Friday, July 4, 2008

Introduction | Collecting Guidelines| Format Guidelines | Cooperation | Subject List and Levels | Electronic Resources | Gift Policy | Evaluation and Preservation

Introduction

The Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library was founded in 1949 when the libraries of the Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Academy of Medicine combined their collections to better serve the physicians in Harris County and to provide research support to the curriculum of Baylor College of Medicine.

As the Texas Medical Center expanded through the 1960s, so did the Library. Since 1970, when the University of Texas Medical School was established, the Library has been governed by a board of directors comprised of representatives from six institutions of the medical center: Baylor College of Medicine, the Houston Academy of Medicine, the Texas Medical Center, Texas Woman's University, theUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and the University of Texas System Cancer Center. In 1990, Texas A & M University became the seventh Participating Institution. The Library is unique among medical libraries in the United States due to its consortium status and the fact tha t it serves not only the faculty, students, and practicing physicians from the two original institutions, but virtually all of the institutions of the Texas Medical Center.

The final responsibility for selection of materials rests with the Associate Director for Collections Management who, in addition to the available expertise of other staff members and recommendations from library clients, relies heavily on an awareness of the needs of practicing physicians, the content of the medical, nursing, and allied health curricula, and the scope of biomedical research programs in the Texas Medical Center and its affiliated institutions.

The purpose of the Collection Development policy is to provide a record of guidelines for the selection of print, non-print, and electronic materials to be included in the Library's collections. These guidelines, which are reviewed on a regular basis, should serve the Library well in its mission to meet the information needs of its clientele.

A. Library Mission & Clientele

The Library's mission is to support the activities and programs of its Governing and Supporting Institutions as they relate to patient care, education,and research. The Library accomplishes its mission first, by collecting print and electronic journals, books, and other library materials in clinical medicine, the health sciences, and other appropriate areas; second, by organizing and disseminating information in all formats; and third, by providing instruction in the management of information using the latest technologies.

Through its cooperative programs the Library is an important resource for the state of Texas and the entire nation.

The Library's clients reflect the size and diversity of the Texas Medical Center and the Houston medical community. Primary clients include health professionals, faculty. students. administrators and staff from its Participating and Supporting Institutions. The Library also serves the community and area hospitals, offers Associate Memberships. and partici- pates in local. regional. and national library networks to meet the inf orma tion needs of heal th professionals.

B. Overview of the Collections

General Collection
The general collection of the Library consists of print and electronic research-level monographs, serial titles, and databases which support the graduate and undergraduate curricula, clinical needs, and research programs of the Library's participating health science institutions.
Special Collections
Historical Research Center
The Historical Research Center houses antiquarian books, other printed materials, photographs, manuscripts, and archival records. The book collections document the development of the medical specialties, particularly rheumatology and cardiology, and public health in the United States. The records and manuscripts in the Harris County Medical Archive focus on organizations and individuals in Harris County, Texas, members of the Atomic Bomb Casualty commission and North American rheumatologists. The photograph collection provides images documenting health care in Harris County, Texas, and images from the working files of the journal Medical World News. Materials for these collections are selected and solicited by the Director of the Historical Research Center.
Reference Collection
The Reference Collection is a major source for information in the Library. It is a non-circulating collection which is used primarily for consultation and to provide information which addresses the user's immediate needs. The Reference Collection includes sources which provide information on persons or organizations; sources of factual data, including handbooks and statistical sources; and indexes, abstracts, and bibliographies. Due to the nature of its use, the Reference Collection is updated so that clients are provided with the most current information available.
Core Collection
The purpose of the Core Collection is to provide library users immediate and convenient access to a collection of standard texts and current material in basic and biomedical sciences, nursing, and allied health. The collection is non-circulating and is primarily for reference or short-term use within the Library. Circulating copies of these titles are available in the stacks.

page updated on 10.11.2006