Chemistry

Purpose

The Collection Development policy is used as a guide to shape relevant collections and to ensure consistency in collection development. The decision to purchase library materials is primarily the responsibility of the Collections Librarian in consultation with faculty in the Department.

This policy has been developed by Debbie Chaves, Liaison Librarian, in cooperation with and endorsed by Kenneth Maly, the Department Faculty Library Liaison.

Focus

• To support teaching, study and research up to the undergraduate level, as well as to support faculty research.
• Areas of special interest must include: analytical chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, chemical physics, general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry.

Scope

• Language: primarily English language materials are collected. Important publications primarily in French, German, Spanish and Russian will also be considered either in their original language or in translation if available.
• Place of Publication: priority is given to materials from Canadian or American publishers first, then British and European publishers.
• Dates of Publication: emphasis is placed on recently published works. Works, both serial and monograph, already in the collection and have a publication date older than ten years may be selected for transfer to the Annex for long term storage.
• Chronological Period: works with a focus on current research will be emphasized. Those works having a historical overview may be considered.
• Geographical Areas: there are no geographical restrictions. Material is selected for its scientific importance.
• Publishers: works from scholarly and academic publishers are emphasized.

Types, formats, and readership of materials collected

• Materials with academic-level readership are selected. Titles such as “Annual Review” and “Recent Advances” should be continued along with “Occasional” publications. Donations from private collections may be considered if they fill a gap in the collection.
• Web-based formats for reference sources, journals and indexing sources are preferred. Print and microform are considered for reason of cost, availability, expected use or long term access.
• Single copies of books in print formats are generally selected.Web-based formats are selected on a title by title basis, especially if the title is of interest to users at multiple Laurier campuses. Duplication of print across Laurier campuses is generally avoided.
• Excluded types include textbooks, abridgements, study aids, limited editions, works by vanity presses, reprints and partial contents (eg. single issues of journals, electronic versions of single chapters of books), juvenile, pamphlets, obsolete formats. Titles already held by the Universities of Waterloo and Guelph may be excluded.
• The following items, as they apply to Chemistry, will only be considered for inclusion in the collection upon the request of the Chemistry faculty:
  • Proceedings of conferences, symposia, international congresses, etc.
  • Selected Canadian and American theses
  • Reports of non-governmental organizations such as research centres, university departments, etc.
  • Numeric and/or spatial data
  • Electronic formats

Subjects collected and collecting priorities

Collecting priority by subject

Related programs and support

Consortial purchases with the TriUniversity Group of Libraries (Guelph, Waterloo, Laurier university libraries), with the Ontario Council of University Libraries, and on a national level, are pursued.

The WLU Special Collections department has a number of collections of personal papers from local academics dealing with the environment, the Great Lakes and fisheries that may be of value to Chemistry students.