MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OPEN SCIENCE POLICY

Introduction

The development and change in information and communication technologies have significantly affected the ways in which knowledge is produced, recorded, and accessed. The free sharing of the produced knowledge with the public and the need for efficiency and re-use of information has developed the concepts of “Open Access” and “Open Science” in the world. In this regard, Middle East Technical University (METU) is committed to contributing to the advancement of science and technology at an advanced level and to the wide dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of society and all stakeholders by adopting open, reproducible, and reliable research outcomes and practices.

METU believes that open science contributes to making research more transparent and rigorous; it encourages innovation and participation of all segments of society in scientific studies. For this purpose, METU is attentive to develop and use the tools and research processes that encourage and support open science, and open access to publications, course resources, and research data.

Basis

The text of this policy and directive is based on compliance with the articles 4/C and 12/C of the Higher Education Law No. 2547 and the Open Science Model Policy for universities issued by the Council of Higher Education and the Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698. To open access to all postgraduate theses, the directive on the receiving, storing and accessing the electronic copies of graduate theses applies.

Jurisdiction and Policy Impact

This policy covers all scientific studies, open course materials, and audiovisual resources produced by METU members and students in print and electronic media, and determines the principles of achieving these studies in the OpenMETU system. The policy includes open courses and similar materials submitted by the authors who are not a member of METU with the request to be stored in the archive of METU. In cases where the research is funded by third parties, any agreement with parties regarding access rights and storage takes priority over this policy.

Rights, Responsibilities, and Duties

Middle East Technical University is responsible for the following:

1. To support the sharing of publicly funded scientific studies and research outputs with the public free of charge.
2. To ensure that the scientific knowledge produced at METU is systematically and accurately indexed, preserved, and transferred to future generations.
3. To register the Open Science System in the national and international collation and listing systems (TAA, OAI, BASE, ROAR, OpenAIRE, ROARMAP, OpenMETU, OpenDOAR, Open Education Consortium, etc.).
4. To contribute to the development of national and international cooperation in new researches by means of sharing scientific knowledge.
5. To promote the use of METU Open Course Materials (Open Courseware - OCW).
6. To support participation in citizen science projects through Open Science practices.
7. To monitor the content of the academic repository with the statistics provided by the system and to supervise policy compliance.
8. To establish Open Science practices in improving research assessment and measurement criteria and to provide an open peer review experience.
9. To provide and improve mechanisms and services for appropriate guidance to researchers
10. To appoint a data manager responsible for all data-related issues in compliance with national and European Union laws, including, but not limited to, issues related to the development of data management plans.
11. To ensure the compatibility of the University's academic repository and other research infrastructures with the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and technical specifications of the European Open Science Cloud.
12. To enable researchers to specify the terms of sharing by utilizing the licenses such as Creative Commons in content and data sharing.
13. To ensure the mandatory use of unique identifiers (such as DOI, ORCID, or others).
    

Researchers are responsible for:

1. To manage their publications, data, and educational resources according to the principles and conditions set out in this policy and directive.
2. To ensure that the pre-print, post-print, or publisher edition of the scientific works they contribute is placed in the OpenMETU system on time according to the conditions permitted by the publisher.
3. To comply with any legal obligations under any organizational, regulatory, institutional, and other contracts related to the production, processing, storage, management, and distribution of publications and data in the absence of any agreement with any third parties of priority.
4. To ensure that the principles governing the processing of data (according to the existing policies and funders' authorities) are included in a data management plan.
   

Open Access to Publications

1. The researchers are responsible for making or ensuring that the full text (the published article or the peer-reviewed copy of the article before publication), as well as the machine-readable electronic copy of the relevant metadata before or after publication, is uploaded promptly. This also applies if the publications are published in open access (Gold Open Access).
2. In the case of “Green Open Access”, the full text of all publications must be accessible under a standard open license within a maximum of 6 months (or within 12 months for publications in the social sciences and human sciences). It is mandatory to upload the monographs in the academic archive; however, access will remain closed until the publisher embargo ends.
3. In order to increase the visibility of “closed” publications, the metadata of such publications must be accessible openly.
4. METU encourages its members and students to protect copyright ownership and to license publishers only for the rights necessary for publication. (This is possible by using an addendum in the publication contract. See https://sparcopen.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Access-Reuse_Addendum.pdf).
5. METU encourages its researchers to upload their publications to the academic archive before the date of the current policy takes effect and to make the publications openly accessible as soon as possible.
6. While METU evaluates the publications of its members and students individually or institutionally (including evaluations of research performance incentive, appointment, and promotion systems), only the publications whose metadata and full texts are uploaded to the academic archive according to the above-mentioned conditions.
7. METU members and students can store their studies they conducted with more than one researcher from more than one institution in the OpenMETU system. In multi-author studies conducted by more than one METU member and student, one of the authors ensures that the source is transferred to the OpenMETU system by adding the DOI number and the names of other authors.

Open Access to Research Data

1. METU provides the necessary incentives and regulations for its researchers to upload the data they obtained in the scientific studies to OpenMETU according to the international standards (ensuring that the data and services are traceable and available in compliance with open and FAIR principles).
2. METU Research Ecosystem complies with the principle of "as open as possible and as closed as necessary". If the data is not open due to legal, confidential, or other related reasons (for example, sensitive or personal data), this should be clearly explained. It provides the metadata that allows the data to be found in any case.
3. METU encourages applications under the requirements of Open Science Cloud to monitor Open Science resources.
4. METU researchers provide an appropriate data management plan for every research activity they are involved in.
5. METU researchers define post-project usage rights through the determination of appropriate licenses.
6. The minimum archive period for METU research data is 10 years after the appointment of a permanent identifier. After the expiration of the required archive period, or if these records are deleted or destroyed for legal and ethical reasons, all legal and ethical perspectives of such actions must be taken into account.
   

Open Science

METU actively promotes the understanding of Open Science practices beyond open access to publications and data. For example, it monitors participation in citizen science projects, the use of open peer review, the use of open educational resources, the release and development of data and contents under open and standard open licenses.

Infrastructure

1. METU creates the necessary infrastructure for the transition to Open Science; it takes the necessary measures to ensure its financing, sustainability, widespread and effective use.
2. METU ensures that the data indexed in the OpenMETU system is processed from a single center to all users quickly and according to international standards.
3. The OpenMETU system is compatible with International Open Access Systems, guides, and consortia, such as the OAI-PMH protocol, the Open Education Consortium, and OpenAIRE, and is linked to the European Open Science Cloud.
   

Research Evaluation and Measurement

1. METU guarantees to develop a research evaluation framework that promotes research quality and Open Science behavior and practices by monitoring developments in Europe on this issue and the work of the European Open Science Policy Platform in cooperation with funding organizations and other appropriate units. It takes into account the effects on researchers from different disciplines and different career stages.
2. It commits the establishment of a reward mechanism for the researchers using Open Science applications (e.g., sharing imprecise results through open platforms, using open software and other tools, to participate in open collaborative projects (citizen science, sharing open course resources), etc.).
   

Training

1. METU coordinates open training courses in collaboration with the Head of Library and Documentation Department, Department of Information Technologies, and other appropriate departments and institutions to increase, adopt and implement the Open Science awareness; to improve the data management skills of the researchers and support staff. Such training courses include knowledge necessary for open access publishing, open data, data management, research data, and research ethics and they develop the skills
2. The training is offered to researchers at all career stages, taking into account different disciplines, and is included in the curriculum.
3. Appropriate financing is provided for these activities and for this purpose, synergies are investigated together with other stakeholders, as well as funding organizations.
   

Validity of the Policy and the Directive

This policy and directive will be reviewed and updated every two years by the Senate of the Middle East Technical University. The rectorate of METU will be responsible for the implementation of this policy and directive and will assume the executive role in resolving disputes that may arise when necessary and in making changes to the policy and directive. The entire policy and directive will be implemented for one year from the effective date, and the part related to research data will be implemented as a pilot for two years from the same date.

Middle East Technical University Open Science Commission

METU conducts the necessary studies to monitor, support, evaluate and update the implementation of the Open Science Policy and Directive when necessary. It ensures the promotion and implementation of Open Science and open access in METU. It sets out the rules of operation necessary for this and works in coordination with the Open Science Advisory Board. The commission is chaired by the vice-chancellor appointed by the Rector and meets at least twice a year when it is deemed necessary. Expert members of the commission are appointed by the rectorate for a period of three years. These members may be reappointed at the end of their term of office. Commission members are constituted of the following;

1. Vice President in charge of Library and Documentation Department
2. Vice President in charge of Department of Information Technologies
3. Head Director of the Library and Documentation Department
4. Head Director of Department of Information Technologies
5. At least two faculty members specialized in Open Science and Institutional Repository
6. The related staff of the Department of Information Technologies
7. The related staff of Library and Documentation Department
   

The committee shall be responsible for revising the policy and directive whenever it is deemed necessary.

Suggestions and opinions will be submitted to METU Rectorate.

Open Science Coordinators

Open Science Coordinators coordinate the promotion and awareness of open science and open access activities in the academic units to which they are affiliated. When necessary, it provides data and information about the unit to relevant units, boards, and commissions within the scope of Open Science. Each academic unit manager assigns a coordinator for this purpose. This coordinator can be the same person as the quality coordinator, as well as a different academic who is an expert on the subject. The appointment and change of the Open Science Coordinator shall be notified in writing to the president of the Open Science Commission no later than two working days.

Open Science Advisory Board

It coordinates the promotion and awareness studies of Open Science in faculties, institutes, and colleges. It determines the access condition for a publication or study in OpenMETU when necessary. The Board works in collaboration with the Open Science Coordinators and submits opinions to the Open Science Commission when necessary.

The Open Science Advisory Board consists of the following members. The advisory board is chaired by a member who will be elected amongst the members of the board for one year. The same member may be re-elected as chairman.

1. Open Science Coordinator of the Faculty of Arts And Sciences
2. Open Science Coordinator of the Faculty of Architecture
3. Open Science Coordinator of the Faculty of Engineering
4. Open Science Coordinator of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
5. Open Science Coordinator of the Faculty of Education
6. Open Science Coordinator of the School of Foreign Languages
7. Open Science Coordinator of Vocational School
8. Open Science Coordinator of the Institute of Applied Mathematics
9. Open Science Coordinator of the Institute of Informatics
10. Open Science Coordinator of the Institute of Marine Sciences
11. Open Science Coordinator of the Institute of Social Sciences
12. Open Science Coordinator of the Institute of Natural and Applied Sciences
13. Open Science Coordinator of the Department of Music and Fine Arts
14. Open Science Coordinator of the Turkish Language Department.
    

The Right of Access

The right to benefit from scientific and intellectual studies in OpenMETU is realized under the following conditions.

1. Anyone can freely access the studies that are registered in the system and open to access.
2. When the information resources stored in the system are used, it is necessary and mandatory in terms of scientific ethics to refer to the resources by the person using them.
   

Enforcement

This policy and directive came into effect with Decision No. 2 of the Middle East Technical University Senate dated 12.2.2019 and taken at the meeting with no 2019/2.

Execution

This policy and Directive are executed by the rectorate of Middle East Technical University.

Appendix: Abbreviations and Definitions

Abbreviations

OpenMETU: METU Open Science/Access and Institutional Repository System

METU: Middle East Technical University

University: Middle East Technical University

Library and Documentation Department: METU, Directorate of Library & Documentation

Department of Information Technologies: METU Department of Information Technologies

TÜBİTAK: Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

YÖK: The Council of Higher Education

OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

OAI-PMH: Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting

OpenAIRE: The name of a European Commission Open Science Infrastructure Project

ORCID: Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier

OCW: Open Courseware

DOI: Digital Object Identifier - Numeric Object Identifier

FAIR: Findable-Accessible-Interoperable-Reusable

Definitions

1. Open Peer Review: It is defined as a scientific review mechanism in which both the reviewer and the author know each other's identities during the period of review and publication.
2. Open Science: It is to perform science in a way that publications, research data, lab notes, and other research processes can be accessed openly with the conditions enabling the re-use, distribution, and reproduction of the research, in which other researchers can work and contribute together.
3. Open Education Resources: According to OECD, it is defined as “teaching, learning and research materials using open licenses that allow free re-use and continuous improvement by others for educational purposes”.
4. Open Access: The condition that the scientific literature can be accessed, read, saved, copied, printed, scanned, linked to full text, indexed, transferred to software as data, and used for all kinds of legal purposes through the internet without financial, legal and technical barriers.
5. The Golden Way Open Access: The studies of researchers published in academic journals are open access through the published journal and from the moment it is published.
6. The Green Way Open Access: It is the open access to copies of the accepted version of researchers’ published studies in academic journals in open archives.
7. Open Data: It is the data that can be used, reused, and distributed freely by anyone without being subject to any copyright, patent, or other control mechanisms.
8. Academic Studies: It refers to all the studies that arise as a result of the research, funds, and creative activities of METU members and students.
9. Academic and Subject Archives: The systems that collect, organize, and archive, on a long-term basis, publications, data, and other intellectual products (theses, course materials, study reports, etc.) produced from scientific research supported by public sources.
10. Embargo: It refers that scientific studies of METU members and students in the academic archive system (article publishing, patent application, corporate and national interests, etc.) remain closed to access for a certain period of time for various reasons.
11. Research: It is defined as all kinds of creative and systematic studies with the goal of advancing knowledge.
12. Research Data: It is the data used to verify the results presented in scientific publications (e.g. statistics, experiment results, measurements, observations, interview records, images, etc.) or other data used during a project and described in the data management plan.
13. Researcher: It is defined as any member of METU research staff at all levels, regardless of their level of employment, including employees and doctoral students.
14. European Open Science Cloud (EOSC): It is a project that the European Commission announced in April 2018 that aims to collect the “embedded” data of 1.7 million researchers and 70 million scientists and technologists in the European Union in academic journals and books and make this data available to everyone. https://ec.europa.eu/research/openscience/index.cfm?pg=open-science-cloud
15. Knowledge Resources: It refers to the printed (books, magazines, newspapers, reports, etc.), electronic (online databases), and multimedia (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, VHS, etc.) resources in the library collection.
16. Storage: It refers to the storage process of scientific and intellectual studies in the METU academic archive system.
17. DOI (Digital Object Identifier): It is the identifiers that define an online intellectual property or part of that intellectual property within the online environment. https://www.doi.org/
18. Institutional Repository: It defines the system containing a digital environment in which scientific and intellectual studies produced at METU are archived/stored and presented to open access.
19. OAI-PMH: It is a protocol developed by the Open Archives Initiative. This protocol is used to collate (or collect) metadata definitions in an archive.
20. Scientific and Intellectual Studies: It refers to the studies like articles, theses, books/book chapters, audio-visual materials, papers, presentations, projects, reports, designs, patents, course materials, and software product, which are produced by METU members and students as a result of funds they received and productive/creative activities.
21. FAIR principles: An acronym for research data management or any of the initiatives related to the European Open Science Cloud. It is based on the principles that data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable principles. https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles
22. ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID): It refers to a permanent digital identifier that uniquely identifies researchers and supports the automatic connection between scientific activities.
23. OpenAIRE: It is a technical open access infrastructure project that allows access to scientific publication outputs, open research data and research information, analysis of data and provides various services to content providers in line with the open science goals of the European Commission. www.openaire.eu
24. OpenMETU: It is an institutional repository that provides open access to the publications and research data of METU researchers.
25. Creative Commons License:Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that allows the use and sharing of intellectual, cultural, or artistic creative work. It is the license that allows forming the basis for other studies if necessary, instead of blocking any use of the publication by other researchers.
26. Copyright: It is all the tangible and incorporeal rights that a person has legally on the products that he produces through any intellectual effort.
27. Metadata: It is a set of data that defines a source of information. In other words, it is structured, descriptive information related to the discovery, identification, use, and management of digital information and information sources.
28. Data Management Plan: It is a tool that shows how researchers can meet their responsibilities for research data quality, data sharing, and data security.
29. Publication: It is defined as a peer-reviewed published (or currently being published) study of researchers in the institution.
30. Open Course Material (OCW): It is open, accessible course material for the benefit of the community.

PART 1

Purpose

The purpose of METU Library Collection Development Policy is;

·           To represent the rules and principles about the selection, supply and the access of the information sources conducted in METU Library with the aim of providing access to qualified, accurate and universal information that serves to research activities within both METU and public.

·         To address the needs of the users,

·         To ensure the collection to be updated and well-balanced,

·         To use the budget effectively,

·         To highlight the criteria and principles about improving the pattern and content of the collection

Definitions

Collection: A set of information sources which are provided purchase, subscription, exchange and donation according to a predetermined Library policy. (Bayram, t.y.).

Selection: A process and form to determine which information sources will be provided to Library collection. (Evans, 2005, p.9).

Supply: A process that involves incorporating information sources into Library through purchase, subscription, exchange and donation. (Evans, 2005, p.9).

Audiovisual Information Sources: Digital information sources that include audio, motion and visual. (Royan, 2004, p.7)  (e.g. DVD, VCD, CD, videocassette recorders, voice tape, etc.)

 

PART 2

Audience

METU Academic and Administrative Staff (employee/retired), additional-charge staff, researchers within Postdoctoral Research Program, graduate, undergraduate and associate students (including international exchange students), METU Development Foundation and Technopolis Staff, Academic Staff of protocol universities and government agencies skilled stuff can have a membership of METU Library and use the sources and services of Library. (See also Library Instruction Article 1). Only METU Academic and Administrative Staff and students can propose purchasing books and other information sources.

Responsibility Statement

Library administration and units are in charge of creating, applying and keeping the Library collection development policy updated. 

Librarians are in charge of ensuring the subject distribution to be balanced and updated according to users’ feedbacks and collection analysis that is conducted during the year.

 

PART 3

Printed Book Collection

METU Library printed book collection is classified according to U.S. Library of Congress Classification System and available through open shelf system.

Book Selection Practices

METU Library develops collections through purchase and donation. Whichever method is used, provided information sources are developed in terms of quality and quantity in parallel with academic needs of both Library users and the university.

The book purchase request and recommendation is transmitted to the METU Library in various ways:

·         Book/Course Book Order Form[1] on the library web page,

·         E-mail[2],

·         A collaborative work is being conducted between the Librarians and the Lecturers representing the Departments in necessary situations to meet the existing and changing needs of METU members and students and that the collection is developed in a conscious and balanced manner.

 

Book Selection Criteria

• Copyright

Books to be provided must conform to the Law of Intellectual Property Rights (Annex 1) No. 5846.

Information sources produced as pirate books or copies reproduced by photocopying are not included in the collection.

• Content

It is aimed to develop the book collection in a balanced way according to the education, research areas, cultural and intellectual requirements of ODTÜ.

• Currentness

The most up-to-date and current information sources relevant to METU’s education and research fields are followed. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the information sources to be selected in the fields of science, technology and engineering have been published in the last 5 years. In the field of Social Sciences, the old printed books are also evaluated and included in the collection according to the feedback of the instructors.

• Level

It is important to select books published by reliable, competent publishing houses recognized in their areas in order to support undergraduate and graduate programs and research areas of the university.

In addition to supporting the teaching curriculum, it is also considered that the books are supposed to promote thesis, project and independent research activities carried out in the research centers affiliated to Rectorship.

• Extra Copies

The requested printed book is not provided in hard copy if full text access is available via existing databases.

More than one copy is included in the collection in accordance with the following requirements.

·      Course books that are highly used,

·      Books with a high borrowing rate,

·      Books that are physically worn out

·      Lost books.

• Cost

The books requested for inclusion in the collection are reassessed together with the Library management and the user in order to provide budget possibilities and subject balance.

Books whose cost exceeds the upper limit defined for the subject area ($ 250 for Science and Technology fields, $ 100 for Social Sciences) is re-evaluated with the requesting user.

The printed paperback format of the requested books (if available on the market) is primarily preferred because of lower price. A hardback version of the related book is provided if it is the only available format on the market.

• Language

In accordance with the education and research programs of the university, book purchases in different languages, especially in English and Turkish, are made in the direction of the requests from users.

• Print Status and Physical Format

The requested book must be in print as of the date of order. There is no secondhand book purchase for non-printed books.

The different physical printing forms for the books and the conditions of supply are as follows:

• Reprint: Old edition books or reprinted books that are abbreviated from the original edition of rare books are purchased when requested by users.
• Loose-Leaf Prints: The purchase of such forms of printing is not preferred due to its uselessness. If the obligation to provide the book is declared by the users, they can be provided if no other print is available.

Book Supply Service

Purchase Procedure

The book request and recommendation is evaluated within the scope of the selection criteria, and the purchasing process is started for those who are decided to be included in the collection.

The books are provided through tender and direct purchase methods within the budget allocated to the Head Office of Library and Documentation.

Tender lists of the books with order records are prepared. In cases where urgent book procurement is required, direct purchasing lists are established within the year and within the framework of budget conditions.

The procurement of books to be provided through the tender is carried out according to the Public Procurement Law. Books that are tendered have an average of 4-6 months in advance due to the tender process.

Donation Procedure

Information sources that support the university's educational, research and cultural activities are included in the Library collection.

The   Donation and Exchange Committee decides on the appropriateness of donated information sources to the collection by consulting with relevant experts when necessary. The Library has the authority and responsibility to decide whether or not donated resources will be added to the collection and that in which category they will be replaced.

A special area or shelf is not created for the donated collection; it is included in the current collection according to the integrity and layout of Library.

Those who want to donate resources to the Library are obliged to fill in the "Book Donation Form" in compliance with the Movable Property Regulations.

The source(s) decided to be suitable for the Library collection are added to the collection and the list is created after the technical process, and a letter of thanks is sent to the donor person or institution on behalf of the University.

The source(s) not included in the collection are returned to the donor or sent to other universities, schools or institutions by the donor's approval.

Donation Principles

The donated information sources are supposed to;

·      Support the education and research activities of the university and have scientific quality,

·      Be not available in the Library collection,

·      Be physically appropriate,

·      Be not photocopied or replicated in any ways,

·      Be possible to taken as an extra copy when necessary, depending on the quality of the source and the frequency of use.

·      The publication date of information sources except for Social Sciences should not be older than 5 years.

·      It is not possible for every donation received by email to be included in the Library collection.

Rare Works

Rare works collection is formed according to the following criteria;

•  Manuscripts and lithography works,
•  Works written in Ottoman, Arabic and Persian languages in the years before 1928,
•  Works published in Latin letters in 1801 and pre-1801,
•  Works that have special printing technique and paperbound,
•  Works printed in limited number or without second copies,
•  Old and out of print sources,
•  Works signed by important authors or important persons,
•  Manuscript forms of books and letters belonging to authors who did not print their works,
•  Works that have aesthetic value and contain valuable visuals (drawing, engraving, illumination, miniature, marbling etc.).

Reference Collection

The reference collection includes information sources of different kinds that contain competent information on a particular topic, provide a quick response and summary information on that topic. The Reference Collection is located in a separate unit in the Library and is not lent.

Statistical sources, maps, atlases, encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, bibliographic sources, guides, almanacs, abstracts, indexes and annuals are information sources available in the Reference Collection.

METU Library creates an e-reference collection that provides uninterrupted access in order to remove space and time limits for access to information.

 

Thesis Collection

Hard copies of the master and doctorate theses prepared in METU are kept in the Library by the decision of the University Senate.

Electronic copies of theses prepared since September of 2003 with the aim of creating Digital Thesis Archive are also included in the collection.

Theses in the collection are closed for one or two years depending on the author's wishes.

Photocopying or electronic reproduction of a printed thesis is subject to the permission of the author.

Reserve Collection (Short-Loan Books)

The collections created from the course sources are lent to the students for a short time (one hour, three hours, a night, etc.) in the direction of the requests and suggestions of the lecturers.

The textbooks that are announced by instructors through Adding and Submitting Books to a Short Loan Collection form are provided as 1 book for every 40 students. These books must be requested before the beginning of the semester.

Materials not included in the Reserve Collection:

·           Current and bound magazines,

·           Reference sources (except English-Turkish Dictionaries),

·           Sources that are available in general collection but not lent

Removing Information Source from the Reserve Collection:

• For the books that the instructor wants to be removed from the reserve collection, it is necessary to fill out the Adding and Removing Books for the Short Loan Collection on the web page.

·         The collection is reviewed at the end of each semester and unused books are removed from the reserve collection in order to be added to the long-term lending collection.

Audiovisual Information Sources Collection

Audiovisual information sources that METU members and students want to be included in the library collection are provided through subscription or purchase after being evaluated. 

When selecting Audiovisual Information Sources;

• It is important to be in quality and format to support training and user requests,
• Cultural publications should be appropriate to the level and knowledge of the user,
• Pirated or copied material is not purchased and is not accepted as a donation.

Printed Periodical Collection

Methods of Choosing and Providing Materials

In today's digital collection environment, electronic subscription is preferred instead of printed subscription of periodical publications.

Evaluation and Selection Criteria

Criteria for evaluating existing publications / publications to be newly added to the collection:

• New printed subscription requests are based on information received from METU users (academic and administrative staff, students) and publishers, as well as information obtained through research conducted by the Librarians to remove missing information from the current collection.
• New subscription requests are delivered via periodical request form on Web.
• All requests are checked from the current collection of printed collections and electronic journals.
• Pricing model for requests is detected through their publisher, education language, impact factor, scientific quality, etc.
• Content analysis is performed to check the suitability of the collection.
• If electronic form is not published, the printed form is evaluated.
• It is checked whether the requests are in collections of other university libraries in Ankara.
• The selection and evaluation of publications is based on the evaluation criteria determined by the Periodical Publications Department and the Library Management.
• For existing hardcopy publications, publications that whose print has stopped within the year and that have a bibliographic change are followed up.

Supply of Printed Periodicals

How to obtain printed publications:

·         Providing subscription from domestic and foreign sources through tender and direct supply method,

·         Providing with donation and exchange.

Donation and Exchange Criteria

Periodicals to be provided through donations and exchanges from persons or institutions are accepted on condition that they are regularly sent to the Library for at least two years while those whose print has done are accepted considering the needs of the users.

The appropriateness of the periodicals to be provided through donations or exchanges to the education language and research areas is taken into account.

Content of the sources should be eligible for The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey along with Law of Intellectual Property Rights No. 5846 and Law of Higher Education. Pirate and/or photocopied publications will not be accepted or purchased in Library in accordance with the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works No 5846.

Journals and physically worn out periodicals are not included in the collection.

Termination of the Subscription and Transforming to Digital Format

Subscription of printed periodicals is terminated through evaluation of the following criteria:

• Being irregular,
• Price increases,
• Usage,
• Current archive information in the collection,
• Conflict with digital collection,
• The electronic copy has archive access,
• Appropriateness to the budget,
• Continue to be published as open access.

Digital Source Collection

 

The digital source collection is made up of online, licensed and open access information sources. Digital sources are provided through subscription and/or purchase.

Types of Digital Sources:

·         E-journal databases 

·         Single e-journals

·         E-book databases

·         Index and contained databases

·         E-Reference databases (dictionaries, encyclopedias, theses, standards, etc.)

·         E-newspapers

·         Databases with statistical data

·         Multimedia sources

Selection of Digital Sources

Electronic source selection is made by the Periodical Publications Unit and the Library Management in line with the demands of the university members.

Selection of New Digital Sources

The selection process for a new e-source begins with evaluating the requests from users (e-mail, database / e-journal request / evaluation form), suggestions from publishing houses and Library staff.

The following criteria are taken into account in the appraisal phase of an e-source;

·         Appropriateness to the university’s education and research programs,

·         Whether an equivalent source is available in the existing collection,

·         Whether the relevant e-source has been evaluated before,

In order to examine an e-source in detail, trial access opportunities are searched. The evaluation of sources for which trial access is not possible is done in accordance with the information provided on the Web page or from the publisher of the source.

Selection Criteria

It is expected that a digital source will be able to provide the following features to the maximum level to be included in the collection.

In terms of content;

·          To be appropriate to the university’s education and research areas,

·          To contribute to the current collection,

·          To be an authority in its field.

In terms of technical requirements and usage;

·         To be IP based and provide remote access,

·         To provide usage statistics,

·         To provide integration with technical infrastructure and other systems,

·         To have a user-friendly interface,

·         To offer data downloading, copying and printing options.

Support of provider/intermediary firm and the publisher;

·         To provide user training,

·         To provide technical support,

·         Customization of the interface in line with requests,,

·         Data archiving (backup, collaboration with data archiving systems (LOCKSS, etc.) ).

·         Competence and credibility of the intermediary firm.

Pricing model;

·        FTE based pricing,

·        Pricing based on the number of concurrent users,

·        Finding consortium pricing,

·        Pricing by selected collection.

In terms of licensing features;

·         Accessibility issues;

·         Authorized user,,

·         Access methods (access via IP, multi/unlimited users, single user access, etc.),

·         Retrospective access; rights to be retained if archiving and subscribing is terminated.

·  Usage issues;

·      Loaning between universities,

·      View, download and print,

·      Responsibilities of the provider/intermediary firm,

·         Legal issues (payment terms, payment period).

Confliction with printed collection;

When the information source considered to be included in the collection has both print and electronic access, electronic access is preferred considering the following items:

 

·           The electronic copy should provide the same content as the print, or give more,

·           The quality of the text and images (graphics, tables, etc.) on the electronic copy should be at least as high as or better than the quality,

 

 

·           It is preferred that price of the digital source is the same or lower than the printed copy. Where the price of a digital information source is higher, the publisher should provide more content with the source for the fee paid.

 

Assessment of Current Digital Sources

The continuity of existing digital source subscriptions is assessed by considering the following criteria:

•  Usage;

·         Usage statistics and change over years,

·         Unit cost analysis,

·          Purchase/subscription models and pricing changes,

•  Licensing features;

·         Changes in archival rights,

·         Changes in terms of use,

·         Changes in access methods.

•  In case of platform change, new platform features,
•  Renewal/repetition of content and conflict analysis,
•  User opinions.

Supply of Digital Sources

Supplying of selected digital sources are carried out with the relevant units taking into account the following criteria;

·         The budget allocated for the digital sources, the form and timing of payment,,

·         Providing of required documents during the payment process (proforma, single authorized provider document, and invoice).

Termination of Subscriptions

It may be decided to terminate the subscription of a digital source in the following cases:

·         Usage is not at the expected level despite enhancement works,

 

·         Unexpected high increases in subscription prices (except content changes),

 

·         Another digital source overlapping in terms of content is available at a lower cost than the existing digital source,

 

·         Negative accessibility changes.

 

PART 4

Budget

The library plans and uses the budget determined by the Ministry of Finance with the aim of sustaining and developing the existing collection to support educational and research activities with scientific publications. Distribution and use of budget is determined by Library Management and related units.

Distribution and use of budget:

•  Printed book
•  Printed periodicals
•  Database
•  E-Journal
•  E-Book

Planning is carried out within the budget freedoms determined by the Ministry of Finance (January, April, July, October). The spending plan made by the Purchasing and Accounting Unit at the beginning of the year is implemented throughout the year.

 

 

PART 5

Collection Management

Collection Assessment

The collection development policy aims to renew and improve the collection within the Library. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the collection, it is necessary to evaluate the collection regularly and, when necessary, to extract books and renew them. The processes carried out under these evaluations are as follows: 

•  The density of the subjects in the collection is assessed every year by the Library Management and Supply and Cataloging Unit. In this assessment, the balance between the budget allocated to the departments for material intake, the collection intensity for the subject areas of the departments, and the usage rate of the materials within this collection are analyzed. If the subject areas in which the distribution is insufficient are determined, it is planned that the development of these subject areas and the balancing of the subjects will be ensured in the following purchase process.
• Extraction and renewal processes.

Collaborative Works

Consortiums

METU Library is a member of Anatolian University Libraries Consortium (ANKOS) founded wih the aim of providing of the  common policy agreement among the members about the issues of the subscription  or purchase  e-books’ databases  considering of  collections rational growth and the allowing to access of more sources for supplying the educational and inquiring needs of  participating  users’ to Consortium. ANKOS aims to collaborate with appropriate institutions and organizations both at domestic and foreign about many subjects such as the management of copyrights, license contracts and the other consortium services around the world is made to progress the participation of ANKOS to the international developments.

 

University and Research Institutes

Full-time staff employees of universities and research institutions in Turkey can borrow books from the Library of the Middle East Technical University through their affiliated Library Lending Officer, and can provide photocopies of articles or theses (if permitted).

 

Full-time academic and administrative staff of Middle East Technical University can borrow books from the libraries of other research institutions in Turkey and photocopy articles or thesis through Interlibrary Loan Service.

 

Preservation and Bookbinding

The binding process is applied to protect the printed information sources against wearing and to reuse the worn out collection for the user.

Inventory Procedures

Inventory operations of printed collections are conducted through different methods at specific time intervals.

Extraction

The extraction process is carried out in accordance with the legislation by the joint efforts of the Librarians' Supply and Cataloging Unit and the Shelf Services Unit along with Cancellation          Commission, which consists of subject experts.

The following types of information sources are extracted from the collection or taken into storage;

·         Those who are physically damaged and unusable,

·         Those who have not been used in the last 10 years and have been over-replicated,

·         Sources available also as digital copy,

·         Technologically unavailable sources (e.g. Diskette, Cassette),

·         Old editions of information sources with new editions (especially reserve books).

 

Lost Sources

The lost information sources determined according to the results of the counting operations are regained by considering the usage rates.

References

• Bayram (Gökkurt), Özlem. A.Ü. BBY226 Derme Geliştirme Ders Notları. http://acikders.ankara.edu.tr/pluginfile.php/255/mod_resource/content/2/derme%20geli%C5%9Ftirme%20pdf.pdf
• Evans, E.G. (2005). Developing Library and Information Center Collections (5th edt.). Westport, Connecticut London: Libraries Unlimited.
• ODLIS -- Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science, Erişim tarihi: 06.06.2016, http://www.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/odlis_r.aspx
• Royan, B. (2004). Guidelines for Audiovisual and Multimedia materials in libraries and other institutions. IFLA Professional Reports (No.80)

Appendix

• Law of Intellectual Property Rights
• Standing Order List
• Book Donation Form
• METU Library Instruction

As ODTÜ Library, without compromising our values, we will,

• Enhance Enhance rich printed and electronic book and periodical collection day by day having regard tothe diversity of resources;
• Enhance our competetive power by carrying utilization rate of electronic sources to the highest level;
• Maintain our ability of technological change with our powerful technic facilities;
• Improve continuously the quality of service provided with belief of always being better;
• Multiply our organizational and executive abilities with collaboration and solidarity culture;
• Make an effort in order to make employees sufficient as both quantitative and qualitative;
• Increasing activity of employees by supporting continuous training of employees with educational programs;
• Providing necessary sources to make physical environment secure, safe, and sufficient;
• Plan activities to determine corporate risk and opportunities on time, catch the possibilities of applying innovations by preventing adverse effects,
• Measure ourselves continuously with operational and administirative system that we succeed to instutionalize, and develop themselves.

 

Cevat GÜVEN
Director of Library and Documentation