Collection Development Statement
Biology Collection
Written by
Helen Hoffman
Biological Sciences Resource Librarian
Library of Science and Medicine
September 1, 1994
amended February 10, 1995
A. SYSTEM WIDE SUBJECT OVERVIEW:
A.1. Type and Level of Program Supported at Each Campus
New Brunswick:
B.A., M.A., M.S.T. (Master's of Science in Teaching), Ph.D.
- Animal Sciences M.S., Ph.D.
- Anthropology M.A., Ph.D.
- Biochemistry M.S., Ph.D.
- Biology M.S.T.
- Cell and Developmental Biology M.S., Ph.D.
- Ecology M.S., Ph.D.
- Entomology M.S., Ph.D.
- Microbiology M.S., Ph.D.
- Physiology and Neurobiology M.S., Ph.D.
- Plant Biology M.S., Ph.D.
- Plant Pathology M.S., Ph.D.
- Plant Science and Technology M.S., Ph.D.
- Public Health M.P.H., Ph.D., Dr. P.H. (with UMDNJ)
- Radiation Science M.S.
In 1994-95, the following program was added:
Marine and Coastal Sciences Ph.D.
Graduate programs and core curricula are offered in:
- Biotechnology
- Marine and Coastal Sciences
- Molecular and Cell Biology
- Molecular Biophysics
The Rutgers College Undergraduate Catalog for 1993-1995 includes the following undergraduate majors:
- Anthropology
- Biochemistry
- Biological Sciences including
- Biomathematics
- Biomedical Sciences
- Cell and Developmental Biology
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics and Molecular Biology (with Biochemistry department.)
- Exercise Science and Sports Studies
- Public Health (with UMDNJ)
Specialized research centers and institutes supported by the biological sciences collections include:
- CABM (Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine-joint program with UMDNJ)
- EOHSI - Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Institute - joint program with UMDNJ).
- Waksman Institute
- CAMB - (Center for Agricultural Molecular Biology until their facility is opened.)
The collection is also developed in support of the research of biologists at Cook College, for example, in the area of animal sciences. There is a separate Entomology Library at Cook, so collection development in this subject at LSM is limited. Scientists at the College of Pharmacy are heavily involved in research in the biological sciences including genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry. Biochemistry also represents a significant portion of the research effort in the Department of Chemistry. Biomedical engineering and biotechnology are important components of the effort at the College of Engineering.
It should be noted that the research collection is heavily used by scientists from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School - UMDNJ, as well as students from other colleges and universities, and the public.
Newark:
Camden:
A.2. Selectors
Current list of names of selectors is available on the University Network - INFO.
Biological Sciences Resource Librarian in LSM is the primary selector for Biological Sciences
Agricultural Sciences Resource Librarian selects Plant Sciences material for LSM
Resource librarians for Behavioral Science, Chemistry, Medicine, and Pharmacy also select material in support of life sciences instruction and research.
* Newark:
* Camden
A.3. Purpose
The biological sciences collection in LSM is the research collection for the library system. The biological sciences include the study of living organisms from the level of molecules to that of populations. Included in this definition is the study of anatomy (gross and microscopic), biochemistry, biophysics, biotechnology, botany (plant sciences), cell biology, developmental biology, entomology, evolution, genetics, marine biology, microbiology, neuroscience, physiology and wildlife ecology, both plant and animal.
Our intent is to support the research and instructional programs in the biological sciences. At Rutgers this represents a difficult and complex task, complicated by the variety of subjects involved and the geographic dispersal of our faculty and students. Virtually all areas of biology are studied or taught at Rutgers.
Reflecting our faculty interests, we have a strong collection in the areas of molecular biology and biochemistry. Genetics and genetic engineering are heavily emphasized. Biomedical subjects are intensively studied as is field ecology, both animal and plant. The biological sciences includes the study of physical anthropology as well as other investigations into evolution and the origins of man and other living species. Plants are studied wild in the field (ecology), cultivated (horticulture) and at the molecular and biochemical level (plant physiology, molecular biology). All aspects of physiology, including immunology and endocrinology, are areas of study for Rutgers scientists.
Microbiology, including parasitology, has traditionally been an important field of study here. Developmental biology and embryology are studied and taught. There are also faculty whose research and teaching interests include social biology and animal behavior. An increasing emphasis on neuroscience is recognized. Similarly, marine biology is an area of increasing importance. Our collections reflect interest in both the basic sciences and the applied aspects of all of these areas of biology.
Newark and Camden
A.4. Resource Sharing Arrangements or Limitations:
No special arrangements
A.5. History
A.5.a New Brunswick:
The history of the biological sciences collection at New Brunswick reflects the organizational and geographical complexity of the campus. Prior to the opening of the Library of Science and Medicine in 1970, science collections were housed in what is now Alexander Library in New Brunswick. Nelson Hall - the biology building - had its own Biology Library for the convenience of scientists on the Piscataway side of the river. Also on this side of the river was the Microbiology Library at what is now Waksman Institute (formerly Institute of Microbiology). Materials pertaining to Biology were collected at the Agriculture Library in the Administration Building on the Cook Campus and at Douglass Library to support the biologists on the faculty of that College. Since faculty and students located at these sites often studied similar subjects, there was a great deal of duplication of material.
At the opening of the Library of Science and Medicine, the Biology Library was closed and its collection incorporated into LSM. Similarly, when the College of Pharmacy moved to Piscataway, its library collection was merged with that of LSM, significantly strengthening its holdings. When the Agriculture Library was closed most of its government documents and much of its collection were moved to LSM.
Microbiology Library had survived as a separate entity until 1993, when the Library system withdrew support in response to severe budget cuts. It was essentially a duplicate collection so that loss of access to its material has had relatively small impact on biological sciences collections. A library dedicated to Alcohol Studies, including physiological, pharmacological as well as behavioral aspects, is independently run by the Center for Alcohol Studies on Busch Campus.
A.5.b Newark:
A.5.c Camden:
A.6. Location of Materials
A.6.a New Brunswick:
In New Brunswick, the Library of Science and Medicine serves as the research library for all of the biological scientists, including those at Cook campus. Journals and books at the research level are located here. In addition, LSM serves as the resource for upper undergraduate students in the biological sciences. Douglass Library still retains a significant collection in the life sciences, particularly wildlife and environmental studies and undergraduate-level material. In the future, however, the Library of Science and Medicine will be collecting biological sciences for New Brunswick.
B. COLLECTION GUIDELINES:
B.1. Language guidelines
B.1.a New Brunswick:
Collect mostly in English, with a very small number of German, Japanese and Russian language books and periodicals. Relevant gifts in languages other than English may be added to the collection at the discretion of the bibliographer.
B.1.b Newark:
B.1.c Camden:
B.2. Chronological Guidelines
B.2.a New Brunswick:
As in most sciences, the emphasis is on collecting current material. History of Science is collected as a separate discipline. Based on estimated use, some older materials, including back runs of journals and scientific classics, are kept in the collection. However, the major part of our older material has been moved to the Annex. Periodic weeding is important to keep our collections useful to our students and faculty.
B.2.b Newark:
B.2.c Camden:
B.3. Geographic Guidelines
B.3.a New Brunswick:
Geographical considerations are rarely a factor when collecting in the Biological Sciences with the exception of wildlife studies. In that case, we collect material on plants and animals of New Jersey, contiguous states and the Middle-Atlantic are preferentially. Studies of wildlife of other areas are collected as funds permit or at faculty request.
B.3.b Newark:
B.3.c Camden:
B.4. Treatment of Subject
B.4.a New Brunswick:
Our primary users are our faculty, graduate students and undergraduate majors in the biological sciences. Subjects of most intense study are elaborated in Section A.
B.4.b Newark:
B.4.c Camden:
B.5. Types of Material
B.5.a New Brunswick:
Monographs and monographic series on the research and graduate level are acquired selectively as are conference proceedings. Atlases, handbooks and books describing methods and laboratory techniques are particularly in demand by our users. We also attempt to have comprehensive coverage of relevant taxonomic and nomenclature standards and relevant dictionaries and encyclopedias. Field guides are acquired selectively. Data sets have been acquired in print format; these are increasingly being published in electronic formats, which we will collect.
We do not collect "popular" literature, either serial or monographic.
Monographs represent a small proportion of our acquisitions budget. Criteria for selection include reputation of author, publisher, relevance of subject to research interests of our faculty and students and cost. Because we attempt to collect at least minimally in all areas studied at Rutgers, we cannot collect comprehensively in any area.
Serials account for most of our collections budget with the remainder expended on monographs and electronically accessed items. This is appropriate for the sciences, which are heavily dependent on current and cited information provided only in the journal literature. Large serial cuts in the last few years, as well as the marked increase in new journals being published, mean that we are collecting only a fraction of relevant serial titles. We must depend on "access" to rather than acquisition of these titles. For acquisition, we are attempting to collect the most relevant, prestigious and frequently used titles.
Electronic formats are of increasing importance. They are, of course, the medium of choice for indexing and abstracting tools. Data sets, such a nucleotide sequence information, are also being collected in electronic format. Many journals and books such as directories are now simultaneously published online, on CD-ROM or in print format with accompanying diskettes. We expect to acquire such items based on the need for the information, rather than the availability of equipment to access them.
A/V materials, such as slides, films and videos, are not collected at LSM.
B.5.b. Newark:
B.5.c. Camden:
B.6. Strengths and Weaknesses
B.6.a New Brunswick:
Our budget problems for the past several years have limited our acquisition of new serial titles to only a few new journals. It should be noted that there has been an explosion of new journals, dedicated to fields relevant to Rutgers research and teaching, most of which we have not been able to add to our collection. Savings accrued by cancellation of other serials have been used mostly to cover the huge increases in the cost of journals.
Our monographic collection is not comprehensive in any one area as we try to maintain at least minimal support for all areas of interest at the University. We are known for a strong collection in biotechnology which was initially established with special funds from CABM. However, biotechnology has been integrated into the biology budget and no longer has special funding. Although it is still an area in which we give strong support, the comprehensiveness of the collection is inevitably being eroded. We try to concentrate our acquisitions on the subject areas specified in Section A. above.
B.6.b Newark:
B.6.c Camden:
| BIOLOGY COLLECTING LEVELS | ||||
| LC CLASS | SUBJECT | Existing | Current | Assignment |
| ||||
| QD | CHEMISTRY | |||
| 415-436 | Biological Chemistry | 3 | 3 | LSM |
|
| ||||
| QH | BIOLOGY | |||
| 1-199.5 | General Biology (Including nature conservation) | 2 | 2 | LSM |
| 201-278.5 | Microscopy | 2 | 2 | LSM |
| 301-344 | Biology, General | 2 | 2 | LSM |
| 359-425 | Evolution | 3 | 2 | LSM |
| 426-470 | Genetics | 4 | 3 | LSM |
| 540-559 | Ecology | 3 | 3 | LSM |
| 573-671 | Cytology | 3 | 3 | LSM |
|
| ||||
| QL | ZOOLOGY | |||
| 1-355 | General | 3 | 2 | LSM |
| 362-599.82 | Invertebrates | 2 | 2 | LSM |
| 605-739.6 | Chordates. Vertebrates. | 3 | 2 | LSM |
| 750-795 | Animal Behavior | 3 | 3 | LSM |
| 799 | Morphology | 2 | 2 | LSM |
| 801-950.9 | Anatomy | 2 | 2 | LSM |
| 951-991 | Embryology | 3 | 2 | LSM |
|
| ||||
| QM | HUMAN ANATOMY | |||
| 1-511 | General | 2 | 2 | LSM |
| 531-549 | Regional Anatomy | 2 | 2 | LSM |
| 550-577.8 | Human and Comparative Histology | 3 | 2 | LSM |
| 601-695 | Human Embryology | 3 | 2 | LSM |
|
| ||||
| QP | PHYSIOLOGY | |||
| 1-345 | General (Including influences of the environment) | 3 | 3 | LSM |
| 351-495 | Neurophysiology and Neuropsychology | 3 | 3 | LSM |
| 501-801 | Animal Biochemistry | 3 | 3 | LSM |
| 901-981 | Experimental Pharmacology | 4 | 3 | LSM |
|
| ||||
| QR | MICROBIOLOGY | |||
| 1-74 | General | 4 | 3 | LSM |
| 75-99.5 | Bacteria | 4 | 3 | LSM |
| 180-189.5 | Immunology | 4 | 3 | LSM |
| 355-502 | Virology | 4 | 3 | LSM |