Collection Development Policy 

The primary mission of the Joseph and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library is to support the educational and research programs relating to philanthropic studies and nonprofit management at IU Indianapolis. The secondary mission is to support the wider scholarship of philanthropy in other educational and research programs in the US and internationally, including the Fund Raising School. The tertiary mission is to support the functional research needs of the non-profit community in Indianapolis and Central Indiana. 

The Philanthropic Studies Library is closely related to the Philanthropic Studies Archives, and together the collections represent a great concentration of materials for intensive study in all realms of philanthropy.

The philanthropic studies collection, developed under the guidance of Janet S. Huettner, was funded with a substantial grant from the Lilly Endowment from 1987 to 1997.  Collection development mirrored the growth of the Center on Philanthropy and the development of the Master in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management concentration and the Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies programs at IU Indianapolis.  In 1993, Robert L. and Pauline S. Payton provided funds to establish the Joseph and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library in a unique space within University Library.  Since the dedication of the original facility, the collection has more than doubled in size.  In April of 1999, the collection relocated to an area with shelf space for 50,000 books on the second floor of University Library.  Robert and Pauline Payton, the Indianapolis Foundation, and Indiana University provided funding for the renovation of the space.

With the expansion of the academic programs to include the Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Philanthropic Studies, collection development has adjusted to meet the needs of these curricula.

Philanthropy is broadly defined as voluntary action for the public good. This definition encompasses voluntary giving, service, and association; and acknowledges the presence of formal and informal organizations, individuals that include recipients as well as givers, and supporting ideas that range from philosophical and historical to legal and managerial.

Purchasing is focused on academic commentary and analysis of non-profits and philanthropy; this includes social analysis, studies of the relationship between faith and giving, and studies of national service, including related government documents.

Selection of academic materials is based on a set of interrelated factors, but primarily works are purchased to support student work in philanthropic studies and nonprofit management courses, and faculty research.

Special consideration is given to material that is rare or not widely collected in libraries, especially material defined as grey literature: including but not limited to annual reports, research or project reports, working papers, and white papers. In deference to the rarity of this material, it is housed in the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives and available for use only in the reading room.

In recognition of our duty to prepare our students for their future employment, as well as the utility of our collection to the non-profit community in Central Indiana, useful non-academic materials on philanthropy and non-profit management, such as guides and handbooks, are collected when budget allows.

Databases of academic articles, trade news publications, and tax data such as Guidestar, are subscription products and therefore not part of the permanent Philanthropic Studies Library collection. Continuing subscription to these products is evaluated every fiscal year based on price vs. use, and is subject to change based on budget and needs.

The Philanthropic Studies Librarian has primary responsibility for collection development of the Joseph and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library, with support from the Director of the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, and the University Library Senior Associate Dean for Scholarly Communication & Content Strategies.

All published formats are collected, provided that the Philanthropic Studies Library can provide self-mediated patron access. At the time of writing, this includes physical books, electronic books, DVD video, and streaming video.

Materials that cannot be provided to patrons without staff mediation, such as rare books, microfilm and obsolete media like VHS, are housed in the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives and available for use only in the reading room.

Material collected is primarily in English. Non-English material can be collected if the information is not easily found in English. Material is selected without regard to place of publication.

Duplicate copies of works may be added at Librarian’s discretion, including multiple licenses of electronic works. For materials heavily used by students in courses, preference is to add multiple licenses of electronic books instead of duplicate print copies.

The Joseph and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library is a collecting library, and as such does not regularly remove material when it is old or no longer frequently circulating. Materials that are no longer appropriate to have openly available for reference or circulation may be moved to the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives and available for use only in the reading room.

Gifts and exchanges will be accepted according to the same criteria as purchases. Gift material that is not determined to be within collection scope will either be returned to donor or given to Better World Books, a certified B Corporation, for public sale, with profits shared with University Library.  See the University Library’s official gift policy for more information.

Physical circulating material is open to all members of the IU community, as well as community users who apply for a Borrower’s Card. Access to electronic resources is limited to members of the IU Indianapolis community off campus, but open to any in-library user with a computer pass. Circulating material is open to request from other libraries through Inter Library Loan. Rare material does not circulate, but is available to anyone during the opening hours of the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives.