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I. General Description of the Collection and Its Users

The Psychology collection is comprised of reference works, monographs, and journals which fall primarily into the Library of Congress classification "BF". This includes the history, theory and method of psychology, developmental psychology, applied psychology (both social and individual), abnormal psychology, personality cognition and intelligence. The Psychology collection also includes areas within other Library of Congress classifications namely: educational psychology in the "LB's," group and social psychology in the "HM's", and medical therapies for abnormal conditions in the "RC's" (adults) and "RJ's" (children). The core collection is built around ALA's Books for College Libraries.

The primary use of the collection is by the Psychology faculty of the College of Liberal Arts, all undergraduate RIT students fulfulling their Liberal Arts course requirements and by the graduate students in the Master of Science of School Psychology program, Master of Business Administration and Master of Science for Teachers of Art. Students, faculty and staff of RIT (and their families) also use the psychology collection for personal and recreational reading. The Counseling Staff uses material in support of non-credit courses.

II. Description of the Programs Served by the Collection

A. Undergraduate Programs--Non-Credit

The psychology collection is used by the staff of the Counseling Center for personal professional work and as support for their non-credit seminars on interpersonal relations, human sexuality, personal growth and stress management. The staff of Student Health services uses and recommends current materials on sex education, especially in relation to AIDS. ROTC students and faculty use the collection in relation to the psychology of organizations, leadership and the effects of warfare in their college preparatory courses.

B. Undergraduate Programs--Non-Degree

1. College of Liberal Arts

In addition to a required introductory core course, the Psychology faculty offer a general psychology concentration emphasizing either human development, normal or abnormal personality, or perception and learning. The Psychology concentration has always been popular with students and has continued to maintain the highest concentration enrollment of any CLA discipline. Additional elective courses include: industrial psychology, attitude formation and persuasion techniques, motivation, behavior modification, human adjustment, death and dying, altered states of consciousness, the psychology of creativity, the psychology of politics and the psychology of art. And finally, the Psychology faculty participates in the interdisciplinary concentration of Women's Studies and Perspectives on Religion.

2. College of Continuing Education

General introductory courses and electives.

3. NTID

General introductory courses.

C. Undergraduate Programs--Degree

1. College of Liberal Arts

B.S. degrees in Criminal Justice and Social Work

The psychology collection is used heavily by both the Social Work and Criminal Justice majors. The areas of most demand are: human development, personality development, abnormal psychology, various therapies but in particular behavior modification, and all aspects of drug addiction and treatments. (see separate Criminal Justice and Social Work statements).

2. College of Business

Business administration students use the psychology collection in relation to motivation, industrial psychology and other aspects of Personnel Administration. All business students use the Social Psychology collection in relation to group and organizational dynamics, leadership and public relations.

3. College of Continuing Education

Introductory and elective courses in psychology and business.

4. Other Colleges

   Other colleges use the collection of psychology as it relates to the application of science and technology, e.g. ergonomics of machine design, artificial intelligence, neural networking in computers, and the perception of color in photography. The psychology of creativity and artistic expression is also stressed in the fine arts and photography courses.

D. Graduate Programs

1. College of Liberal Arts

Master of Science in School Psychology (started 1986).

The start of the M.S. in School Psychology program has had a big impact on the Psychology curriculum and faculty. The role of School Psychologists within the educational setting and all aspects of Tests and Measurement are focal to this program. Testing sources cover intellectual and personality assessment as well as analysis of exceptional children; both gifted children and those with learning and physical disabilities or social disadvantages. Also central to the program are all areas of Educational Psychology and counseling theory. Other areas developed at a graduate level, are developmental psychology, psychology of learning, behavior modification, psychology of personality, emotional adjustment, psychology of perception and cognition and social psychology.

2. College of Business

Master of Business Administration - as outlined earlier for undergraduate programs but at more depth.

3. College of Fine and Applied Art

   Master of Science for Teachers of Art - using the educational psychology collection including methodology of teaching.

III. Subject and Language Modifiers

A. Geographic Areas

The geographic focus of the collection is primarily on the United States and Western Europe, however, attention is paid to the use and abuse of psychology by varying political systems throughout the world.

B. Chronological Periods

Emphasis is on current developments and analysis of current and historical theories and methods.

C. Languages

No restrictions. Emphasis is on English-language materials.

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 utilized 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 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, especially those of the National Association of School Psychologists. Pertinent reference sources will also be acquired. Every effort is made to accommodate faculty requests for specific curriculum related titles.

B. Scholarly Works

The most important professional scholarship will routinely be acquired, using Psychological Abstracts and ERIC as guides.

C. Manuals of Practice

Acquired selectively to maintain an emphasis on current practice and policies.

D. Textbooks

Textbooks are not routinely acquired unless useful as general surveys or handbooks for a particular area not otherwise represented.

E. Newspapers/Newsletters

Significant publications of psychology and school psychology professional groups or agencies will be acquired.

F. Government Documents

Government publications are acquired when the content is appropriate to the subject scope of the collection; not maintained separately.

G. Maps/Atlases

Acquired selectively when appropriate for specific representations.

H. Serials

Serials are of major importance to keep current on new research and methodologies.

I. Other

Pamphlets are selectively acquired if sufficiently important to warrant cataloging; no pamphlet/vertical file is maintained.

Psychological test kits and measuring devices are maintained and updated.

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 Arrangements

No contractual cooperative collection development agreements for this discipline have been made between RIT Library and any other library.

Where faculty and student research needs fall outside the primary 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 are routinely retained in microfilm with the exception of titles containing substantial graphical material or mathematical notation. (See Bindery Policy/Procedure-Periodicals)

B. Non-Print Materials

Acquisition of traditional non-print materials (slides, videotapes, video discs, films, sound recordings, slide/tape programs) is very selective and made in consultation with the Media Resource Center Media Specialist, usually at the request of a faculty member. Non-print materials are generally housed in the Media Resource Center.

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 based upon systematic evaluation of materials in all locations in relationship to curriculum shifts, use statistics, core bibliographies, physical space limitations and the availability of information in alternative formats. Current periodical titles are reviewed annually prior to their renewal. All other areas of the collection should be reviewed every three to five years. The collection maintenance process includes weeding materials no longer relevant to curriculum needs, elimination of superfluous titles where information is duplicated in more current or authoritative sources, and ordering replacement copies of damaged and heavily used items still relevant to curriculum needs.

A. Weeding

1. Not Weeded
Psychological test kits and measuring devices.
2. 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 ALA's Books for College Libraries, should be retained in the collection.
3. Selective Weeding
   a. Monographs
   In general, psychology and school psychology 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
   1. Indexing and Abstracting Services
      Indexing and abstracting publications need to be available to cover all curriculum-based topics and periods of study. Publications should only be discarded when equivalent or improved coverage 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).
   2. Scholarly Publications
      Long runs of key scholarly journals in all aspects of psychology and school psychology that meet the criteria given in the introduction to this section should be retained indefinitely. Priority for retention should be 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 should be scrutinized more carefully and retention decisions should be based on the collecting levels assigned in Section IX: Subject Divisions, usage statistics, importance of title to discipline, and alternative availability.
   3. Trade Journals
      Retention of trade journals should be carefully scrutinize. Those that provide, primarily, timely information (industry and organization news, new products, etc.) should be discarded after a period of one to five years. Those that include articles of more lasting value should be considered for longer retention, particularly if they are accessible through indexing and abstracting services available at RIT Library.
   4. Annuals
      Annuals should be subjected to the criteria outlined in the intro- duction to this section and retained indefinitely where appropriate, particularly if they are accessible through indexing and abstracting services available at RIT Library.
4. Current Edition/Year Only Retained
   a. Monographs
   1. Textbooks
   2. Manuals of practice
   3. Career guidance and professional information
   4. Standards and policy guidelines
   b. Serials
   1. Newsletters, calendars, other current awareness services providing timely information about events and activities of organizations and institutions, and employment opportunities.
   2. Membership directories

B. Replacement of Materials

1. 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)

2. Gifts

   Gifts which duplicate existing holdings should 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

 

	Support Level (see Introduction for key)
A. Psychology
1. Method, Theory, History	C-2
2. Humanistic	C-2
3. Abnormal	C-1
4. Sensation, Cognition, Intelligence, Creativity	C-1
5. Intelligence Testing	C-1
6. Applied Psychology, Counseling	C-1
7. Motivation	C-1
8. Personality	C-1
9. Personality Testing	C-1
10. Developmental Psychology, Genetic	C-1
11. Altered States of Consciousness	C-2
B. Social Psychology
1. Organization, Group behavior, Leadership	C-1
2. Social Deviance	C-1
C. Education
1. Theory and Practice	C-2
2. Educational Psychology	C-1
3. Tests and Measurements	C-1
4. School Personnel: Social Workers, Psychologists	C-1
5. Education of Exceptional Children	C-1
6. Sociology of Education	C-1
D. Medicine
1. Psychiatry, Psychotherapies (Adults)	C-2
2. Psychiatry, Psychotherapies (Children)	C-1
3. Specific (Child) Disorders	C-1
4. Death and Dying	C-2
5. Gerontology	C-2

[rev. 7/94]

Maintained by Sheila Smokey