Our Collection Objectives are the questions we answer as we're evaluating potential new resources for the IVMF Digital Library

1. Does the resource support and enhance the research and mission of the IVMF?
2. Are the curated materials relevant and appropriate to a significant segment of the IVMF's user community, research, and/or programs? Do they provide coverage of underrepresented or high priority subject areas?
3. Are the materials user-friendly? Are they accessible?
4. Are the resources credible? What value do they bring to the Digital Library?
5. Do the external (not published by the IVMF) materials have immediate and enduring value? Do they support current IVMF research and/or programs?
6. Is the item relevant to existing collections?
7. Is the item sustainable? Is it open access? What are the implications of adding the item to the Digital Library?
8. Does the item answer a persistent question from the user community?

The IVMF Digital Library accepts a wide range of digital materials which fulfill our Collection Objectives. These can include text, images, video, and audio files. Possible kinds of content can include, but are not limited to the following:

• Audio and video recordings
• eBooks and book chapters
• Briefs
• Datasets
• News articles and press releases
• Publications, including published journal articles and conference papers (particular consideration given to Open Access materials)
• Panels and testimonials
• Reports
• Unpublished scholarly works, including white papers, working papers, and presentations
• Websites and webpages

The IVMF Digital Library shall rely on the professional judgement, expertise, and skills of its staff to build its collections. Selection will be an iterative process which, in addition to the Collection Objectives and in consideration of What We Collect, will be determined by spatial and fiscal constraints. If you have an item you wish to recommend to this process, please email it to divmflibrary@syr.edu with the subject line "Recommendation for the Digital Library." Please note that certain items cannot be accepted including, but not limited to:

1. Materials for which there already exist sufficient holdings in the Digital Library.
2. Out-of-date items superseded by subsequent materials in the collection.
3. Physical materials, as the Digital Library is limited to digital materials at this time. 

Additionally, suggested materials will be judged by the same standards of selection as those applied to IVMF materials already in the collection. Once the IVMF Digital Library approves the suggestion of an item, the Digital Library retains the right to make all decisions regarding its storage, location, processing, use, retention, and removal. 

Periodically, the Digital Library staff and IVMF research experts will review our current holdings to ensure they remain relevant, usable, and timely. A general outline of when we remove items can be found below:

• The materials are determined to be obsolete and have been superseded by a newer edition, have limited contemporary value to the Digital Library, or contain factually inaccurate and/or misleading information.
• The materials have low usage and/or fail to respond to the needs of the community.
• Following an overlap analysis, it is determined the material exists in the collection as a duplicate or multiple copies that are deemed unnecessary.
• The link is not persistent, or irretrievable, pending the Digital Library staff's efforts to restore broken links.
• There are digital limitations and space constraints, or competing uses for space
• There are legal restrictions, including, but not limited to, posession of valid title and donor's intent.
• The curatorial or environmental requirements exceed the resources of the Digital Library.