Therefore, the Library supports providing access to new and emerging information resources. Access and ease of use are important criteria in selecting materials and the Library may pay extra for these features.

The Library, especially in the area of electronic resources, is moving toward a system wide (The City University) view of collection development. Many of our electronic resources are provided through the Office of Library Services. Our library faculty play a critical role in recommending and evaluating these resources.

The Library takes very seriously its responsibility to preserve print and electronic resources and will examine archiving policies of various vendors.

The Library participates in cooperative collection development activities that enhance the collection or lower costs. This is especially important for electronic resources.

The Library endorses such initiatives such as SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition) although the Brooklyn College Library is not a participating member. It is important to protect the scholarly communication system and retain control of information.