General policies and principles for the Library's collections are stated in the General Collection Development Policy.  

Purpose of the Collection

The purpose of collection activity in ecology, evolution and marine biology is to support instruction and research through the doctoral level in the Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology (EEMB) department and related centers and programs such as the Marine Science Institute (MSI), the National Center for Ecosystems Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER), and the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science.

Many interests of these units overlap with other departments and collections, such as Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Environmental Science; and Earth Science; so some collection activity may occur in these areas.

Academic Department/Program Description

EEMB offers B.S. degrees in four specialized subject areas: Aquatic Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Physiology, and Zoology. It also collaborates with the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology department to offer B.A. and B.S. degrees in Biological Sciences.

At the graduate level, EEMB offers M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology. The Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science offers M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Marine Science.

Subject Parameters

Scope & Subjects

Priority in collecting is given to areas of current faculty research and teaching, including, but not limited to: ecological physiology, ecosystems ecology, evolution, freshwater biology, marine biology/biological oceanography, population and community ecology, and terrestrial biology. For the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science and MSI research, materials on non-biological marine topics are also acquired, including materials on physical, chemical and geological oceanography.

Formats

Generally, electronic books are acquired for monographs unless available only in another format. To maximize limited resources, journals and indexes and abstracts are generally acquired in electronic format only, so long as they have reliable and perpetual access. In addition to the criteria used for judging print materials (authority, content, etc.) other factors are also considered with electronic materials. These include:

  • Method of access
  • Availability of interlibrary loan to other UC campuses: A print book will be purchased if it is not yet in the UC system.
  • Licensing requirements
  • Availability of, and perpetual access to, archives

Systemwide and Other Resources

In order to maximize our purchasing power, the vast majority of materials selected for ecology, evolution, and marine biology are purchased consortially with other UC campuses.  These include:

  • Databases, including BIOSIS Citation Index, Plant Science, Oceanic Abstracts, and Web of Science.
  • Monographs, including titles from Elsevier, Springer, and Wiley.
  • Serials, including titles from Elsevier, Springer, and Wiley.

Related Collection Development Policies

Given the interdisciplinary nature of ecology, evolution and marine biology, there is considerable consultation with other science collection specialists for acquisition of resources relevant to this field of study.

Subject librarian: Kristen LaBonte
Policy Last Updated: May 2015