Library Resources -- Recommendations and Requests

Library members can recommend books to be added to the Library collection. Decisions will be made based on current collection development policies and guidelines. The electronic version is preferred.

Before submitting a recommendation, please note:

• Recommendations may take up to 1-2 weeks to be fully reviewed.
• The Library generally purchases one copy of each title to maximize our funds.
• If the Library decides to purchase a book, it may take an additional 4-8 weeks before the book can be made available for loan.
• For out-of-print titles that are scarce, it may take up to 12-16 weeks if they are available for purchase.

To recommend a book, please complete this Book Recommendation Form.

NIE staff and students, please use the NIE form.

RSIS staff and students, please use the RSIS form.

If the recommendation is for specific research or teaching needs that falls outside our collection development policies, requestors can refer to other ways to procure the materials as stated in this guide.

The role of Course Reserves is to provide shared access to library materials that support instructional requirements for courses taught at NTU. The reserve collection refer to the required textbooks, core readings, and supplementary readings selected by course instructors to be used in their respective courses.

Course instructors are encouraged to use the NTU CourseReserves platform in the Learning Management System (NTULearn) to select and request items for Course Reserves.
 

Physical items
Physical items will be made available following our circulation policies, e.g. a 2-hour loan for books and a 4-hour loan for DVDs. The number of copies purchased depends on factors such as class size, price of the item, average transactions, etc.
 

Electronic items
For electronic resources, availability will depend on their digital rights. The number of copies purchased or subscribed to will depend on factors such as class size, price, and digital rights.
 

Textbooks
We understand that students are expected to purchase their own copy of designated textbooks (print or electronic version) as they deem necessary. Course instructors can work with Booklink (the campus bookstore) to arrange for sufficient physical copies for students to purchase. Instructors may also liaise with publishers to arrange for e-textbooks to be made available.

NTU Library does not have the mandate nor budget to supply students with their personal or individual copies of designated textbooks. The Library will purchase/subscribe to at least one copy so that students will have access to a copy to use it when they need it.

Digital rights of e-textbooks available to libraries differ from those for individual use. These include limited concurrency, ability to download, availability for offline reading, and limited printing.
 

Streaming Videos
The Streaming Videos collection is a streaming service provided by the Library for current NTU staff and students to access digitised videos. Content can be accessed on computers or mobile devices anywhere with a working Internet connection.

The distribution and licensing of videos worldwide is complicated (see also: this FAQ). Video producers or distributors may choose not to sell to libraries. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV only offer individual, personal subscription.

Course instructors may wish to consider choosing titles from our existing collection of streaming videos, or select titles available on:

• Kanopy (when you browse around, you may see 0 results, but please scroll down)
• Alexander Street

The acquisition and use of videos need to comply with regulations and guidelines from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore, namely the Films (Class Licence for Lending by Libraries and Educational Institutions) Order 2019.
 

Submitting a request
Send an email to acquisition[at]ntu.edu.sg with the following details:

• Course name and course code
• Period of use (e.g. AY 19/20, semester 2)
• Number of students
• Bibliographic information of the title
  • Title
  • Year of publication
  • Director
  • URL(s) where helpful
• How is this video being used in your course?
  • Is it mandatory viewing?
  • Is the film screen during class-time? Are students expected to view the entire film outside class-time?
  • Is there an assignment based on the film?
• How likely are you to use this film in the next 2-3 years?

NOTE: Subscription to instructional or educational video courses online, such as those in Lynda.com or Schoolism.com, does not fall under the current scope of NTU Library.

Faculty and researchers (hereafter referred to as "researcher") can choose to procure publications using their research or school funds. These publications are considered part of the Library's collection and can be circulated within the University for the purposes of research, learning, or teaching.

Physical items are loaned to the researcher under Long Term Loan for their tenure in NTU. Researchers are responsible for the safekeeping of the items on Long Term Loan and must return the items when they are no longer needed or when they leave NTU. Additionally, researchers should refrain from making any markings on the items.
 

There are two ways to purchase materials using school or research funds:

1. ServiceNow Request: Purchase Library Materials
Researchers submit a ServiceNow request indicating the Cost Centre and GL code and necessary information regarding the requested item. When the request is approved by the Approving Officer, the Library will do the sourcing and purchasing of the book.

2. ServiceNow Request: Catalogue Library Materials
Researchers may choose to purchase and pay for the materials they need first and submit a reimbursement claim via ServiceNow.

The Library will process these requests and researchers will receive an email from the Library that serves as supporting document for the reimbursement claim.

For materials that the Library has determined can be added to the Library collection, researchers will receive an email notification with instructions to send the materials to the Library for for cataloguing.

Materials that the Library does not purchase or catalogue

There are materials that the Library does not collect, and therefore does not purchase nor catalogue. These include:

• Materials in other languages unless there are specific reasons
• Juvenile materials
• Instruction manuals for very specific equipment and users
• Materials in obsolete formats which are no longer readable with existing equipment
• Computer software for use by schools and departments
• Workbooks, solution manuals, instructor's notes
• Electronic books or resources which are sold on a personal-use basis (i.e. cannot be shared)
• Materials with no scholarly or academic value/relevance
• Self-published materials with no evidence of editing, peer-review, and proof-reading
• Objectionable content or titles which are banned or restricted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore

Sending materials for cataloguing

Items can be sent to manned libraries in NTU (Lee Wee Nam Library, Business Library, Chinese Library), addressing the items to the Resources, Discovery, and Access (RDA) Team. They can also be sent directly to RDA located at Lee Wee Nam Library Level 2.

Cataloguing and processing will usually take approximately 2 weeks.

When the item(s) is ready to be picked up, you will receive an email notification from the Library. If you are assisting your colleague, please let us know who to loan the item out to.