School of Psychology
Information Resources Policy Document
March 2010
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Application....................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Audience .......................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Policy Summary............................................................................................................... 2
2.0 The Profile of the School of Psychology ............................................................................. 2
2.1 Subject Specialisms ......................................................................................................... 2
3.0 Scope.................................................................................................................................... 3
3.1 Subject Coverage ............................................................................................................. 3
3.2 Location ........................................................................................................................... 3
3.3 Classification ................................................................................................................... 3
3.4 Dissertations and theses ................................................................................................... 3
3.5 Reference Resources ........................................................................................................ 3
3.6 Legal Deposit ................................................................................................................... 3
3.7 Test and Measures ........................................................................................................... 3
4.0 Selection of Resources ......................................................................................................... 4
4.1 Partnership between School and Library ......................................................................... 4
4.2 Procedure for purchase .................................................................................................... 4
4.2.1 Items recommended for purchase ............................................................................. 4
4.2.2 Research material ...................................................................................................... 4
4.2.3 Module and Programme support............................................................................... 4
4.2.4 Reading list items...................................................................................................... 5
4.2.5 Multimedia materials ................................................................................................ 5
4.2.6 Electronic Resources................................................................................................. 5
4.2.7 IReL .......................................................................................................................... 5
4.2.8 Journals ..................................................................................................................... 5
5. 0 Interdisciplinary Relationships ........................................................................................... 6
6.0 Donations ............................................................................................................................. 6
7.0 Library Support for resource use ......................................................................................... 6
8.0 Budget .................................................................................................................................. 7
8.1 Other sources of funding: ................................................................................................ 7
9.0 Stock Review ....................................................................................................................... 7
10.0 Future Considerations ........................................................................................................ 7
11.0 Review of Policy................................................................................................................ 8
12.0 Contributors ....................................................................................................................... 8
Appendices................................................................................................................................. 9
Appendix 1 IReL Resources of interest to School ................................................................. 9
Appendix 2 Book Ordering Process .................................................................................... 11
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School of Psychology
Liaison Librarian: Lorna Dodd
1.0 Introduction
The Information Resources Policy for the School of Psychology is designed to facilitate successful
partnership between the Library and the School in the selection, management and promotion of
information resources supporting the teaching and research interests of the School.
1.1 Application
This policy will inform School and Library decision-making in recommending items for purchase or
deselection. The identification and implementation of key procedures and mechanisms will enable
constructive review of existing resources as well as the selection of new resources targeted at areas
of strategic growth in School education and research.
1.2 Audience
The policy is aimed at academic and research staff from the UCD School of Psychology and
relevant staff from the UCD Library.
1.3 Policy Summary
This policy outlines procedures for selection, deselection and purchase of resources. Information on
the HEA-IReL initiative is provided and the range of resources, as well as the scope of the
collections, available to members of the School is described. Interdisciplinary relationships between
the UCD School of Psychology and related schools are identified and library support for resource use
to promote teaching and learning opportunities are outlined. Details of the Library budget are
itemised and future trends which may impact on resource provision are included. The policy will be
reviewed regularly by School staff and the Liaison Librarian.
2.0 The Profile of the School of Psychology
The School of Psychology, incorporating the Centre for Disability Studies, is home to approximately
15 academic and administrative staff and 20 part-time tutors and laboratory demonstrators. The
primary undergraduate student group are students on the single honours psychology degree which
is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland. This group is made up of approximately 75
students in each of the three years. In addition, the School also offers 20 places each year to BA
students minoring in psychology. The School has a distinguished record of academic achievement in
research and in teaching and contains a thriving community of undergraduates and graduate
students (approximately 70 students are registered for an M.Litt, PhD or D.Clin). Many of the
Students are funded by the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS)
2.1 Subject Specialisms
Course offerings and staff research interests can be found on the School’s website at
http://www.ucd.ie/psychology/index.html
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3.0 Scope
The scope of the collection of resources will reflect the School’s teaching and
research activities and resource management will be facilitated by the relationship
between the School and the Liaison Librarian.
3.1 Subject Coverage
Topics include
 Clinical Psychology
 Cognitive Psychology
 Biological psychology and Neuroscience
 Developmental Psychology
 Disability Studies & Rehabilitation
 History of Psychology
 Statistics and methods
 Theory of Psychology
 Social Psychology
 Occupational psychology
 Language development and bilingualism
3.2 Location
The majority of physical resources are located on Level 2 of the James Joyce library. A small
amount of relevant material is also held in the Health Sciences Library.
3.3 Classification
UCD Library uses the Dewey Decimal system to classify material in all formats. The primary
classification range for psychology is 150-159. However, some relevant material is held in other
ranges. For example, mental health is 306.3 and Social Services is 362.4
3.4 Dissertations and theses
In accordance with university regulations, the Library receives copies of all major doctoral and
research theses submitted to University College Dublin. The collection comprises of mainly
doctoral and Master's theses by research. For more information, see the Library website at
http://www. ucd . ie/library/services_&_facilities/library_collections/theses. Htm
3.5 Reference Resources
The reference collection for the School provides both print and electronic resources and reflects
the Library’s policy requirement (UCD Library Information Resources Development Policy section
3.2.1 at www. ucd . ie/library/about/policies_and_regulations/index. html) “to increasingly make
information resources (notably…reference materials) available electronically”)
3.6 Legal Deposit
The Copyright Act 1963 designates UCD Library as a legal deposit library for printed material
published in the Republic of Ireland. These items are integrated into the relevant Library’s
collections wherever possible or stored in closed access.
3.7 Test and Measures
While the library holds some psychological tests and measures it is Library policy not to
purchase this material. However, the School of Psychology also holds a small collection which is
accessible to students.
4.0 Selection of Resources
School-Library Liaison Representative (SLLR): Eilis Hennessy
4.1 Partnership between School and Library
The SLLR, a primary point of contact in the School, will work closely with the Liaison Librarian to
co-ordinate library purchases across the School in consultation with colleagues from Psychology.
The purchase of materials in all formats will be based on a proactive partnership to ensure a
balanced and representative collection.
4.2 Procedure for purchase
Please see Appendix 2 for a diagram illustrating the book ordering process.
4.2.1 Items recommended for purchase
Items for purchase should contain as much detail as possible including title, author, date,
publisher and ISBN. Requests to support Teaching and Learning should, additionally, specify
the module name, the estimated number of students taking the module, programme name
and year of programme.
4.2.2 Research material
Material required to support School research will be purchased when possible. Purchase
requests will be based on the professional expertise and knowledge of the Liaison Librarian
and the research interests of the School staff.
4.2.3 Module and Programme support
The Library will continue to actively review its resources to ensure that modules and
programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level are adequately supported and
that the impact on library resources can be correctly assessed. To ensure the timely
purchase of resources, the Liaison Librarian will need to be informed as soon as possible
about the following:
 The introduction of new modules
 Any modification to existing modules
 The introduction of new programmes
 Current modules on offer in each programme for the new academic year
 The introduction of new methods of teaching (e.g. Enquiry-Based Learning)
The Liaison Librarian monitors usage of the collection and will order replacement/extra
copies of items due to:
 Damage
 Loss
 Multiple requests for an item over a short period of time
 User need based on information received from Information Desk, Library Suggestion
Books and online queries
4.2.4 Reading list items
Reading lists will be given to the Liaison Librarian prior to the start of each academic year.
Items on reading lists will be purchased for the General Collection (i.e. long loan).
Additional copies are held in the Short Loan Collection when necessary. For items that are
difficult to source, the Reserve Collection (i.e. Library use only) will be used. Items will be
moved between collections, as required, to facilitate maximum use of resources by users.
The average turn-around time for ordered items to appear in the Library is 4-6 weeks. The
Liaison Librarian will also facilitate the purchase of urgent items when necessary. Requests
for reading list items should be made in a timely fashion to ensure that items are available
to users once the semester begins.
4.2.5 Multimedia materials
Based on School requests and in support of the UCD Library’s Information Resources
policy (section 5.1), the Liaison Librarian will facilitate the purchase of relevant multimedia
material” and this currently includes the purchase of DVDs.
4.2.6 Electronic Resources
As identified in UCD Library’s Information Resources policy, it is Library strategy to move
towards electronic information provision where possible. The Liaison Librarian and
academics in the School Psychology will continue to identify relevant electronic databases
which support the work of the school. A full listing of electronic resources is available at
http://librarysearch.ucd.ie
4.2.7 IReL
UCD Library users have benefitted from the availability of resources provided by the IReL
initiative, a joint funding initiative from Science Foundation Ireland and the Higher Education
Authority to substantially increase the range of resources available to Irish university
libraries.
A complete list of IReL funded resources can be found at
http://www.ucd.ie/library/electronic_resources/irel/
Key databases of relevance to the School,currently funded via the IReL initiative include




PsycINFO
PsycARTICLES
InformaWorld (Taylor & Francis)
Academic Search Premier
Appendix 1 lists interdisciplinary resources funded by IReL that may also be of benefit to
the School.
4.2.8 Journals
Peer reviewed Journal literature is of paramount importance to the School of Psychology.
Within the School of Psychology fund, the maintenance of this collection should be given
priority above all other collections supporting the School.
To ensure that journal titles to which the School subscribes reflect current teaching and
research interests, print and electronic subscriptions will be reviewed as required but at a
minimum of every five years. Interdisciplinary resources, of interest to the School, accessible
via IReL or funded by other Schools may not be cancelled by the School of Psychology. The
review process will be a collaborative endeavour between the Liaison Librarian and the
School representative and will consider:







Current holdings
School teaching and research interests
Impact factors
Online availability
Cost
Savings
Identified interdisciplinary material relevant to Psychology but not funded by the School
Individual electronic journals are accessible via the E-Journals search on the library
catalogue, the A-Z of Electronic Journals at http://librarysearch.ucd.ie
Requests for purchase will mirror the review criteria above. When suggesting a journal title
for purchase, please provide the Liaison Librarian with the journal name, subject matter and
intended audience. In keeping with Library policy (Information Resources Policy, 3.2 and 3.3),
new titles are purchased in electronic format where possible.
5. 0 Interdisciplinary Relationships
Interdisciplinary teaching and research is significant across the School of Psychology. The Library
provides subject and liaison support for a range of subjects of relevance to the School including:
Philosophy, Public Health, Medicine, Nursing, Sports Studies and Computer Science. As a result of
multiple user groups accessing the resources, usage is closely monitored.
6.0 Donations
The following donations of material are welcome:
 Books
 Collections to supplement/augment holdings in the General
Collection.
The Library will manage the donated material as appropriate and as reflected in the
UCD Library’s Donations policy at
www. ucd . ie/library/services_&_facilities/library_collections/donated_materials. htm
7.0 Library Support for resource use
The Library is committed to supporting the promotion and use of all information
resources. To this end, the Liaison Librarian will continue to work with library
colleagues and academics to maximise exploitation of key Psychology sources using
accepted international frameworks for information skills delivery to support
undergraduate teaching, academic research and postgraduate studies.
The library currently provides this support to different levels within the School and will
work together with the School in order to ensure that all groups of Psychologystudents
receive information skills as required. In doing this the School and Library will work
together in order to:
 Identify the level and detail of training required
 Identify a suitable place within the timetable to deliver information skills at the
point of need
 Identify the most suitable method for the delivery of information skills
 Assess and evaluate the delivery of information skills
8.0 Budget
A resource allocation model (RAM) divides library funding among the schools and across
funds to maximize the purchase of targeted items to support both research and teaching.
The fund designation for the School of Psychology is currently as follows:
 A reading list fund: to purchase items on reading and resource lists for modules
across UCD
 A research monograph fund: to purchase monographs required for research areas
represented within the College of Human Sciences
 A general fund: to purchase items which are not represented by either the
Research fund or the Reading List fund but which would materially enhance the
teaching and research work of the school. Purchases may include electronic
resources not requiring yearly subscriptions.
8.1 Other sources of funding:
(a) A number of multi-disciplinary electronic resources are purchased via a top -sliced
Library fund dedicated to purchase of items not tied to the teaching or research of one
particular school.
(b)The Irish Research e-Library (IReL) initiative funds a number of significant databases of
relevance to the School. These include PsychINFO and PSYCArticles. Payment for IReL funded
resources does not come out of the School’s budget. (See Appendix 1 for full listing of relevant
IReL resources for Psychology)
9.0 Stock Review
In line with UCD library policy (section 12.2 of the Information Resources Development Policy),
print resources are reviewed regularly to ensure currency and relevance. As a result, decisions will
be made in conjunction with the School regarding the permanent disposal of items as well as the
removal of items from the open shelves to closed storage.
10.0 Future Considerations
The Library is committed to aligning the provision of information resources to the strategic
priorities of the School. Identification of best practice will facilitate effective resource
management to support the teaching and research of the School. Issues impacting on current
planning include:
 Future trends in social science and medical research.
 The development of inter-disciplinary and thematic research
 The provision of lifelong learning and information skills to library users
11.0 Review of Policy
This policy is intended to be an active document designed to help with information resource
development and assessment in support of School teaching and research priorities. The School
Head (or the designated Library liaison) and the Liaison Librarian will review this document on an
ongoing basis to ensure its relevance to School interests. The Liaison Librarian (Lorna Dodd –
Lorna.Dodd@ucd.ie) welcomes comments and suggestions regarding the evolution of this policy
Policy created: January 2010
Last amendment date of policy:
12.0 Contributors
Mrs. Lorna Dodd
Dr. Eilis Hennessy
Appendices
Appendix 1
IReL Resources of interest to School
Academic Search Premier
Provides full text access to more than 3,430 scholarly publications in the humanities, social
sciences, language and linguistics, arts and literature. Time span: 1965 onwards. The database
is updated daily.
Cambridge Journals Online
Provides full text access to almost 200 journals in the sciences, humanities and social sciences.
InformaWorld (Taylor & Francis)
A provider of specialist information to the global academic & scientific, professional and
commercial communities via publishing, events and performance improvement.
Dissertations and Theses Abstracts
Providing details of over two million doctoral and master's theses, this is the single, central and
authoritative resource for North American theses. Covers works from 99 percent of US institutions
in addition to thousands of international titles. Includes significant, though patchy, European
content. Coverage: 1861 to present. Includes detailed abstracts for doctoral theses 1980 onwards
and for masters 1988 onwards.
ERIC
Education. Indexes journal articles, documents and reports. Time span: 1966 onwards.
Index to Theses
Indexes theses accepted for higher degrees by the Universities of Great Britain and Ireland.
Abstracts of PhD theses are included from 1970 onwards. Time span: theses accepted since
1716
Nexis UK
The single most powerful global news and business information service with over 20,000 sources of
authoritative news, company, financial and market research data.
Oxford Journals Online
Provides full text access to Oxford University Press titles. Time span: 1996-.
Oxford Reference Online
Offers access to over 150 of Oxford University Press' authoritative reference titles. Includes an
extensive range of language and subject dictionaries in addition to some General Reference titles.
Also includes key titles from the "Oxford Companion" Series which provide informative subject
overviews. View the complete list of titles in the Premium collection.
PsycARTICLES(CSA)
Full-text articles from journals published by the American Psychological Association, the APA
Educational Publishing Foundation, the Canadian Psychological Association, and Hogrefe & Huber
PsycINFO(CSA)
Provides access to international literature in psychology and related disciplines. Unrivaled in its
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depth of psychological coverage and respected worldwide for its high quality, the database is
enriched with literature from an array of disciplines related to psychology such as psychiatry,
education, business, medicine, nursing, pharmacology, law, linguistics, and social work. Nearly all
records contain nonevaluative summaries, and all records from 1967 to the present are indexed
using the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms.
Science Direct
Social science, science, technology and medicine - including veterinary medicine. Full text access
for UCD starts from 1995.
Web of Knowledge
Web of Knowledge from ISI provides access to several products including: Web of Science, ISI
Proceedings, Journal Citation Reports, Essential Science Indicators and ISI HighlyCited.com. A range
of online tutorials for various aspects of Web of Science is available.
Wiley Interscience
Now incorporates the Blackwell journal collection including humanities and social science subjects
and also covers the Current Protocols series, full text journals (time span: 1799 onwards)
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Appendix 2
Book Ordering Process