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I. General Description of the Collection and Its Users

The materials science collection is an interdisciplinary collection serving primarily graduate students in the materials science master's degree program as well as faculty and students in chemistry, physics, and engineering. Some use of the collection is also made by students and faculty in photoscience, as well as, by local industry.

II. Description of the Programs Served by the Collection

An M.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering is offered jointly by the College of Science and the College of Engineering through the Center for Materials Science and Engineering.

III. Subject and Language Modifiers

A. Geographic Areas

The geographic focus of the collection is primarily on the United States.

B. Chronological Periods

No restrictions. Emphasis, however, is on current developments and analysis of recent events.

C. Languages

No restrictions. Emphasis is on English-language materials. Only selected foreign language statistical sources and multilingual dictionaries/encyclopedias are acquired.

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 graduate 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. Pertinent reference sources will also be acquired. Every effort is made to accommodate faculty requests for specific curriculum related titles.

B. Textbooks

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

C. Newspapers/Newsletters

Acquired when the content is appropriate to the subject scope of the collection.

D. Government Documents

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

E. Maps/Atlases

Acquired selectively when appropriate for specific representations.

F. Serials

Serials are of major importance in this field.

G. 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.

H. Other

Pamphlets are selectively acquired if sufficiently important to warrant cataloging; no pamphlet/vertical file is maintained. Technical reports are acquired on faculty request.

VI. Cooperative Collection Development Arrangements

RRLC-CCD agreements provide funding for some materials in materials science. Informal working relationships with other member of the RRLC exist and closer associations pursued in the future.

Where faculty and student research needs fall outside the primary 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 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 will be reviewed annually prior to their renewal. All other areas of the collection should be reviewed every three to five years to remove materials no longer relevant to the curriculum of the Center for Materials Science and Engineering. 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

1. Duplicates Only Weeded
At least one copy in good condition of standard and classic titles listed in major general bibliographies and special subject lists should be retained in the collection.
2. Selective Weeding
   a. Monographs
   In general, materials science 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 materials science 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 (organizational 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.
3. Current Edition/Year Only Retained
   a. Monographs
   1. Textbooks
   2. Manuals of practice
   3. Career materials
   4. Standards
   b. Serials
   1. Newsletters/Calendars
   2. Directories

   All the above materials are acquired selectively and only the most recent editions are kept.

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.

IX. Subject Divisions

[rev. 7/94]

Maintained by Sheila Smokey