Collection Development Policy

Deidre Black - SLIS 5365.001

Type of library/information agency:

This collection development policy will be for an academic medical sciences library

at a major state university. The library collection and its resources will enrich

patrons’ studies and research in the fields of medicine, public health,

pharmaceutical sciences, nursing and kinesiology.

Mission Statement:

It is the medical sciences library’s mission to provide instant access to the newest

resources and technologies for students, faculty, coaches, health professionals and

members the public.

Vision Statement:

The academic medical sciences library’s vision is to facilitate excellence within the

university as well as the community and to help lead the way in education, health

and research. It is also the library’s vision that its physical space be utilized for

interactive learning and study among a diverse group of patrons.

The users of this library:

Members of the student body and their information needs – All library resources

will be available to university students who present their student IDs. There are,

however, certain rooms and equipment that require reservations for usage and one

study room that is exclusive to graduate students. Students require relevant

materials and information that pertain to their particular career path or field of

study. They may also require staff assistance in order to learn search techniques to

find the materials or resources that best suit their needs.

Faculty members and their information needs – Professors and teaching staff at

the university have full access to the library and its resources. The library’s

collection will be valuable in faculty research and curriculum development. Also,

members of the faculty may reserve library space so their students can become

oriented with the library and its collection.

The general public and their information needs – The library’s doors are open to

the public, and nearly all resources are available to them. A valid picture ID must

be presented in order to use computers, per state policy. These patrons may be

healthcare providers, childcare workers, people who are researching diseases and

treatments following a diagnosis—any member of the public that is not currently

enrolled at the university. Their informational needs are varied, but nearly all of

them will require staff assistance in getting started.

Give a general overview of the collection:

Information resources for this collection have been chosen specifically to meet the

needs of our most prominent patrons—students, faculty and staff. Equal

developmental focus has been given to each area of study including medicine,

public health, pharmaceutical sciences, nursing, kinesiology and related fields.

Formats of materials in this collection:

The format for nearly all materials and resources within the medical sciences library

is electronic (journals, eBooks, reference, databases), although there are small

number of bound reference materials available.

Describe the identification and evaluation of materials:

Materials in this collection were evaluated for relevancy to the library’s patronage

and also for their overall value. Bibliographic lists from similar universities were

studied and development tools such as MLA’s Master Guide to Authoritative

Information Resources in the Health Sciences, Brandon/Hill Selected List of Print

Books and Journals and Doody’s Core Titles were referenced in order to select the

most established, relevant and respected materials for the collection.

Electronic format:

Harrison’s Online (eBook)

Dynamed (clinical reference)

The Cochrane Library (online medical database)

Internal Medicine Journal

Print format (reference only):

Human Physiology & Mechanisms of Disease 6th Edition

Textbook of Family Medicine Eighth Edition

Current Practice Guidelines in Primary Care 2014

The handling of gifts:

Book and monetary gifts are accepted by the medical sciences library, but donors

are strongly encouraged to contact the Acquisitions Department before making a

donation. This is in an effort to reduce or eliminate duplicate titles or materials that

are not in keeping with the library’s mission. Books that are part of a series can only

be accepted if they fill out existing serial collections within the library’s collection.

Evaluation criterion for replacement of materials:

Missing, lost or damaged materials will not be automatically replaced, but will be

evaluated for replacement based on their usage, subject matter and relevance to

the library’s mission and needs of library patrons. Since the collection is almost

completely electronic, and reference materials are unavailable for checkout, this

replacement policy will only be relevant if items are damaged in-house.

Book or resource retention criteria:

The resources or materials must be the latest edition or update

Bound journals are reviewed in order to determine their significance or

importance, then will either be deselected or moved into storage.

Books or other print materials may be sent to storage if the following criteria are

met:

If they’re determined to have historical or unique significance in the medical

field

If they’re first editions

If they were authored by alumni

Books or other print materials will be deselected if:

They are not in keeping with the library’s mission

They are duplicates

Items’ physical condition is deemed irreparable or unsafe

References:

Gonzalez, K. (2014). Organization & management of collections [PowerPoint

slides]. Lecture conducted from University of North Texas, Denton, TX.

Schleicher, M.C. (2010). Assembling selection criteria and writing a collection

development policy for a variety of older medical books. Journal of Hospital

Librarianship, 10(3), 251–264.

William H. Welch Medical Library (2014). Gift and serial gifts. Retrieved from: http://welchwebstaging.jhmi.edu/about/CDPolicy.html#gifts

William H. Welch Medical Library (2014). Duplicates/replacements/transfers. Retrieved from: http://welchwebstaging.jhmi.edu/about/CDPolicy.html#dups

Personal Communications:

Interview with Margaret Foster, Assistant Professor, Systematic Reviews &

Research Coordinator, Texas A&M Medical Sciences Library. Conducted July 15,

2014.