Collection Development Policy
Purpose, scope and context of policy
Purpose of the collection
Print and electronic acquisitions
Recommendations and selection
General principles
Periodicals
Monographs
Language
Categories of material
Donated material
Relationship to the holdings of other libraries in Cambridge
Moore Library, Wilberforce Road
Central Science Library, Bene't Street
University Library, West Road
University Medical Library, Hills Road
Departmental and other libraries
CSL subject related policy statements
General science
Biological sciences
Environmental science
Earth sciences
Chemical sciences
Applied biological sciences
Purpose, scope and context of policy
The purpose of this Collection Development Policy is to provide a framework for the maintenance and development of the collections of the Central Science Library (formerly SPL), to indicate priorities, establish criteria, and to create a coherent basis for future development. It is consistent with and complements the collection development policy of the University Library.
The policy indicates the relationship between the collections of the CSL and those of the University Library at West Road, the Betty and Gordon Moore Library and the Medical Library, and attempts to relate them to the holdings of relevant departmental and faculty libraries in Cambridge.
The policy is an inclusive statement of aims. It sets out the Library's aspirations, although their implementation is dependent on the availability of resources.
The policy is intended to give guidance to staff engaged in book and journal selection. However it cannot be exhaustive and not every item considered for acquisition will be unambiguously included or excluded by the policy. Much will depend on staff knowledge, experience and common sense. The Collection Development Policy is intended to complement these qualities, not to replace them.
It is also intended to provide information to Library staff and to readers about the principles, on which the Library's collections are acquired, to create an awareness of the Library's objectives and to form the basis for future developments and modifications, as circumstances require.
This document is a dynamic document and will develop and change over time. Individual subject specialists are expected to review the relevant sections of this document continually and to recommend revisions to the Head of Department who is responsible for maintaining the document.
The primary function of the CSL is to provide information to support the research and teaching needs of the university in the areas of chemistry and chemical engineering, earth sciences; hydrology; remote sensing; environmental sciences; biological sciences (plant sciences, zoology, biochemistry); preclinical biomedical sciences (pathology, physiology, pharmacology, genetics, anatomy); neuroscience; microscopy (with the exception of purely technical material or applications to engineering or materials science which is collected by the Moore Library). Material chiefly or solely of research interest to the departments within the School of Clinical Medicine is normally excluded. Print material exclusively of interest to the School of Clinical Veterinary Medicine has also been generally excluded. This responsibility includes not only providing material to support current research and teaching but also anticipates future needs, taking into account the development and introduction of new areas of research interest and new teaching programmes. While the needs of registered library patrons from outside the University are taken into account, the Library cannot undertake to build up research collections in subject areas outside the scope of the University's research or teaching activities.
Print and electronic acquisitions
In principle this policy should be equally applicable whether the medium of information delivery is print on paper or electronic.
In practice, electronic services do have to be differentiated from the more traditional print products, particularly with regard to network licence terms, user authentication, provision of use statistics, and long term archiving.
Cambridge University Library presently co-ordinates networked information services on behalf of the University and is committed to the promotion and provision of support for these services as essential to meeting the mission of the Library and the University. All items recommended for acquisition are reviewed by a Dataset Evaluation Group, which draws its membership from IT Services and Reader Services Staff, prior to a final decision to purchase.
The CSL is participating in a joint initiative of the Library Syndicate and General Board Committee on Libraries for the years 2003-2005 to jointly manage print and electronic periodicals in the biological and chemical sciences. All requests for new commitments in these areas will be separately considered by an independent Scientific Periodicals Steering Group, rather than through the process outlined in the previous paragraph, during this period.
Subject to the restrictions above selection for purchase is made by Library subject specialists in order to provide for continuity, consistency, and breadth of coverage. The CSL encourages recommendations from individuals and research groups. Subject to the availability of funds recommendations for purchase from library patrons will normally be approved and processed unless there are sound reasons for rejection, in which case the reader will be informed. When an item is expensive or is considered to be of extremely specialized or marginal interest, availability through inter-library loan might be considered more appropriate than purchase.
When making decisions to purchase material the Library takes into account the financial resources available to it. Particularly costly items (over £200) and those requiring a continuing financial commitment (periodicals, standing orders, or other continuations) whether requested by staff or by readers, will be referred to the Senior Under Librarian for Science and/or other senior staff.
General principles
Primary journals constitute the most important part of the scientific literature and account for the major part of the CSL's acquisitions expenditure. The historical strengths of the existing collections include a broad cross-section of international society print publications particularly in the biological sciences. This has been maintained in part by an exchange programme involving publications of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. The exchange programme accounts for approximately 38 percent of titles jointly received by the CSL and Moore Library. The CSL collections are also strong in their coverage of interdisciplinary areas of research of interest to more than one University department.
Journal titles are selected at advanced academic, research and professional levels. In addition to research level publications the CSL, as the general science library of the University, holds a selection of titles with a high level of news or current awareness content. Subscriptions are usually approved only when the title has been recommended by a user of the Library with an indication of the potential value of the title. Sample issues may be displayed within the Library to solicit further comments. Journal subscriptions commit the Library to significant recurrent expenditure in areas such as processing, binding, and storage, in addition to the cost of the subscription itself. New subscriptions are therefore monitored and the level of use reviewed after 12 months before a decision to renew is made. Appropriate periodical titles acquired via legal deposit are located in the Library.
The CSL acquires monographic and reference material chiefly at advanced academic, research, and professional levels. Books received on legal deposit by the University Library are selectively located in the CSL to complement the purchased collections.
Monographs are normally added to the circulating collection. The CSL is in principle a single copy library but additional copies may be acquired where a particular text is heavily used or heavy use is anticipated.
As at the Moore Library mechanisms have been established to control the borrowing of material in high demand either by temporarily placing the volume(s) within the short loan 'reserve' class or by placing the volume in a non-circulating reference class. These arrangements should be considered as preferable to the purchase of large numbers (more than 2 or 3) of multiple copies.
Normal practice is to keep all copies of the same work within the same class sequence. Reference material therefore will not normally be duplicated in the circulating collections.
The majority of new acquisitions are in English, this being the standard language of scientific communication, but material in major European languages is also acquired.
Hardbacks and paperbacks: Whenever a book has been published in hardback and paperback the hardback edition is preferred but paperbacks are acquired if the hardback edition is unavailable or if the paperback edition contains significant new material.
New editions: True new editions are acquired especially if the previous edition has been heavily used.
Reprints and facsimiles: Reprints are not normally acquired if the original edition is held but exceptions may be made for reprints of heavily used items.
Theses: Unpublished theses from other institutions, including those available from UMI (formerly University Microfilms International), are not normally purchased - although donations may be accepted. The Inter-Library Loan system is normally a more appropriate method of gaining access to this material. Published versions of theses are considered in accordance with the normal criteria. For Cambridge University theses see section 26.10 of the University Library Collection Development Policy.
Reference works: General and subject encyclopaedias, dictionaries, bibliographies and other reference works are acquired and usually placed in the non-circulating reference class.
Replacement copies: Replacements for books reported missing or considered by the Library to be missing will be ordered based on need or whenever requested by readers. Such books are often out of print when they are reported missing and a replacement copy may not be available.
Donated material
Donations of books or journals by institutions or individuals are welcomed but are accepted without conditions and on the understanding that they become the property outright of Cambridge University Library. As noted below donations can valuably supplement the general policy guidelines by enabling addition of volumes held at other UL branches or by providing additional copies.
Relationship to the holdings of other libraries in Cambridge
The CSL is run as part of the University Library's coordinated science library service over four physical locations with the following broad division of subject responsibility.
Moore Library, Wilberforce Road
Pure and Applied Mathematics
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Computer Science
Physics/Geophysics
Materials Science
Engineering
Technology
Central Science Library, Bene't Street
Biological Sciences
Chemical Sciences including Chemical Engineering
Earth Sciences
Environmental Sciences
History and Philosophy of Science
Educational Studies of Science
Sociology of Science
Popular Works
University Medical Library, Hills Road
Clinical Medicine
Nursing and Allied Health Professions
In general this means that copies of monographs are held at more than one location only in cases of demonstrated or expected demand at the secondary site.
Departmental and other libraries
Major departmental collections continue to operate. Close liaison with these libraries is essential. The individual policy statements below will indicate how the CSL will complement these collections.
The CSL aims to house the working collections of Cambridge University Library in the biological, chemical, earth and environmental sciences. The long-term retention and preservation of stock is however the responsibility of the University Library, West Road.
Departmental and faculty libraries are under an obligation to offer to the Cambridge University Library any book of which they wish to dispose. In practice the CSL acts as the initial point of contact for the scientific department libraries wishing to dispose of journal or book stock. Advance notice of potential disposals is requested.
Not all material offered to the Library by transfer from departmental libraries is accepted. Material accepted is done so on the understanding that it becomes the property of Cambridge University Library.
CSL subject related policy statements
General science is defined broadly as including works, which are concerned with, or comment on, science and technology in general terms, or in which the content is multi-disciplinary.
Material of particular relevance to the subject coverage of the CSL and of interest to the primary users of the Library is acquired.
Systematic duplication of titles held at other 'central' libraries is not encouraged. In particular, science policy, history and philosophy of science, social studies of science, and science education are subjects which are collected at the University Library at West Road. Individual duplicate items may be selected for the CSL in accordance with the general principles above.
Popular science titles acquired through legal deposit will normally be retained within the University Library collection at West Road but the CSL will acquire relevant individual titles on a selective basis.
Selected donations in these subject areas are added especially in relation to historical studies of relevance to the Cambridge Philosophical Society, scientific societies and Cambridge science in general.
Liaison with relevant departmental libraries in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of monographs or works in series is expected. Material of general biological interest, methods and applications are collected. Works on biological mathematics and biometry are generally collected by the Betty and Gordon Moore Library. General works on microscopy are collected with the exception of purely technical material or works concerned with applications to materials science, which are collected by the Moore Library.
General natural history including conservation and regional studies is collected, as are the molecular, cellular, organismal, population biology and biochemistry of microorganisms, plants, animals and humans.
Within these parameters material supporting the research and teaching in the pre-clinical sciences (pathology, anatomy, physiology) is collected. Clinical treatments of the same subjects are generally collected by the Medical Library.
Works on pharmacology are collected but clinical pharmacology and pharmacy practice are in general collected by the Medical Library.
Experimental and biological psychology is collected. This includes works on perception, cognition, psycholinguistics, neuropsychology, psychopharmacology and behavioural neuroscience. Selected works on mathematical and statistical psychology may be more appropriately located in the Moore Library but are not excluded from collection at the CSL. Clinical psychology and psychiatry are primarily collected by the Medical Library. Nutrition is generally collected by the Medical Library but selected items may be acquired.
Scientific works of relevance to environmental studies are collected. As this field is of an interdisciplinary nature the collection profile is informed by the policy guidelines of the University Library collection development document:
382:4 Environmental Sciences
Because of the growing importance of this subject and its interdisciplinary nature, works are acquired in English and in other languages when they relate to the relevant area. This applies to works on any environmental subject, irrespective of their place in the classification scheme.
Within this framework major environmental topics collected in addition to those itemised under Earth Sciences below and Biological Sciences above include climate change, pollution, environmental modelling and environmental protection. Systematic collection of popular, political, sociological or economic treatments of these subjects is the responsibility of the University Library at West Road.
The following subjects are collected: physical geography and geology including works on geomorphology, hydrology, oceanography, soil science, mineralogy, petrology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology, economic geology, geochemistry, geophysics, climatology and remote sensing.
Selected material on geophysics, climatology and physical oceanography is acquired by the Betty and Gordon Moore Library in support of teaching programme of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.
The departmental libraries of Geography and Earth Sciences are major collections with a tradition of support for undergraduates and continuing close cooperation especially over the location of book series and expensive sets is expected.
Organic, inorganic and physical chemistry are collected comprehensively. Materials covering materials chemistry are normally collected by the Moore Library. Medicinal chemistry is collected by the Medical Library.
Close liaison with the Chemistry department library to avoid unnecessary duplication is expected.
Chemical Engineering including biotechnology is collected. Some overlap with the subject profile for general engineering developed by the Betty and Gordon Moore Library may be required.
Works on agriculture, animal science and management are selectively collected chiefly at a general level complementing extensive existing holdings in these subjects. Non scientific horticultural works are collected by the University Library at West Road.