Surveying faculty book selection in a comprehensive university library

At Kean University, a comprehensive teaching institution, the submission of new library book orders by faculty is a long‐standing practice. In order to identify and assess the academic characteristics of faculty selectors as well as the audience, purpose, criteria, and sources prioritized by faculty selectors when submitting new requests, the library conducted a survey. The survey results indicated that, at Kean, the faculty of Liberal Arts and faculty with 1‐5 years of teaching across all disciplines were the most active in their participation in book selection. The findings also showed that Kean’s faculty ordered books mainly for undergraduate students and teaching; and primarily used publishers’ catalogs and professional journal book reviews for selection sources. This research study provides measurable data and constructive feedback for a comprehensive university library to enhance and facilitate the faculty book selection process effectively.