Mary and Jeff Bell Library Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Subject Collection Development Policy Subject: Biology Subject Librarian Liaison: Edward Kownslar NOTE: This policy will cover the Biology and Biomedical Sciences programs at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. Section I: Program Descriptions Biology Description of Undergraduate Program: The biology program provides diverse training for careers in the biological sciences. The biology curriculum includes content courses required for (1) teacher certification in life science, (2) acceptance to post-graduate studies and (3) pre-professional studies in preparation for admission to professional schools. Students will acquire content and skills to enter a variety of biology-related careers such as research, marine biology, wildlife and coastal management, environmental protection, laboratory technician, biotechnology industry, medical or environmental microbiology, technical writing, pharmaceutical sales, careers in the medical, dental, and allied health fields, and science education. Field and laboratory courses emphasize the development of practical skills in using special materials and equipment. Focus is on enhancement of critical thinking skills, which will prepare the student for careers in the biological sciences as well as in other general areas of employment. (Source: 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog) Tracks Offered for Undergraduate Major: Ecology Marine Biology Cell/Molecular Biology Microbiology Animal Biology Plant Biology Integrative Biology
General Biology (Source: 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog) Undergraduate Catalog Course Listings for Biology: The course listings are available in the University s Undergraduate Catalog, which is available at: http://www.tamucc.edu/academics/index.html Description of Graduate Program: The Master of Science in Biology is designed for graduate students who wish to become knowledgeable leaders and professionals with an in-depth education and specialized skills in the field of biology. This program promotes competency in the application of scientific methods of investigation to studies in biology with an emphasis on urban and coastal issues. Students develop a sense of creative independence that will allow them to practice in and contribute to a variety of professions and fields of scholarship. (Source: 2010-2011 Graduate Catalog) Tracks Offered for Graduate Programs in Biology: There are no formal tracks listed in the graduate catalog for the Master s in Biology or the Master s and Ph.D. programs in Marine Biology. According to the Graduate Catalog description for the Master s program: After admission to the graduate program, the Life Sciences Coordinator will advise the student in all matters relating to degree requirements and procedures until a formal advisory committee is formed. By the end of the first semester of graduate study, the student in consultation with the Life Sciences Coordinator will select his or her Graduate Advisory Committee. This committee will advise the student in all matters pertaining to graduate requirements and procedures. A student s Graduate Advisory Committee must consist of a minimum of three members, at least two of whom must be graduate faculty in the Department of Life Sciences. Additional committee members must be graduate faculty at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi or adjunct graduate faculty in the Department of Life Sciences. The Chair of a student s Graduate Advisory Committee must be graduate faculty in the Department of Life Sciences. The student and all members must mutually agree to the size and composition of the Graduate Advisory Committee. The committee will recommend a Degree Plan for the student that will then be submitted to the Dean of the College of Science and Technology for approval. There are two plans for obtaining the Master's Degree in Biology: the Non-Thesis Plan and the Thesis Plan. (Source: 2010-2011 Graduate Catalog) According to the Graduate Catalog description of the Master s and Ph.D. programs in Marine Biology: The Marine Biology Program is designed for students with an interest in one or more of the subdisciplines of marine biology and who wish to pursue careers in higher education,
government, or private industry. This unique, interdisciplinary degree program (IDP) combines the strengths of various departments at three universities within the Texas A&M University System: Life Sciences at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Marine Biology and Marine Sciences at Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMU-G), and Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Oceanography and Biology at Texas A&M University (TAMU). Students can choose courses from any campus and form committees with any of the participating faculty. Advantages of the interdisciplinary degree format for Marine Biology students include a diverse, internationally recognized faculty with high scholarly productivity and extramural funding, as well as two campuses strategically located on the Gulf of Mexico. The Marine Biology program offers the Master of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Marine Biology. A personalized graduate advisory committee guides each student through the conception, design, construction, and execution of a marine biologybased inquiry. (Source: 2010-2011 Graduate Catalog) Graduate Catalog Course Listings for Biology: The course listings are available in the University s Graduate Catalog, which is available at: http://www.tamucc.edu/academics/index.html
Biomedical Sciences Description of Undergraduate Program: The Biomedical Sciences Program serves the Coastal Bend region, the state of Texas, and the nation by preparing students for biomedical career opportunities including health services, research, forensic science, genetic engineering, biotechnology, bioinformatics, product sales, and services dealing with analysis, assessment and inspection. A few biomedical careers are available to a student with a baccalaureate degree, but most will require the student to complete postbaccalaureate course work or to earn a graduate degree. Core courses in biology and chemistry provide students with critical thinking skills in the pure sciences; specific courses allow students to further develop these skills and utilize them in solving problems. This unique combination provides students with a strong conceptual framework and also allows students to focus upon applied biomedical sciences. The three options in the Biomedical Sciences Program prepare students (1) to enter postbaccalaureate or graduate programs in the health professions (e.g., medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.) or in related sciences; (2) for post-baccalaureate certification in clinical laboratory sciences; (3) for careers and/or graduate training in forensic science and related areas. (Source: 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog) Undergraduate Catalog Course Listings for Biomedical Sciences: The course listings are available in the University s Undergraduate Catalog, which is available at: http://www.tamucc.edu/academics/index.html Description of Graduate Program: The University offers graduate courses in Biomedical Sciences, but it does not offer a master s degree in this subject. According to the graduate catalog: Graduate courses in biomedical sciences are offered in support of graduate degree programs in biology, environmental science, nursing and health sciences, marine biology, and education. For details concerning these particular degree programs, consult the College of Science and Technology section of the catalog. (Source: 2010-2011 Graduate Catalog) Graduate Course Listings for Biomedical Sciences: The course listings are available in the University s Graduate Catalog, which is available at: http://www.tamucc.edu/academics/index.html
Section II: Collection Levels The designated collection levels will provide the appropriate support for the University s academic programs. These levels are ideal collection targets and are dependent on funding. The library adheres to library collection standards set by the State Higher Education Coordinating Board (http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (http://www.sacs.org/), and other accreditation agencies. Resources that focus on Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast (from Texas to Florida), and the local geographic area have a higher collection level priority (between 3 and 5) than the titles that cover other geographic areas or are more general in scope. The library materials that support the biomedical curriculum are shelved primarily in the Q ranges. Because the University is not associated with a medical school, the collection level priorities are lower in the R section. However, if a faculty member purchases materials that are usually classified in the R section, those materials will be classified and shelved in that area. Exceptions for the R section include Nursing and healthcare administration, which have a higher priority. In addition, nursing books in specialized medical areas may be shelved outside of the RT call number range. The Bell Library does minimal collection development with Pediatrics. The Library at Driscoll Children s Hospital, which is directly affiliated with the Bell Library, is responsible for collecting Pediatrics at a higher level (3 or 4). Collection policies for Pediatric Nursing are included in the Nursing Collection Development Policy. The Biology program supports other interdisciplinary programs, such as Environmental Science (ESCI). However, the ESCI program is not included in this policy. For more information, please consult the collection development policy for Environmental Science. In addition, the University began to offer a doctoral program in Coastal and Marine Systems (CMSS) in Fall 2005. The CMSS curriculum is interdisciplinary and has a direct relationship to the academic programs in the College of Science and Technology (Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Geographic Information Systems and Math); specifically, several faculty members that teach in these programs also teach in the CMSS doctoral program. However, because CMSS is a separate academic program from Biology and has separate budget funding and curricula, the library has created a separate subject collection development policy for CMSS. Please refer to the CMSS policy for more information.
Other Subjects Not Included in This Policy: Environmental Chemistry (Please refer to the Chemistry Collection Development Policy) Environmental Geology (Please refer to the Geology Collection Development Policy) Nursing (Please refer to the Nursing Collection Development Policy) Psychiatry (Please refer to the Psychology Collection Development Policy) Subjects LC Call Number Range Collection Level QH Natural History General Natural History QH 1 72 3 Biogeography QH 84.1 198 3 Microscopy QH 201 278.5 2 Biology (General) QH 301 314 3 Study and Teaching QH 315 319 2 Biological Laboratories QH 320 323.5 2 Methods of Research QH 324 324.9 4 Origins of Life QH 325 3 Bioethics QH 332 2 General Biochemistry: QH 345 3 Plants & Animals Morphology QH 351 2 Population Biology QH 352 2 Evolution QH 353 434 4 Genetics QH 436 470 4 Reproduction, Development, QH 471 531 2 Morphogenesis Ecology QH 540 549.5 4 Cytology QH 573 705 3 QK Botany General Botany QK 1 45.2 2 Special Topics QK 46 46.5 2 Classification QK 91 97.5 3 Pictorial Guides/Atlases QK 98 2 Poisonous Plants QK 99-100 3 Geographic Distribution, QK 101 474.5 3
Spermatophyta QK 474.8 495 3 Cryptograms QK 504 635 3 Plant Anatomy QK 640 673 4 Plant Physiology QK 710 899 4 Plant Ecology QK 900 989 4 Zoology QL 1 991 4 (Note: QL 81.5 QL 84.7 are outlined in the Environmental Sciences Policy) Human Anatomy QM 1 695 3 Physiology QP 1 801 3 Microbiology QR 1 502 4 Medicine Premedical Education/Admission R 837.8 838.5 2 General Medicine R 5 920 2 *Public Aspects of Medicine RA 1 1270 3 Note: Health Care Administration (RA 390-440.7) is included in Nursing Collection Development Policy Pathology RB 1 214 2 *Internal Medicine RC 31 1245 2 Note: Psychiatry (RC 435 571) is included in the Psychology Collection Development Policy. Surgery RD 1 811 2 Ophthalmology RE 91 992 0 Otorhinolaryngology RF 1 547 1 Gynecology and Obstetrics RG 1 991 1 *Pediatrics RJ 1 507 2 Note: Child Psychiatry (RJ 499-507) is included in the Psychology Collection Development Policy. Note: Pediatric Nursing (RJ 245) is included in the Nursing Collection Development Policy. Dentistry RK 1 667 0 Dermatology RL 1 793 1 *Therapeutics/Pharmacology RM 1 893 2 Note: Pharmacology (RM 300 671.5) is included in the Nursing Collection Development Policy
Pharmacy and Materia Medica RS 1 441 1 Nursing - RT (See Nursing Collection Development Policy) Other Systems of Medicine RZ 1 999 1 Agriculture General Agriculture S 1 972 2 (Note: S 622-627 and S 900-954 are in the Environmental Science Collection Development Policy) Plant Culture SB 1 1110 3 SD Forestry SD 1 699 1 Animal Culture SF 1 1100 3 Section III: Preferred Collection Formats and Languages Preferred Collection Format(s): (1) Electronic for periodicals and indexes; (2) Print for monographs. Lower-Priority Collection Formats: Microform Language: English Section IV: Noteworthy Publishers Cambridge University Press: www.cambridge.org Elsevier: www.elsevier.com Nature: www.nature.com Springer: www.springer.com Taylor and Francis (includes CRC Press and Routledge): http://www.taylorandfrancis.co.uk/ Wiley: www.wiley.com
Various University Presses Section V: Weeding Policy (Including Frequency of Collection Assessment) The collections for Biology (in the Main and Reference collections) will be examined, and weeded, every three years. Weeding criteria include (1) Currency and relevance of material to the curriculum; (2) Updated/revised editions; and (3) Physical condition of the title (please see the Weeding section of the General Collection Development Policy). Section VI: Gift Policy The library will accept donations of materials (monographs, periodicals, etc.) in this subject area. All donors are encouraged to fill out, and sign, a form with the Technical Services Department when the library accepts those materials. If the donor allows the library to keep all donated materials, then the library has the discretion about whether to integrate those materials into the collections or use them in another capacity, such as: (1) Donating those titles to another library; (2) Including them in the annual book sale; or (3) Recycling the materials if no other parties or organizations can use the materials. However, the donor can also specify on the form that they would like all donated materials returned to them if the library cannot add those materials to the collections. The library will add gift books to the collections only if they support the curriculum and student research in biology. The Library will generally add print periodical titles to its collections under the following conditions: (1) The library already has a current subscription to that title; (2) The library has determined that there is adequate room for older print volumes of that title; (3) The library does not own those titles but they fit the subject s selection criteria. Revised: July 11, 2007, by E. Kownslar. September 29, 2010, by E. Kownslar Approved by the Library Director: August 1, 2007.