Does the BON have guidelines for currency of library, video and software holdings?
Generally, the accepted standard regarding currency of reference materials and other holdings is "no older than 5 years" for educational purposes in nursing education programs. This is not written anywhere as a concrete standard. In most cases, the BON and Board staff apply the "no older than 5 years" standard in relation to the currency requirements in the BON rules regarding publications, reference holdings, video materials and computer software programs utilized in nursing education programs. Just as a matter of clarification, it is important to point out that the BON does not expect institutions/programs to eliminate these holdings, video materials and computer software just because the holdings are older than 5 years. What the BON asks is that holdings older than 5 years be flagged/marked in some way so that students can be aware these specific holdings are retained for historical value and are not considered current for research and reference purposes. That in no way diminishes the value or usefulness that older holdings may have for the students and faculty in nursing education programs.