University of Waterloo Library
The accompanying Collection Development Policy statement is submitted by Tim Ireland,
Liaison Librarian for Psychology and is approved by the undersigned.
[signed]
[signed]
____________________________________
Associate University Librarian,
Information Resources & Services
______________________________
Department Chair
[signed]
[signed]
____________________________________
Liaison Librarian
______________________________
Faculty Library Representative
Date: 2006
Page 1 of 6
University of Waterloo Library
Collection Development Policy statement for Psychology.
Date Completed: July 12, 2006
Persons Responsible for Collection
The decision to select library materials is the responsibility of the Liaison Librarian, Tim Ireland, in consultation
with the Faculty Library Representative, Daneila O’Neill.
Department Description and Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to create a collection that will support teaching and research in Psychology from the
undergraduate to the Ph.D. level, and individual or group research at the faculty or post-doctoral level. The
graduate programme of the Department of Psychology is organized into six programme areas offering
specialization at the PhD level in Behavioural Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology,
Developmental Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and Social Psychology. Library holdings also
support the Master of Applied Science (MA Sc) degree in the areas of Behavioural Neuroscience, Educational
Psychology, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. A Master of Applied Science degree is also offered in the
areas of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Corrections, Developmental Disorders, Educational Psychology, Industrial
Psychology, Measurement, and Programme Evaluation and Rehabilitation.
Scope of Coverage
LANGUAGES
Library acquisitions in the field of psychology are primarily limited to English language materials. Occasionally
major works in western European languages are purchased.
GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS
Emphasis is on Canada, the United States, Great Britain and Western Europe. Psychological works published in or
translated into English from other areas of the world are purchased selectively.
CHRONOLOGICAL PERIOD
Emphasis is on contemporary psychological research and on materials published in the last 20 years. The Library
has an adequate collection of early major works in psychology and only occasional purchases are made in this area.
Types and Formats of Materials Collected
Monographs and anthologies, periodicals and other serials, including monographic serials, reference works such as
encyclopaedias, dictionaries, directories, indexes and abstracts, and guides. Government documents, if not acquired
by the Government Publications Librarian. Reports of non-governmental organizations such as research
laboratories, university departments, societies, proceedings or reports of conferences, symposia, international and
congresses. Dissertations and M.A. theses, cassettes and tapes are acquired only under very special circumstances.
Page 2 of 6
OTHER FACTORS
Occasionally, materials may be acquired which are on the borderline between psychology and other disciplines
such as Sociology, Biology, Kinesiology, and Recreation and Leisure Studies. A special profile has been created to
acquire materials not acquired by Management Sciences to support teaching and research in the
Industrial/Organizational Psychology area.
Subjects Collected
Levels of Collecting
(For further explanation about collecting levels see Appendix 1)
Adolescence
Altruism
Alzheimer’s Disease
Animal Psychology
Attitude and Adjustment
Attention
Behaviour Disorder
Biochemistry
Brain Stimulation
Boredom
Cardiovascular Processes
Case History
Chemical Senses
Child Behaviour
Cognitive Development
Communication
Community Services
Comparative Psychology
Conflict
Counselling and Guidance
Creativity
Criminal Profiling
Culture and Social Processes
Curriculum and Programs
Decision and Choice Behaviour
Depression
Deviant Behaviour
Education and Training
Environment Effects
Evil
Family Therapy
Genetics
Geriatrics
Group and Interpersonal Processes
Hospital Care & Institutionalization
Hypnosis and Suggestibility
Infancy
Intelligence
International Psychology
Job Satisfaction
Language
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Page 3 of 6
Law
Learning
Brain Lesions
Management & Consumer Psychology
Memory
Mental Disorders
Mental Health
Mental Retardation
Motivation and Emotion
Motor Performance
Mysticism & Prayer
Natural Observation
Neurology
Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Processes
OCD-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Parapsychology
Perception
Performance Appraisal & Personnel Management
Personality Measurement
Personality Traits and Processes
Philosophy
Physical Handicap
Physical Illness
Play Therapy
Professional Developments
Prosopagnosia (Inability to recognize faces)
Psychoanalytic Interpretation
Psychosomatic Disorder
Psychotherapy and Analysis
Reaction Time
Reading Abilities
Recognition
School Learning and Achievement
Selection and Placement
Sensory Physiology
Sexual Behaviour
Sleep, Fatigue, and Dreams
Smoking, Drug and Alcohol Use
Special Education
Speech Disorder
Stress
Task and Work Analysis
Theory and Systems
Vision
Vocational Choice & Guidance
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Research Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Instructional Support Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Research Level
Basic/Reference Level
Page 4 of 6
LC Subject Profile Psychology
Subject DESCRIPTION
LC Class
Psychology - general
Animal Behaviour
Developmental Physiology
Developmental Psychology
Educational Psychology
BF 1 - 990
QL 750 - 795
QP 83.8 - 87
BF 712 - 724.85
LB 1050.9 – 1091
LB 1101-1696.6
PB 1 - 431
BF 180 - 198.7
RA 776.9
RA 965.3
HF 5548
RA 418 - 418.5
R 726.5 - R 726.8
RA 790 - 790.95
QP 351 - 495
BF 698-698.9
HD 8038
BJ 1725
P 37 - 37.5
BF 176 - 176.5
BL 51 - 65
BF 692 - 692.5
BF 39 - 39.2
BF231 - 299
HC 10 - 79
HM 1001 - 1281
Educational Psychology (language)
Experimental Psychology
Health/Hygiene
Hospitals, Psychological Aspects
Industrial Psychology
Medical Sociology
Medicine and psychology
Mental health
Neurophysiology and neurophysiology
Personality
Professional Employees
Professional Ethics
Psycholinguistics
Psychological tests and testing
Psychology of religion
Psychology of sex
Psychometrics
Sensations
Social administration
Social Psychology
All collections are systematically reviewed for currency of information and to ensure that essential and important resources
are retained. Superseded editions and titles containing outdated information are withdrawn as necessary. Classic
retrospective materials are retained and preserved to serve the needs of historical research.
Adapted from RLG guidelines.
Other Resources Available
The Library explores opportunities for collaborative purchases with the Ontario Council of University Libraries
and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network.
Page 5 of 6
Appendix 1
Explanation of Levels of Collecting, adapted from RLG Guidelines
Out of Scope
Materials to support research and curricula in this subject area are not covered in this Collection Policy Statement.
Coverage of interdisciplinary subject areas and topics linked across departments can be identified with
references to other Collection Policy Statements.
Basic Information/Reference Level
The collection serves to introduce and define the subject. Only the most important reference works, general
surveys, the most significant works of major authors, and a limited selection of representative general periodicals
are collected.
Instructional Support Level (Undergraduate)
The collection supports all courses of undergraduate study. Materials collected include a wide range of reference
works, fundamental bibliographic tools, and an extensive collection of monographs and periodicals. Access to
owned or remotely-accessed electronic resources, including texts, journals, data sets, etc. is provided.
Research Level
The collection includes major published source materials required for master’s degree programmes, doctoral study
and independent research in the subject. All formats, including appropriate foreign-language titles, are acquired.
Historically important monographs, archival materials, and back-runs of serials are acquired as necessary.
Page 6 of 6