Description
The collection is maintained by Veterinary Medicine Library.
To support teaching and research in the College of Veterinary Medicine through, and beyond, the doctoral level, for the Departments of Comparative Biosciences, Veterinary Clinical Medicine, and Pathobiology, as well as practicing veterinarians within the state of Illinois. The veterinary collection also supports the information needs of related fields such as agriculture, biology, chemistry, health sciences and medicine, natural history, physical education, and psychology.
Revised March 2021
Statements
I. Collection Description
Purpose:
To support teaching and research in the College of Veterinary Medicine through, and beyond, the doctoral level, for the Departments of Comparative Biosciences, Veterinary Clinical Medicine, and Pathobiology, as well as practicing veterinarians within the state of Illinois. The veterinary collection also supports the information needs of related fields such as agriculture, biology, chemistry, health sciences and medicine, natural history, physical education, and psychology.
History of Collection:
In October 1947, the Senate Library Committee allocated $1,000 for the purchase of books in the field of veterinary medicine for fiscal year 1948. In the spring of 1948, fourteen cases of books were transferred from the University of Illinois College of Medicine Library in Chicago to the College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana. The Veterinary Medicine Building was completed in January 1952. At that time, the monographs held by the College of Veterinary Medicine, the serials related to veterinary medicine held by the Agricultural Library were transferred to the new building. This was a collection of 130 journal titles bound into 2,923 volumes, 1,727 cataloged separates, and 89 foreign dissertations for a total of 4,339 pieces. On February 4, 1952, the first day of spring semester, the University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine Library began offering public service hours. In January 1983, the veterinary medicine collection of 23,892 items was transferred to the new Veterinary Medicine Library, 1257 Veterinary Medicine Basic Sciences Building. Integrated into this collection were 3,586 pieces from the main library Bookstacks for a total of 27,500 pieces.
In 2016, the Veterinary Medicine Library underwent a substantial renovation, in which two-thirds of the library’s space was returned to the College of Veterinary Medicine in order to create a classroom, conference rooms, and study space. In accordance with this renovation, approximately 13,000 volumes were transferred to the Oak Street Storage Facility, which left 2,300 volumes housed within the Veterinary Medicine Library. The items remaining in the library included course reserves, items with the highest circulation, and newly published items not available electronically. A self-service model was implemented at this time, whereby patrons use a dedicated computer terminal to check out materials to themselves.
Estimate of Holdings:
2,800 print items within the Veterinary Medicine Library (as of December 2020). Much more is held in the Oak Street Facility, and to a lesser degree in Main Stacks, but it is very difficult to estimate an accurate number for those locations. Most journals are held electronically, making it difficult to estimate a number, as many are purchased in packages.
State, Regional and National Importance:
The veterinary medicine collection is the only collection of its kind in the state and one of only 32 (as of 2020) in the nation.
Responsibility for Collecting:
The Veterinary Medicine & Life Sciences Librarian is responsible for collecting and managing materials in the subject area of veterinary medicine.
Location of Materials:
Current and most frequently used textbooks, especially those available only in print, are housed in the Veterinary Medicine Library. Current issues of select journals are housed in the Funk ACES Library. Older editions of textbooks and print journal issues are stored in the Oak Street Facility.
Citations of Works Describing the Collection:
Ash, Lee. Subject Collections. 5th ed. New York: Bowker, 1978, p. 1126.
Endowments and Gift Funds that Support this Collection:
Albert endowment
Huber endowment
Levine endowment
Williams endowment
Veterinary Medicine Library gift funds
II. General Collection Guidelines
Languages:
English is the dominant language of the collection. English translations, if they are available, are preferred to the original foreign language work.
Chronological Guidelines:
No restrictions.
Geographical Guidelines:
Worldwide scope.
Electronic Resources Guidelines:
In most cases, electronic formats are preferred over print. For eBooks, the terms of acquisition should be DRM-free and should allow for ownership and multiple simultaneous user access; exceptions may be made at the discretion of the librarian. Given the importance of the veterinary medicine collection in the state, the ability to share print books via Interlibrary Loan is also a consideration. For bibliographic databases, journals, magazines, and datasets, online access is strongly preferred but only if online access is through campus IP addresses or campus authentication; resource-specific logins and passwords cannot be accommodated.
Treatment of Subject:
Emphasis is on scholarly treatment rather than popularization; however, historical and biographical works are collected selectively. Companion animal literature on care, grooming, and/or showing are not typically acquired. Materials from interdisciplinary areas are collected selectively as they pertain to veterinary medicine. Clinical medicine, pharmacology, and toxicology are collected primarily as related to animals but in some cases as related to humans.
Types of Materials:
Appropriate primary and secondary works, bibliographic, and reference materials are acquired. Audio-visual materials are collected selectively. See Electronic Resources Guidelines for further information.
Date of Publication:
Current materials are emphasized, but retrospective works are acquired on a selective basis. New and revised editions of important works are purchased when new explanatory or primary material is introduced.
Place of Publication:
No restrictions.
III. Collection Scope by Dewey Subject Classifications
| 100s | Philosophy & Psychology | |
| 179 | Other ethical norms | Selective; pertaining to animal rights and welfare |
| 300s | Social Sciences | |
| 340 | Law | Selective; pertaining to animal rights and welfare |
| 500s | Science | |
| 573 | Specific physiological systems in animals, regional histology and physiology in animals | Selective; pertaining to veterinary care and treatment |
| 590 | Animals (Zoology) | Selective; pertaining to animal health and welfare |
| 600s | Technology | |
| 610 | Medicine & health | Selective; pertaining to veterinary care and treatment |
| 636 | Animal husbandry | Selective; pertaining to animal health and welfare, veterinary care and treatment |
| 639 | Hunting, fishing and conservation | Selective; pertaining to animal health and welfare |
IV. Collection Scope by Library of Congress Subject Classifications
| B | Philosophy, Psychology, Religion | |
| BJ | Ethics | Selective; pertaining to animal rights and welfare |
| BF660-685 | Comparative psychology. Animal and human psychology | |
| K | Law | |
| K3615-3622 | Veterinary laws. Veterinary medicine and hygiene. Prevention of cruelty to animals | |
| Q | Science | |
| QH | Natural history – Biology | Selective; pertaining to veterinary care and treatment |
| QL | Zoology | Selective; pertaining to veterinary care and treatment |
| QP | Physiology | Selective; pertaining to veterinary care and treatment |
| QR | Microbiology | Selective; pertaining to veterinary care and treatment |
| R | Medicine | |
| RA | Public aspects of medicine | Selective; pertaining to animal health and welfare |
| RB | Pathology | Selective; pertaining to veterinary care and treatment |
| RM | Therapeutics. Pharmacology | Selective; pertaining to veterinary care and treatment |
| S | Agriculture | |
| SF | Animal culture | Selective; pertaining to animal health and welfare |
| SF600-1100 | Veterinary medicine | |
| T | Technology | |
| TS2284-2288 | Animal feeds and feed mills. Pet food industry | Selective; pertaining to animal health and welfare |