Dartmouth College Library
Collection Management & Development Program
Collection Development Policy
BIOLOGY
- COLLECTION AREA
- GENERAL PURPOSE
- DARTMOUTH COLLEGE PROGRAM
- GENERAL SUBJECT BOUNDARIES
- LANGUAGES
- GEOGRAPHIC AREAS
- CHRONOLOGICAL BOUNDARIES
- TYPES OF MATERIALS COLLECTED
- FORMAT OF MATERIALS COLLECTED
- OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE
- CREATION DATE
- REVISION DATE
- LC CLASS
- BIBLIOGRAPHER
- COLLECTING INTENSITY CHART is located on a separate page.
Biology
The Dana Biomedical Library (in Hanover, NH) is one unit of the Dartmouth College Library system and with the Matthews-Fuller Health Sciences Library (Lebanon, NH) comprises the Biomedical Libraries. The mission of the Biomedical Libraries is to provide information resources and services in support of the educational and research programs of the Department of Biological Sciences of Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School as well as the patient care programs of the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and Hitchcock Clinic. Thus, the collections in the Biomedical Libraries support the teaching and research needs of Dartmouth College as well as the Dartmouth Medical School. The collections are split between the primarily clinical Matthews-Fuller Health Sciences Library and the research and teaching collection in the Dana Biomedical Library. For the purposes of this policy, the split collections are considered as one although there are no strictly biological materials housed solely at Matthews-Fuller.
The biology collection in Dana Library primarily supports the teaching and research needs of the Department of Biological Sciences faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate majors. The collection is also used by a number of Dartmouth faculty and students outside the Department of Biology; many undergraduates take at least one biology class to meet College science requirements, and art students use the collection for samples of illustrations. The many rare and antique books are of particular interest to scholars in history, literature, classics, and the fine arts. In addition, the biology collection contributes substantially to the teaching and research work of the Dartmouth Medical School.
Collecting efforts are aimed at maintaining a well rounded biology collection, with special strengths in areas of present research interest at Dartmouth, but which provides materials for the undergraduate in all areas of the biological sciences, and which will in the future provide an adequate basic collection as research interests change.
While emphasis is on the collection of current materials, the Library continues to acquire, through gift or purchase, rare and antiquarian books and good facsimiles of early works in biology, particularly as they enhance the existing strong historical collections of herbals and literature on botanic medicine, marine biology, and natural history.
The College offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology, and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Biology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, and Physiology; the combined M.D./Ph.D. can be pursued in the departments of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, or Physiology, after completion of the first year of medical school. The Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Biochemistry in the medical school have developed a joint program for all incoming graduate students in biochemistry and also in medicine and microbiology.
There are four undergraduate majors in the biological sciences: biology; biochemistry and molecular biology; genetics, cell and developmental biology; and environmental and evolutionary biology. The recently restructured program includes new or significantly revised courses in evolution, molecular biology, ecology, genetics, cell biology and developmental biology at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.
Faculty and graduate research interests include cellular and molecular biology, genetics, developmental biology, electron microscopy, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, evolutionary ecology, neuroscience, protein and nucleic acid structure and function, biochemistry of membranes, mechanisms of enzymatic reactions, metabolism, and neurobiochemistry.
The collections at Dana Biomedical Library cover the scope of research and curriculum needs of faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences with emphases on biochemistry, ecology, evolution, genetics and molecular and cellular biology. There are excellent retrospective collections in marine biology (especially algae), forestry, and plant systematics and taxonomy in Dana Biomedical Library. Continuing faculty interest in botany, ecology, zoology, and marine invertebrates have required the collection in these areas remain strong and worldwide in scope, though emphasis is placed on North American environments. Several of the Dartmouth libraries might collect material that is relevant to biological research. For example, Baker Library collects in biological anthropology, psychology, ethics, geography, environmental economics, sociological and political perspectives on science, and maintains most of the U.S. government documents; Feldberg collects materials in biomedical and environmental engineering, biotechnology, and environmental aspects of business; Kresge collects some materials related to the environment and ecology as well as biochemistry.
See the policy statements for Agriculture, Anthropology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Geography, History of Science, Medical Sciences, Psychology, and for United States Government Documents and other policies for collecting government documents, all of which indicate areas of common interest. The Environmental Studies policy details collections in the areas of conservation biology and biodiversity issues; the Medical Sciences policy discusses overlap areas such as physiology and cell and molecular biology; the Agriculture policy covers forestry, wildlife, conservation, and fisheries.
English is the predominant language, though foreign titles, especially in German and French, are collected to some degree. If materials in other languages are collected they must generally contain information not readily available in English. Early works are often in Latin.
Much of the material in biology describes subjects which are independent of geography. Descriptions of most of the world's geographic/ecological areas are included in the collection, with more depth being provided in descriptions of the New England region, or other areas where Dartmouth has programs (e.g., marine biology in the Caribbean). Some degree of comprehensive coverage is attempted in local (Vermont and New Hampshire) biology.
The collection includes not only current material in biology, but rare and antiquarian materials as well. There are strengths in 17th century herbals, 19th century marine biology (algae), 18th and 19th century descriptive biology (natural history), and other selected areas. Some attempt is made to strengthen and focus the collection in these areas where the Dartmouth materials have some national importance. Except for the antiquarian materials, most books considered for purchase are quite current; materials published prior to the most recent five years are purchased very selectively. The emphasis on recent materials does not extend to descriptions of biological and ecological regions, descriptions of species, and field guides.
The emphasis is on subscriptions to journals and other serial literature.
No format is excluded although print is still the primary format. Audiovisual, slide and computer programs are purchased as they are requested or appear relevant. Electronic indexes and abstracts are collected in tape, CD-ROM or disc formats.
The collection of early herbals is quite important. There are a number of beautifully illustrated botanical works, notably the complete run of the Curtis Botanical Magazine and several large "nature printed" books on ferns and algae. The collection of materials by and about Charles Darwin is extensive and includes a first edition of On the Origin of Species. These items are housed at the Dana Biomedical Library. Other relevant materials, such as the elephant folio of Audubon's Birds of America and some of the polar materials in the Stefansson Collection are housed in Special Collections at Baker Library.
Participation by the Biomedical Libraries in the National Library of Medicine resource network ensures that a maximal number of medical materials are available to patrons Various departments in the Medical School and Mary Hitchcock Hospital maintain small libraries, for example the Physiology Department and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Project CORK is a locally developed and maintained alcohol and substance abuse bibliographic database (searchable on DCIS/DCLOS) and personnel at Project CORK collect reprints of the indexed material. The U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory has a research library which has materials on subjects such as biological restoration and the Montshire Museum has a small resource library which includes field guides. A full spectrum of online services is available, including full-text databases.
September 1985 (Pamela Johnson Ploeger)
January 1994
QH, QK, QL, QP, QR
Connie Rinaldo
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Last updated January 28, 1999 by: CMDC@Dartmouth.Edu (jdh)