Collection Development Policy Statement: Medical Sciences
(formerly Allied Health Sciences)
I. General Description of the Collection and Its Users
The allied health collection serves undergraduate majors in the Allied Health
Sciences Department, clinical chemistry masters students, and allied health
sciences faculty. Biology faculty and students also use the collection. Outside
of the College of Science, faculty and students in imaging science, medical
illustration, biomedical communications, and social work use parts of the collection.
NTID faculty and students in the medical records and medical laboratory technology
programs also use the collection. The collection serves the staff of Student
Health Services and any members of the RIT community interested in their own
and others' health.
The collection consists of three parts: (i) a core medical collection that
provides background information necessary to all health professions, (ii) literature
specific to each allied health profession, and (iii) literature written for
laymen.
II. Description of Programs Served by the Collection
A. Undergraduate
The Department of Allied Health Sciences offers these degrees: B.S. in biomedical
computing, certificate and B.S. in nuclear medical technology, B.S. in medical
technology, B.S. in Physician Assistantship, and a certificate and B.S. in
diagnostic medical sonography (ultrasound). NTID offers an A.A.S. in medical
records technology, an A.A.S. in medical laboratory technology, and a certificate
program for histological assistants. Social work, medical illustration, biomedical
communications, health services management and health care supervision programs
are described in other sections.
B. Graduate
The Department of Allied Health Sciences offers an M.S. degree program in
clinical chemistry. The Center for Imaging Sciences offers M.S. and PhD degree
programs in Imaging Sciences with a specialization in medical imaging.
III. Subject and Language Modifiers
A. Geographic Areas
Primary emphasis is on materials published in the United States, with selective
acquisition of Canadian and British publications. Materials on or about other
regions are acquired very selectively.
B. Chronological Periods
No restrictions. Emphasis, however is on current developments.
C. Languages
No restrictions. Emphasis is on English-language materials. Only selected
foreign language sources and multilingual dictionaries/encyclopedias are acquired,
mainly for foreign students to use.
IV. Date of Publication
General emphasis for acquisition of new titles is on current publications in
all subject areas. Acquisition/retention of material older than ten years is
based upon importance of the work to the discipline; usefulness for historical
information/perspective; extent of current publishing in the discipline; curriculum
needs for new program development; usage of existing material of same age; and
physical condition of the material. Retrospective acquisition of serials to
meet new program needs will be extremely selective and limited to the past five
years. Document delivery will be used instead to meet these needs whenever feasible.
V. Treatment of Subject Matter
A. Level of Treatment
Emphasis is on a collection which supports curriculum driven needs of students
[primarily undergraduate] and faculty. The special needs of the NTID students
are considered where relevant. Major published source material appearing in
core collection bibliographies or recommended lists will be included (e.g.
Alfred N. Brandon's lists published in Bulletin of the Medical Library Association
). Pertinent reference sources will also be acquired. Every effort is made
to accommodate faculty requests for specific curriculum related titles.
B. Scholarly Works
Material covering history, practice, and current research is collected.
C. Conference Proceedings
Very selectively acquired.
D. Atlases/Picture Books
These are valuable aids to learning for allied health students, as well as
useful for biomedical communications students and imaging science students.
E. Manuals of Practice/Textbooks
Textbooks serve as manuals of practice and are heavily used for reference.
Advanced-level standard texts are routinely acquired.
F. Newspapers/Newsletters
Current years of society newsletters are acquired.
G. Government Documents
Acquired selectively in areas such as health statistics. Public education
materials and professional materials published by the National Institute of
Health and the National Library of Medicine are also acquired, as are other
materials when the content is appropriate to the subject scope of the collection.
Government documents are not maintained separately.
H. Serials/Indexes/Abstracts
Serials are a major form of disseminating information in this field, and
therefore important to the collection. Indexes and abstracts are necessary
acquisitions for tracking journal articles.
I. Other
Pamphlets are selectively acquired if sufficiently important to warrant
cataloging; no pamphlet/vertical file is maintained.
J. Multiple Copies
Multiple copies of monographic titles are acquired only when heavy use is
anticipated or demonstrated or at the curriculum-based request of a faculty
member.
VI. Cooperative Collection Development Agreements
Through Rochester Regional Library Council (RRLC), the library receives state
funds for purchasing materials in allied health to be shared among area colleges.
Informal working relationships with other members of the RRLC and Rochester
Area Libraries in Healthcare (RALIH) exist, and closer associations will be
pursued in the future.
Where faculty and student research needs fall outside the primarily undergraduate
curriculum-based scope of the onsite collection, access to this information
will be provided through traditional, as well as, commercial document delivery
services.
VII. Publication Formats
A. Microforms
Journals with microscopic, radiological, magnetic resonance images, or other
medical photographs or ultrasound reproductions are retained in paper copy
as are journals with substantial graphical material or mathematical notation.
Other journal titles or monographs are considered individually.
B. Non-Print Materials
Traditional non-print materials (slides, videotapes, video discs, films,
sound recordings, slide/tape programs) are important for most allied health
programs, and are acquired selectively for particular procedures, especially
in ultrasound, nuclear medical technology, and physician assistant programs.
Acquisitions are made in consultation with faculty members. Non-print materials
are generally housed in the Media Resource Center. The Allied Health Science
Department also maintains a collection of department-made slides, models,
and audio-visuals.
C. Software and CD-ROM
Indexing and abstracting services and other specialized sources will be
acquired in these formats where they meet subject collection criteria, as
well as, the Electronic Resources Policy criteria (in process).
VIII. Collection Maintenance
Continuous maintenance of the collection is carried out based upon systematic
evaluation of the collection in light of curriculum shifts, use statistics,
core bibliographies, physical space limitations and alternative availability
of information. Current periodical titles are reviewed annually prior to their
renewal. All other areas of the collection should be reviewed every three to
five years. Included in the process are weeding of materials no longer relevant
to curriculum needs, elimination of superfluous titles where information is
duplicated in more current or authoritative sources, and the ordering of replacement
copies of damaged/ heavily used items still relevant to curriculum needs.
A. Weeding
- Duplicates Only Weeded
At least one copy in good condition of standard and classic titles listed
in major general bibliographies and special subject lists, such as the Brandon
lists mentioned in Section V. A., should be retained in the collection.
- Selective Weeding
a. Monographs
In general, allied health services materials should be reviewed every
three to five years to remove materials no longer relevant to the curriculum,
older materials where sufficient coverage is provided by more contemporary
titles, and multiple copies of materials where high use is no longer a
factor.
b. Serials
- Indexing and Abstracting Services
Indexing and abstracting publications should be discarded only when
equivalent or improved coverage and access is available through new
sources, printed or electronic (i.e. covers approximately same or
more pertinent journal titles in the field and/or provides enhanced
search capabilities pertinent to our programs). Duplication of coverage
should be monitored annually. If the library has a run of less than
ten years and the materials covered are indexed by another resource,
the volumes should be deaccessioned. The IDS Department uses indexes
to verify interlibrary loan requests. Index information (citation
information) is not available through Interlibrary Loan.
- Scholarly Journals
Long runs of key scholarly journals that meet the criteria given in
the introduction to this section should be retained indefinitely.
Priority for retention is given to titles accessible through indexing
and abstracting services available at RIT Library and titles not
available in any other Rochester-area library. Short runs and broken
runs are scrutinized more carefully and retention decisions are based
on the collecting levels assigned in Section IX: Subject Divisions,
usage statistics, importance of title to the discipline, and alternative
availability.
- Trade Journals
Trade journals that provide primarily timely information (industry
news, new products, trends, etc.) are discarded after one to five
years. Those including articles of more lasting value are kept longer,
especially if they are included in indexing and abstracting services
at RIT Library.
- Review Series and Annuals
These provide overviews of both current and historical developments,
and therefore are kept indefinitely.
- Directories
Current editions are kept in reference or reserve; for directories
that change very little, one copy of the previous issue is kept in
the circulating collection for users to circulate or to use if the
latest edition is temporarily misplaced. Older editions are discarded.
- Current Edition/Year Only Retained
a. Textbooks
For textbooks in high demand, an earlier edition may be kept.
b. Manuals of practice
For manuals that change very little, it is worth keeping older editions(no
more than six) for students to circulate, or to use if the latest edition
is temporarily unavailable.
c. Career materials
d. Newsletters/Calendars/Current Awareness services
Materials providing timely information about events, activities, and employment
opportunities are discarded when information is no longer current. Current
awareness services, such as Current Contents:Clinical Medicine
are discarded after a year, when the articles they cover are indexed by
other sources.
e. Standards
B. Replacement of Materials
- Lost or Mutilated
Every effort should be made to replace lost or heavily mutilated titles
if they are judged to be of continuing relevance to the collection. When
mutilation is confined to a few pages, replacement copies of these pages
should be requested through the Information Delivery Service. (See Bindery
Policy/Procedure-Periodicals & -Monographs)
- Gifts
Gifts which duplicate existing holdings can be used to upgrade the condition
of the collection by replacing worn circulating copies with more sound
gift copies.
C. Stacks Maintenance
The condition of all materials should be monitored to ensure those in need
of repair and rebinding are attended to before they are irreparably damaged.
IX. Subject Divisions
College health materials are collected at the basic level. Supplemental reading
at the lay level is collected for all areas of medicine and health.
| |
Support Level
(see Introduction for key)
|
| A. General Medicine |
C-2 |
| B. Primary Care Medicine, Clinical Medicine |
C-1 |
| C. Anatomy |
C-1 |
| D. Physiology |
C-2 |
| E. Hematology |
C-1 |
| F. Histology |
C-1 |
| G. Immunology |
C-1 |
| H. Microbiology |
C-1 |
| I. Parasitology |
C-2 |
| J. Pathology |
C-1 |
| K. Ultrasonography |
C-1 |
| L. Laboratory Medicine/Techniques |
C-1 |
| M. Nuclear Medical Technology |
C-1 |
| N. Computers in Medicine and Health Administration |
C-1 |
| O. Medical Records Technology |
C-2 |
| P. Biochemistry |
C-1 |
| Q. Clinical Chemistry , including Toxicology |
C-1 |
| R. Physicians Assistantship |
C-1 |
| S. Obstetrics and Gynecology |
C-2 |
[rev. 7/94]
Maintained by Sheila Smokey
| 
