Biology

Collection Development Policy

Paul Piper, Librarian

1. Applicable LC Classes:

Call No.	Subject Heading
QH 1-198	Natural History (General)
QH 201-278.5	Microscopy
QH 301-425	General Biology
QH 426-470	Genetics
QH 471-531	Reproduction; Life
QH 540-549.5	Ecology
QH 573-705.5	Cytology; Other Biology
QK	Botany
QL 1-749	Zoology (General); Invertebrate and Vertebrate Zoology
QL 750-991	Animal Behavior, Anatomy, Embryology
QM	Human Anatomy, Human Embryology
QP	Physiology, including Neurophysiology
QR	Microbiology, Immunology, Virology

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2. Academic Departments, Programs, etc.:

Biology; to some extent Chemistry, Huxley College, Psychology, Communication Science and Disorders, Physical Education, Health & Recreation, and Fairhaven.

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3. Collection Levels:

Call No.	Subject Heading	Present	Desired
QH 1-198	Natural History (General)	3c	3c
QH 201-278.5	Microscopy	3a	3a
QH 301-425	Evolution	3b	3c
QH 426-470	Genetics	3b	3c
QH 471-531	Reproduction; Life	3b	3c
QH 540-549.5	Ecology	3c	3c
QH 573-705.5	Cytology; Other Biology	3a	3c
QK	Botany	3c	3c
QL 1-749	Zoology (General); Invertebrate and Vertebrate Zoology	3c	3c
QL 750-991	Animal Behavior, Anatomy, Embryology	3b	3c
QM	Human Anatomy, Human Embryology	3a	3b
QP	Physiology, including Neurophysiology	3c	3c
QR	Microbiology, Immunology, Virology	3b	3c

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4. Scope:

	Present	Desired
Geographic:	International with US/NW emphasis	Same
Language:	Primarily English	Same
Chronological limitations:	Collection is becoming seriously dated

5. Formats collected/Non-Subject Parameters:

Explanatory Notes: Primarily books and journals; some conference proceedings, videos, government documents.

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6. System Coordination and Resource Sharing:

Collection enhanced by both Summit and ILLiad.

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7. Electronic Databases:

CSA Biological and Medical Sciences, Oceanic Abstracts, Web of Science, Medline; to some extent ProQuest, PsychInfo, Environmental Universe.

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8. Notable Features:
Excellent collection of natural history, ecology, taxonomy and phycology. Very solid collections in most areas, although quite dated.

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9. Narrative Statement:

For the past seven years nearly the entire Biology acquisitions fund has beed dedicated to the purchase of journals. As a result, Biology funds a diverse and represenetative collection of journals, keeping the collection up-to-date in the journal literature; however the book (and other materials) collection is aging rapidly, with very few purchases ince the mid-nineties. My calculations indicate that there are a total of around 20,880 materials in the Biology collection. Of those, 17,866 have a pre-1995 publication date. Only 16.8% of the collection was purchased within the last ten years.

The biology collection has been the recipient of several extensive and excellent gifts within the past five years. These gifts have generated world-class collections in the fields of phycology/algology and mammal distribution, ecology and taxonomy in Australia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South and North America. Another gift contributed greatly to general biology, with an emphasis on botany. Needless to say, these collections are not up-to-date, nor are the funds available to keep them up-to-date.

This collection, like many others, is difficult to judge. We are often faced with small collections of largely out-of-date maaterials, particularly in rapidly developing areas such as genetics and reproduction. There are numerous random collections such as the Problem series of Huxley College of Environmental Studies which contains 812 titles. These are typically local or regional in emphasis, but being student work, vary greatly in quality, but they greatly expand the Ecology numbers.

Many of the books we own are of an Advanced, or even Research level, but again these collections have not been updated properly. Given that we do have relatively solid journal holding in these areas, I have been perhaps generous in my ratings; but the book collections all need serious up-dating and development. Unfortunately, there are few indications that this will be possible in the near future.

Using auxiliary funds, we have been able to purchase several new, and much needed reference collections including the Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, the Encyclopedia of Life Sciences and Grizmek's Animal Life Encyclopedia.

The Summit and Illiad interlibrary loan systems have added significantly to the access biology students have of materials (book, journal, grey literature, etc.) in their area.

The primary databases dedicated to Biology (CSA Biological and Medical Database, Oceanic Abstracts, Web of Science, Medline, and to a lesser extent ProQuest and Environmental Abstracts) provide substantial access into the journal and grey literature in this field. Obtaining the database BIOSIS would enhance this access.