Collection Policy: Biology
1. Introduction
The Library supports the instructional and research needs of students and faculty
working within the Department of Biology. Over the years, Biology has offered a diverse
selection of programs including a 3 year Bachelor of Science Biology and Geography
joint major (1977-1999); a 4 year Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Medical
Laboratory Sciences (1991-1999); a certificate in Bio Health Sciences which was offered
through distance education (1997-1999), and a Health Sciences elective stream which
was offered from 2003 to 2006. In conjunction with the Department of Psychology, a 3
year B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Biology was offered from 1970-1986. The
Department of Biology currently offers several programs leading to a Bachelor, Honours
Bachelor, or Master of Science degree in Biology: The Department of Anthropology
currently offers several programs leading to a Bachelor or Honours Bachelor of Arts,
Bachelor or Honours Bachelor of Science, or Master of Science interdisciplinary degree:

Bachelor of Science – Biology major (3 year)

Honours Bachelor of Science – Biology major (4 year)

Bachelor of Science – Biology major (4 year non-direct entry program)

Honours Bachelor of Science – Biology and Chemistry majors (4 year)

Bachelor of Science – Biology and Chemistry majors (4 year non-direct entry
program)

Bachelor of Science – Natural Science major – (3 year)

Bachelor of Science – Natural Science major – college transfer program

Bachelor of Science – Natural Science major/Honours Bachelor of Outdoor
Recreation (4 year)

Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies – Biology major (4 year)

Applied Bio-Molecular Science major (interdisciplinary program)

Concurrent programs with Education

Interdisciplinary minor concentration in Northern Studies

Master of Science in Biology

The Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies offers an interdisciplinary PhD
in Biotechnology.

The Faculty of Natural Resources Management offers a PhD in Forest Sciences
which includes faculty members from Biology who may supervise doctoral
students.
The Chancellor Paterson Library is the main location for the biology collection. The
Education Library provides some support material in the areas of introductory biology;
ecology; botany; zoology; and vertebrates, particularly mammals. The Lakehead Orillia
campus library contains a limited collection of monographs in support of biology
research and students are able to request additional print resources from Thunder Bay
when required.
The Northern Studies Resource Centre (NSRC) contains collections which support
biology research related to the areas of northern Ontario, northern Canada, and the
circumpolar north worldwide. Examples include newsletters of the Thunder Bay Field
Naturalists, guides to forest plants and forest ecosystem classifications, ecology of parks
and protected areas, and zoological studies of fish, birds and mammals.
The Health Sciences Library of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) also
contains resources which support research in the health sciences aspect of biology.
2. History of the Collection
Biology students are encouraged to select courses which are congruent with one of the
following streams: a) cell and molecular biology or b) ecology, evolution and
environmental biology. Courses within the cell and molecular biology stream include:
animal physiology, biochemistry, plant physiology, issues in biotechnology, food
microbiology, endocrinology, and neurochemistry. Courses within the ecology, evolution
and environmental biology stream include: plant ecology, biogeography, invertebrate
zoology, mammalogy, biology of fishes, ornithology, herpetology, and limnology. The
Library’s print monograph collection is well established and provides a solid foundation
of materials in support of these subject areas. In addition, print monograph holdings are
being supplemented by a growing collection of electronic books.
The Department of Biology consistently strives to select material evenly across the
subcategories within the Biology discipline. This approach has helped to maintain
currency throughout the collection and to build up the subject areas in a uniform
fashion. Acquisitions in recent years have focused on a wide scope of topics including
the following: vertebrates (ornithology, herpetology); invertebrates (insects); plant
physiology; ecology; animal biochemistry; immunology; biotechnology; and evolution.
3. Languages
English (or translation into English) is the primary language of the collection.
4. Chronological Guidelines
There are no chronological restrictions. Both current and historical material will be
collected.
5. Geographical Guidelines
There are no geographical restrictions.
6. Types of Material
The Library actively collects monographs, journals, and reference materials. The Library
has been a depository library for federal government documents since 1967 and a
depository of Ontario government publications since 1972. Conference proceedings,
dissertations and theses, annual reports and other serial publications are acquired
selectively.
The predominant format for monographs is print although the Library is actively
building the electronic book collection. The predominant format for journals and
government documents is electronic. Material in other formats such as microform, CDROM and DVD are available in the collection but are not actively acquired.
7. Subject Areas/Levels
(4 levels: basic, initial study, advanced study, research)
* Basic level: a selective collection which serves to introduce and define the subject.
* Initial study level: a collection which is adequate to support undergraduate
courses.
* Advanced study level: a collection which is adequate to support the course work of
advanced undergraduate and master's degree programs, or sustained independent
study.
* Research level: a collection which includes the major published source materials
required for dissertations and independent research.
The subject organization below follows the Library of Congress Classification Outline,
Class Q – Science, Class R – Medicine, Class S – Agriculture, and Class T - Technology.
The chart below reflects library monograph holdings in both print and electronic format.
#
Subjects
LC Class
Current
Level
Target
Level
QH – Natural History: Biology
1
General– includes nature conservation
& microscopy ( includes Limnology)
QH 1-278.5
Advanced
Advanced
2
Biology (general)
QH 301-353
Advanced
Advanced
3
Evolution
QH 359-425
Initial
Advanced
4
Genetics (includes molecular genetics)
QH 426-470
Initial
Advanced
5
Reproduction, Morphogenesis,
Regeneration
QH 471-499
Basic
Initial
6
Life (includes molecular biology)
QH 501-531
Initial
Advanced
7
Ecology
QH 540-549.5
Advanced
Advanced
8
Cytology – formation, function,
structure of cells
QH 573-671
Initial
Initial
9
Economic biology
QH 705-705.5
Basic
Basic
QE 760.8899.2
Basic
Initial
QE – Geology
10 Paleozoology
#
11
Subjects
Paleobotany
LC Class
QE901-996.5
Current
Level
Target
Level
Basic
Initial
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Advanced
Initial
Advanced
Basic
Advanced
Basic
Initial
QK – Botany
12
General (includes molecular botany)
QK 1-474.5
13
Spermatophyta, Phanerogams,
Cryptogams
QK 474.8-638
14
Plant anatomy, Plant physiology, Plant
ecology
QK 640-989
QL – Zoology
15
General
QL 1-355
16
Invertebrates- includes insects (Aquatic
Entomology)
QL 360-599.82
17
Vertebrates. Chordates. Study of fishes
(Ichthyology), birds(Ornithology),
mammals (Mammalogy), amphibians &
reptiles (Herpetology)
QL 605-739.8
18
Animal behaviour (includes
Parasitology)
QL 750-795
19
Morphology (form & structure of
organisms)
QL 799-799.5
20 Anatomy
QL 801-950.95
Current
Level
Target
Level
QL 951-991
Basic
Initial
22 General
QM 1-511
Basic
Initial
23 Regional anatomy (head, trunk, limbs)
QM 531-549
Basic
Initial
24 Human & comparative histology
QM 550-577.8
Basic
Advanced
25 Human embryology
QM 601-695
Basic
Basic
Advanced
Advanced
#
21
Subjects
Embryology
LC Class
QM – Human Anatomy
QP – Physiology
General – tissues, blood, heart,
26 nutrition, glands, musculoskeletal
system (includes Endocrinology)
QP 1-345
27 Neurophysiology & neuropsychology
QP 351-495
Advanced
Advanced
28 Animal biochemistry
QP 501-801
Initial
Initial
Basic
Advanced
Basic
Advanced
QR – Microbiology
General (includes Pathogenic
29 Bacteriology and molecular
microbiology)
30
Bacteria, Cyanobacteria (includes
Microbial Physiology)
QR 1-74.5
QR 74.8-99.8
#
Subjects
Current
Level
Target
Level
Basic
Advanced
Initial
Advanced
QR 355-502
Basic
Initial
R856-857
Basic
LC Class
31
Microbial ecology, Microbiological
chemistry, Microorganisms (includes
food microbiology)
QR 100-177
32
Immunology, Pathogenic
microorganisms
QR 180-353.5
33 Virology
R – Medicine
34 Biomedical engineering
35
Environmental health - waste,
sanitation, emissions
RA 565-600
36 Toxicology
RA 1190-1270
37 Neurosciences – Neurobiology
Initial
Initial
Research
RC 321 - 571
Advanced
Advanced
S 1-972
Advanced
Advanced
Initial
Initial
Initial
Initial
S – Agriculture (General)
38 Agriculture- soils, crops, conservation
SB – Plant Culture
General- economic botany,
39 biotechnology, seed technology,
hydroponics, crops, horticulture
SB 1- 353.5
40 Fruit culture. Flower culture.
SB 354-450.87
Current
Level
Target
Level
SB 450.9-486
Initial
Initial
SB 599-998
Initial
Initial
43 Animals. Birds. Reptiles.
SF 1-515
Basic
Basic
44 Insects
SF 517-597
Basic
Basic
45 Veterinary medicine
SF 600-1100
Basic
Basic
Advanced
Advanced
#
Subjects
41
Gardens. Parks – theory.
42 Pests and disease
LC Class
SF – Animal Culture
SH – Aquaculture. Fisheries.
46 Aquaculture
SH 1-191
47 Fisheries
SH 201-399
Initial
Initial
TP 248.13248.65
Initial
Res
TP – Chemical Technology
48
Biotechnology - manufacture and use of
chemicals
8. Interdisciplinary Activities
There is interdisciplinary activity with the Department of Chemistry, the Division of
Environmental Studies, and the School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Tourism as
programs from each of these disciplines are offered in conjunction with biology as a
joint major. The Department of Biology administers an interdisciplinary program in
Applied Bio-Molecular Science which is comprised of Biology, Chemistry, and
Anthropology and is a participant in the PhD lin Biotechnolgoy graduate program.
Numerious Biology courses are cross-listed with the School of Kinesiology. The
Department of Biolgoy offers concurrent programs with the Faculty of Education.
9. Strengths/Weaknesses
The monograph collection is strong in the areas of general biology, ecology, and botany.
It also contains substantial holdings relating to vertebrates and invertebrates. The print
collection is supplemented by NetLibrary ebooks. NetLibrary contains some material on
all areas of biology, but is strongest in relation to zoology and physiology. The
monograph collection is weak in all subdivisions of microbiology. The collection would
also benefit from more resources relating to biotechnology and molecular research in
support of current and proposed graduate programs.
The journal collection for the Department of Biology is very strong and has an excellent
selection of journals in both print and electronic format. In addition to individual
journal subscriptions, the Library also receives additional print journals as part of their
membership with the American Fisheries Society. Electronic journal packages
containing a substantial number of journals relating to biology are Blackwell Synergy,
Sage Publications, Elsevier ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Wiley InterScience.
10.
Thunder Bay and Regional Resources
The collection of the Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) contains additional resources
at the undergraduate level. Support materials for mammalogy, ornithology, zoology, and
general biology & life sciences are particularly strong. The Challis Resource Library of
Confederation College contains a good selection of monographs and videocassettes
pertaining to biology & evolution, zoology, plant culture, and physiology/biochemistry.
11.
Internet Resources
The Library maintains links to biology resources on the Internet via the electronic
Biology subject guide.
12.
Liaison:
The Department of Biology is responsible for selecting appropriate library resources. A
library representative from the Department of Biology liaises with a designated
Collections Development Librarian with respect to the Department’s library budget, the
acquisition process and cancellation projects. It is the responsibility of the Collections
Development Librarian to ensure that relevant information regarding new publications
is forwarded to the Department’s library representative for consideration. The Library
welcomes donations of books and journals, which fall within its collection scope. Tax
receipts are issued on request only and only if the item is added to the collection.
13.
Weeding
Weeding will be done on an ongoing basis to preserve the quality, currency and strength
of the collection. Collection Development Librarians are responsible for weeding the
collection in their respective subject areas. When appropriate they will work with
teaching faculty to make informed decisions about the value of potentially discarded
materials.
March 2007
____________________
___________________
Library Representative
Collection Development Librarian
Department of Biology
____________________
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Date
Date