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MSU » MSU Libraries » Research Help » Research Guides » Collection Development Policy Statement: Engineering

Department: Collections Management

Subject: Engineering

Written by: Tom Volkening

Date Drafted: 5/99

Reviewed: 10/06

A. Curricular/Research/Programmatic Needs

The Engineering Library collection supports the research and curricular needs of the following departments in the College of Engineering: Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. It also supports degree programs in computer engineering and manufacturing engineering and supports in part the Construction Management Program. The collection also supports the research needs of the Composite Materials and Structures Center and the Energy and Automotive Research Laboratory within the College of Engineering. It also provides partial support for the Center for Fundamental Materials Research, the Center for Microbial Ecology, the Center for Sensor Materials and the Michigan Biotechnology Institute. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of much of today's research, the collection is also used by researchers in chemistry, mathematics, and physics and to a lesser degree biomechanics, biosystems engineering, environmental studies, and geology. Materials for undergraduate engineering are also collected.

The engineering collection dates back to the early years of the University. For a time prior to 1963 it was housed in the Science division of the Main Library. In September of 1963 part of the collection was moved to the new Engineering Library located on the third floor of the recently completed Engineering building. In the summer of 1989 the Engineering Library moved to its new location on the first floor of the not yet completed addition to the Engineering building. The current location is air-conditioned and has more than double the space of the old library. In 2003 the Engineering Library underwent a major renovation that included the installation of compact shelving, new carpet, and a new public service point.

There are several major trends that influence collection development in the Engineering Library. First is the number of electronic resources available and the increasing dependence on technology to access them. These include electronic versions of print journals, electronic-only journals, electronic bibliographic databases, non-bibliographic electronic resources such as directories, and tools that do not fit traditional categories of materials. The library is moving from ownership of physical volumes to the access of electronic resources so license agreements with resource providers will become increasingly important. Archiving of electronic resources is a major concern. Users expect to access the collection from remote locations and fewer people will come to the Library to use the print collection. More users will request that current publications be purchased in electronic formats that are accessible from remote locations. Most commercial publisher will probably continue to publish print and electronic versions of their serials for some time to come but increasingly they offering libraries the option of purchasing electronic journals without print subscriptions. It is unclear if electronic publications will ever be significantly less expensive than their print counterparts. Some professional societies could stop publishing print materials within 5 years. However, new print and electronic journals will continue to proliferate and inflation will continue to erode the buying power of the libraries. Interdisciplinary research and cross- disciplinary courses will be even more popular. Joint-degree programs with departments outside the College will increase the need for cooperation between selectors. Due to the increasing emphasis on bringing in research dollars, faculty will seek funding for research in new areas while continuing to work in their current areas of research. This will further stretch the collection budget for engineering.

1. On campus branch or format collection, if any.
Biomedical and Physical Sciences Library,Business Library, and Mathematics Library.

MSU users make direct use of the Media Union collection at the University of Michigan for materials not at MSU. Users make extensive use of our Document Delivery service to obtain materials from other CIC libraries.

A. Chronology of the subject: emphases/restrictions

B. Languages of resources collected:

English is the primary language of materials acquired. Materials in other languages are acquired on a case by case basis.

The goal of the collection is to obtain English language materials regardless of the country of origin. In practice this means primarily publications from North America and Western Europe with some publications from Asia and other parts of the world.

Currently no microforms or videos are collected. Software is not collected unless it is received as a supplement to a printed work. CD-ROM based materials are not actively collected but are added to the collection if they are received as part of standing order or received as a gift and meet collection development guidelines. Materials available only on CD-ROM will be considered for purchase. Network accessible resources are the preferred format when available and affordable.

Conspectus

A. Replacement

B. Out of print materials

C. Deselection

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