Health Sciences

Collection Development Policy

Paul Piper, Librarian

1. Applicable LC Classes:

Call No.	Subject Heading
R	Medicine (General)
RA 1-1171	Public Aspects of Medicine, Forensic Medicine
RB	Pathology
RC 1-1160	Internal Medicine, incl. Geriatrics (excl. Sports Medicine)
RD	Surgery
RE, RG, RK, RL	Medical Specialties (except Pediatrics, Otorhinolaryngology)
RJ	Pediatrics
QP 901-981	Experimental Pharmacology (QP 901-981 discontinued, now in RM)
RM, RS	Therapeutics, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Materia Medica
RT	Nursing
RV-RZ	Non-Allopathic Systems of Medicine

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2. Academic Departments, Programs, etc.:

Human Services; Communication Sciences and Disorders; Physical Education, Health and Recreation; Biology; Psychology; and to a lesser extent, Huxley, Political Science, and Sociology. this area is funded primarily by the Health Interdisciplinary Fund.

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3. Collection Levels:

Call No.	Subject Heading	Present	Desired
R	Medicine (General)	3b	3b
RA 1-1171	Public Aspects of Medicine, Forensic Medicine	3b	3b
RB	Pathology	3	3
RC 1-1160	Internal Medicine, incl. Geriatrics (excl. Sports Medicine)	3	3
RD	Surgery	2b	2b
RE, RG, RK, RL	Medical Specialties (except Pediatrics, Otorhinolaryngology)	2a	2a
RJ	Pediatrics	3a	3b
QP 901-981	Experimental Pharmacology (QP 901-981 discontinued, now in RM)	2b	3
RM, RS	Therapeutics, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Materia Medica	2b	3
RT	Nursing	2a	2a
RV-RZ	Non-Allopathic Systems of Medicine	2	3

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4. Scope:

	Present	Desired
Geographic:	Primarily U.S.	More international
Language:	Primarily English	More native languages
Chronological limitations:	Many of the collections are dated	More up-to-date

5. Formats collected/Non-Subject Parameters:

Books, conference proceedings, pamphlets, videos (198), periodicals/serials (754), websites, microforms

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6. System Coordination and Resource Sharing:

The Cascade Alliance/Summit greatly enhances this collection.

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7. Electronic Databases:

Medline (CSA and PubMed), ProQuest Medical, Web of Science, PsychInfo, Sport Discus; for the public/economic aspects of health care - EconLit, Sociological Abstracts, and America History and Life.

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8. Notable Features:
This collection as a solid core in Medical history, practice and theory; contemporary health care; and the Subject areas that utitlize medical materials - Communication Sciences and Disorders, Environmental Health.

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9. Narrative Statement:

Given that WWU does not have pre-med program (they do have a pre-med track which is not as rigorous), a nursing school, a forensics program, nor a pharmaceutical program, the collection of medical and health books and materials is robust in certain areas. The collection is weakest and out-of-date in the areas of internal medicine, pathology, surgery, and the areas of specialization (ophthalmology, gynecology and obstetrics, dentistry, dermatology, etc.), whereas the public aspects of health, contemporary health issues (including women’s and minority health), geriatrics, the economics and politics of medicine, morality in medicine, and contemporary health crises (AIDS, SARS, infectious disease, etc.), as well as the history, biography and philosophy of general medicine, are well represented. Current collection acquisition centers on those specific disciplines which support programs and curriculum, as well as those areas mentioned above.

The collection boasts a number of classic texts in the field including the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, Advances in Virus Research, and a number of general and specialized reference materials including dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks and atlases. The age of the collection is apparent in many areas, particularly RC, RD and RT, which were collected more vigorously when WWU had a Nursing program. The collection also has a minimal, but valuable collection of books on Chinese, Asian and alternative Medicine. Large collection of government documents from the Department of Health and Human Services (9205 documents currently) have contributed enormously to the collection. The collection is supported by a minimal number of health and medical journals (27 funded by the Health fund), but they include JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine, as well as health-related journals purchased by other disciplines, such as Ear, Nose and Throat. The journal holdings are also supplemented by electronic full-text on the database ProQuest.

The databases Medline, PubMed, ProQuest, and to a lesser extent Web of Science, PsychInfo, Sport Discus, creates an environment of high-level access into the journal articles (and conference proceedings, reports, etc.) in this field. This access, supplemented by ILLiad interlibrary loan, grants our users excellent delivery for nearly any health/medical related article in existence.