Q. How does Gutman Library review purchase requests?

Gutman Library reviews purchase request submissions using some of the following criteria. Please email Rebecca Martin, Associate Director for Collections and Scholarly Communication, with any comments or questions.

Subject Matter

Does the requested material’s subject matter align with Gutman Library’s primary collecting areas?

• Gutman Library's collections represent and support the evolving research, teaching, and learning needs of the HGSE community.
• Primary collecting areas are aligned with the current curriculum and faculty research areas, including, but not limited to, educational administration and policy, teachers and teaching, technology in education, international education, educational equity, arts in education, educational psychology, human development, language acquisition, children’s literature, and the history of education.
• If the primary subject matter of your purchase request aligns more closely with another library at Harvard University, Gutman Library may coordinate with another campus library to purchase the material or suggest you submit a request to borrow the material from another institution.

Format, Ownership and Access

Does the publisher offer a digital format that adheres to accessibility standards, is available for an unlimited number of users to access at once, and is available long-term?

• Gutman Library supports purchases of books, databases, journals, datasets, film, psychological assessments, case studies and more to support courses and research.
• Gutman Library prioritizes digital formats from publishers and providers that:
  • support unlimited-user access without Digital Rights Management restrictions
  • offer perpetual ownership of the content
  • meet accessibility standards outlined by the Harvard Library Standard License Agreement 
• Please note: the types of e-book and streaming video options provided to libraries and universities differ from purchase options offered to individual users. So while you may see an e-book purchase option on a publisher's website, for an Amazon Kindle or other e-reader, or a streaming film on a commercial service like Netflix, that does not indicate that a publisher or provider also makes the same content available for the library to purchase for university-wide digital access.

Community, Shared Use

Can the purchase be made available to the entire HGSE community?

• Gutman Library will purchase materials for the library collection that can be made available for the entire HGSE community or the wider Harvard University community to access.
• Gutman Library does not currently support purchase of material for personal or office use.
• Ask Us if you have questions about requests for materials that would support your personal research or project (e.g., datasets, proprietary reports or cases, etc.).We can help facilitate your personal purchase process or identify alternative options for you.