Collection Development Policy Statement:
Physics

I. Date and Author

Katherine Button and Jennifer Hart

II. Curriculum

The library's collection in Physics is intended to support the Department of Physics in teaching and research through the PhD level and individual faculty research efforts within the department. The research emphasis includes the major areas of theoretical and experimental physics.

The Physics Department also sponsors an interdepartmental graduate program in Biophysics & Structural Biology. The program trains students to do independent scientific research that uses approaches derived from the physical sciences to solve problems in molecular and cellular biology.

III. Purpose and Scope of the Collection

The physics collection supports teaching and research on the undergraduate level, the graduate level through the Ph.D., and faculty research. The collection also serves departments related to physics foundations, in particular mathematics and computer science.

IV. Cooperative Agreements

None Specified

V. Geographical Coverage

None Specified

VI. Period Coverage

Primary emphasis is modern physics and the most current materials.

VII. Date of Publications

Currently published material (within the past 10 years) is emphasized with limited selection of retrospective materials. Criteria for weeding includes but is not limited to, outdated textbooks, duplicated copies, superseded reference material and work in poor condition.

VIII. Languages

Primary emphasis is placed on English language materials. Translations into English are preferred over the original and obtained when available. Original language editions of works by notable Twentieth Century physicists, e.g., Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Max Planck, are maintained.

IX. Types of Materials

Materials are acquired in print and electronic formats.

X. Location of Materials Collection

The physics collection is housed in the Gerstenzang Science Library. Material dealing with historical aspects of physics are at the Goldfarb Library

XI. Special Collections

None Specified

XII. Subject Areas and Collecting Levels

Subject Area

Collecting Levels

Astronomy Undergraduate
Astrophysics Research
Biological Physics Research
Chaos and Fractal Geometry Graduate
Classical Mechanics Undergraduate
Colloids Research
Condensed Matter (Experimental and Theoretical) Research
Continuum Mechanics Graduate
Dynamical Systems Graduate
Electromagnetism Graduate
Electro-optics Graduate
Electronics, Analog and Digital Undergraduate
Elementary Particle Physics Research
Field Theory Graduate
General Relativity Graduate
Gravitational Theories Research
High Energy Physics (Experimental and Theoretical) Research
Light Scattering Graduate
Liquid Crystals Research
Microprocessor Design Undergraduate
Computational Neuroscience Research
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Undergraduate
Optics Undergraduate
Particle Phenomenology Graduate
Particle Physics Research
Polymer Gels Research
Quantum Fields Research
Quantum Theory Research
Quantum Mechanics Graduate
Radio Astronomy Research
Relativity Graduate
Science and Environmental Education Research
Science and Economic Development Basic
Solid State Physics (Experimental and Theoretical) Graduate
Special Relativity Undergraduate
Statistical Mechanics Research
Statistical Physics Graduate
String Theory Research
Technology and Risk Basic
Thermodynamics Graduate
Waves and Oscillations Undergraduate
Wave Optics Graduate

XIII. Cross-References to Other Collection Policies

This page was last modified on: Mar 23, 2007