UCD Library / UCD School of Philosophy
Information Resources Policy
UCD School of Philosophy
Library Information Resources Policy
Contents
Page Number
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3
2. The Profile of the School of Philosophy ................................................................................. 3
3. Scope ...................................................................................................................................... 4
4. Budget .................................................................................................................................... 5
5. Selection of Resources ........................................................................................................... 5
6. Relationships with other Schools, Colleges and Universities ............................................... 8
7. Special Collections ................................................................................................................. 8
8. Donations ............................................................................................................................... 9
9. Library Support for resource use ........................................................................................... 9
10. Stock Review ........................................................................................................................ 9
11. Future Considerations.......................................................................................................... 9
12. Review of Policy ................................................................................................................... 9
13. Contributors ....................................................................................................................... 10
Appendices............................................................................................................................... 11
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UCD Library/UCD School of Philosophy : Information Resources Policy Document
School of Philosophy
Liaison Librarian: Lorna Dodd
1. Introduction
The Information Resources Policy for the School of Philosophy 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 teaching and research.
1.2 Audience
The policy is aimed at academic and research staff from the UCD School of Philosophy and relevant
staff from 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
UCD School of Philosophy 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. The Profile of the School of Philosophy
The School is home to approximately 14 academic and administrative staff, 3 postdoctoral students
and 20 part-time tutors, and hosts a regular visiting speakers’ series. It has a distinguished record of
teaching and research in all three of its subject areas, and is recognized as one of the top ten
philosophy schools in the English Speaking World for graduate studies in Twentieth Century
Continental Philosophy.
The School has approximately 300 students at Level One, and around 100 students choose to
continue philsophy to BA level. At postgraduate level, approximately 20-25 students follow the one
year taught MA programmes (of which there are five in all). Approximately 40 students read for the
Ph.D
2.1 Subject specialisms
Course offerings and staff research interests can be found on the School’s website at
http://www.ucd.ie/philosophy/index.html
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UCD Library/UCD School of Philosophy : Information Resources Policy Document
2.2 Other Users
Courses offered by the School have a high level of uptake among students from other disciplines
across the university (as electives). There is also a high uptake by Erasmus, JYA, and visiting
international students.
3. 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:

Modern European Philosophy: Aesthetics, Contemporary French Philosophy, Ethics,
Critical Theory, Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, Philosophy of Consciousness,
Philosophy of Embodiment, Social and Political Philosophy.

Analytic Philosophy: Cognitive Science, Contemporary American Philosophy, Ethics,
Epistemology, Critical Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Action, Philosophy
of Language, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science.

Classical Philosophy: Ancient Philosophy, Mediaeval Philosophy, Classical and Classically
oriented Ethics and Philosophy of Being.

History of Philosophy: In addition to the topics listed above, areas treated historically as
well as critically include British Empiricism, Continental Rationalism, German Idealism and
Pragmatism.
3.2 Location
The majority of physical resources are located on Level 2 of the James Joyce library. All UCD
students and staff in possession of a valid student or staff card can access and borrow from any of
these branch libraries.
3.3 Classification
UCD Library uses the Dewey Decimal system to classify material in all formats. The primary
classification range for Philosophy is 100-149 and 160-199.
3.4 Editions
For the philosophy collection, the emphasis is on critical editions of primary and secondary sources
for staff and postgraduate researchers, and (where this is not feasible for undergraduates) on
student editions. So far as is possible, the school strives to maintain and expand primary texts in the
original language of publication as well as in English translation.
3.5 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 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.html
3.6 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”. The Philosophy
reference section is located on Level 2 of the James Joyce Library.
3.7 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.
4. 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 Philosophy 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 5 Colleges of UCD
 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.
Other sources of funding:
(a) A number of multi-disciplinary electronic resources are purchased via a top-sliced Library fund
dedicated to the purchasing of items not tied to the teaching or research of one particular school
(b)The Irish Research e-Library (IReL) funds a number of significant databases of relevance to the
School, including Philosopher’s Index and The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Payment for
IReL funded resources does not come out of the School’s budget. (See also page 8 and Appendix 1
for a full listing of School of Philosophy relevant IReL resources). Further information on IReL is
available on its website at http://www.irelibrary.ie
5. Selection of Resources
School-Library Liaison Representative (SLLR): Dr. Tim Mooney
5.1 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 the School of Philosophy. The purchase of materials in all formats
will be based on a proactive partnership to ensure a balanced and representative collection.
5.2 Procedure for purchase
Please see Appendix 2 for a diagram illustrating the book ordering process.
5.2.1 Items recommended 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.
5.2.2 Research material: Material required to support School research will be purchased
when possible. Purchase requests will be based on the research interests of the School staff
the professional expertise and knowledge of the Liaison Librarian.
5.2.3 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
The Liaison Librarian monitors usage of the collection and will order replacement or 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
5.2.4 Reading list items: Reading lists will be given to the Liaison Librarian prior to the start
of each semester, using the agreed procedures for collection of module reading lists. Where
possible, items on reading lists will be purchased and placed in the most appropriate
collection area (General collection or long loan, Week loan, or Short Loan Collection),
depending on class size and numbers of copies. For items that are difficult to source or quite
expensive, 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. At present, there are some financial constraints in the
library budget as a result of university cutbacks and the wider national economic situation.
The School will be kept informed of the library’s financial situation and included in the
strategies used to purchase and maintain resources.
5.2.5 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 of Philosophy will continue to identify relevant
electronic databases which support the work of the school. A full listing of electronic
resources is available at https://librarysearch.ucd.ie/
 Most library’s electronic material is available both on and off campus via Findit @
UCD Library.
 Individual databases and electronic journals are accessible in an A-Z listing via Findit
by selecting the Database and Journals tabs.
 Electronic material is also available via the “My Library” tab in UCD Connect.
View relevant material via the Philosophy subject portal on the UCD Library website:
http://www.ucd.ie/library/subject_portals/philosophy/index.html
5.2.6 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.
These IReL funded resources are reviewed regularly, and subscriptions are based on a
“value for money” model – using usage statistics as a measure of “value”. Ongoing
promotion of these resources to students and staff, by both the School of Philosophy and
UCD Library is therefore required to maximize usage and so ensure, where possible,
continual funding of these resources by IReL.
Key databases of relevance to the School, funded via the IReL initiative include:





Philosopher’s Index
Patrologica Latina (PQ)
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy
International Medieval Biography
Cambridge online Journals
A complete list of IReL funded resources can be found at
http://www.ucd.ie/library/electronic_resources/irel/
Appendix 1 lists interdisciplinary resources funded by IReL that may also be of benefit to the
School of Philosophy.
5.2.7 Journals: 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
Philosophy. 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
Online availability
Cost
Savings
Individual electronic journals are accessible https://librarysearch.ucd.ie/ and via UCD
Connect “My Library”.
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.
5.2.8 Series:
The Library continues to purchase individual monographs published within specific series
that hold relevance to both teaching and learning interests in the School of Philosophy.
5.3 Material published by the School of Philosophy:
The following journals are edited within the School of Philosophy:
 International Journal of Philosophical Studies
 Perspectives: International Postgraduate Journal of Philosophy
It is policy that the library will continue to receive current issues of these journals and maintain the
complete holdings of each journal.
6. Relationships with other Schools, Colleges and Universities
6.1. Internal
Interdisciplinary teaching and research is significant across the School of Philosophy. The Library
provides subject and liaison support for a range of subjects of relevance to the School including:
Classics, Cognitive Science, English, History, Modern Languages, Medicine, Law, Psychology, Politics,
Sociology and Applied Social Science. As a result of multiple user groups accessing the resources,
usage is closely monitored.
6.2 External
The UCD-Trinity Innovation Alliance aims to build on areas of combined strength and individual
distinctiveness on the two respective campuses.
The ‘Dublin Gradate Philosophy Programme’ will impact on 4th level PhD training in the School and
the Library will seek to ensure that research resources have sufficient depth and breadth to meet
these requirements.
7. Special Collections
Special Collections contains items inherited by UCD’s antecedent institutions, the Catholic University
of Ireland and the Royal University of Ireland, and consists of items mainly published before 1851. In
some cases, items of significance from 1851 onwards are also collected. The School of Philosophy
and the Liaison Librarian work closely with the Special Collections librarian to support the research of
the School. The website contains further information and is accessible here:
http://www.ucd.ie/library/special_collections/index.html. Collections of particular relevance to the
School of Philosophy are outlined below.
7.1 Printed Material
Most of the works have been inherited from the Catholic University of Ireland collection. These
include:
 Duns Scotus’ In universam Aristotelis logicam exactissimae quaestiones (published in Venice
in 1586)
 Aristotelian Metaphysics, Commentaria doctoris subtilis Joan. Scoti in. xi j. li. Metaphysice
Aristo.Emendata … (published Venice 1501).
 A collection of Thomas Aquinas’ work, including a version of his Summa Theologica,
published in Naples in 1625.
8. Donations
The following donations of material are welcome:
 Books / collections to supplement/augment holdings in the General Collection.
 Rare books / first editions to strengthen Special Collection holdings
 Manuscripts and papers of significant literary interest.
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
9. 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
maximize exploitation of key Philosophy sources using accepted international frameworks for
information skills delivery to support undergraduate teaching, academic research and postgraduate
studies.
The Library will work with the School to:
 Identify the level and detail of training required
 Identify a suitable place within the timetable to deliver training at point of need
 Identify the most suitable delivery mechanism
 Evaluate the training’s impact on assignment quality via assessment
10. 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.
11. 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 humanities research.
 The development of inter-disciplinary and thematic research
 The provision of lifelong learning and information skills to library users
12. 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:
13. Contributors
School of Philosophy
Dr. Tim Mooney
Prof. Maeve Cooke
Dr. Tim Crowley
UCD Library
Mrs. Lorna Dodd
Mrs. Ursula Byrne
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.
Annual Reviews
Authoritative, analytic reviews in 32 focused disciplines within the Biomedical, Physical, and Social
Sciences. Time span: 1932 onwards.
ARTstor
ARTstor is a collection of over 550,000 digital images offering a broad view of art, architecture and
all aspects of visual and material culture, as well asarchaeological and anthropological objects.
User benefits include the facility to browse, search and view images and their associated data; to
create, save and share groups of images; to develop presentations on-line and off-line; to create
web-pages and study guides; to upload personal images and sound files.
Cambridge UP Journals Online
Provides full text access to almost 200 journals in the sciences, humanities and social sciences
published by Cambridge University Press.
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.
Film Index International
A major information resource for entertainment films and personalities produced in collaboration
with the British Film Institute. With a scholarly, inclusive approach to all areas of film studies - from
the very first silent movies, to art house classics or the latest blockbusters - Film Index International
provides truly international coverage, indexing films from over 170 countries going back over
seventy years.
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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
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.
Project Muse
Project Muse provides full text access to over 300 scholarly journals, published by more than 60
publishers, in the humanities, arts and social sciences.
Sage
Sage journals online includes over 400 journals in the fields of business, humanities, social
sciences, and science, technology and medicine. Access: 1999 onwards.
Science Direct
Social science, science, technology and medicine - including veterinary medicine. Full text access
for UCD starts from 1995.
Springerlink
The premier electronic data source from Springer for researchers in humanities, biomedicine, life
science, clinical medicine, physics, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and economics.
Now also contains all former Kluwer Academic journals but does NOT contain titles from Brill
Academic Publisher). Time span: 1840 –
Taylor and Francis
Multidisciplinary resource. Coverage includes the humanities, biosciences, business, environmental
sciences, 08/08/2008pure and applied science and technology, social science, urban planning,
psychology and law. Access to the full text of over 1200 journals published by Taylor & Francis.
Time span: 1997Web 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
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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)
Wilson Omnifile
A multidisciplinary database that provides index references and abstracts for over 4,000
periodicals, as well as access to full text from over 2,100 titles, including Art Full Text, Social
Sciences Full Text, Biological & Agricultural Index Plus and Index to Legal Periodicals Full Text.
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Appendix 2
Book Ordering Process
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