GENERAL STATEMENT

1. Description of Department and Programs

The Chemistry department offers undergraduate (B.A. and B.S.), masters and PH.D. level programs in all fields of chemistry and biochemistry through active research programs. The Chemistry Department offers master of arts degree programs in chemistry, and chemistry teacher (grades 7 through 12). Some courses may be creditable toward the CUNY doctoral degree. It's faculty participate very actively in the CUNY Ph.D. program in chemistry. The department has been traditionally very strong in physical, organic, and analytic chemistry and spectroscopy. Its principal concerns are theoretical organic and inorganic chemistry, solid state chemistry, instrumental analysis, and biochemistry. The Department also participates in the college's core curriculum through Core 7.1.

The B.S. degree program in Chemistry is intended for students planning a professional career in chemistry or biochemistry. These courses are intended for students planning a career in any of the following: the physical, chemical, or biological sciences; engineering; geology; medicine; dentistry; pharmacy; or health related fields such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, or nutrition. The B.A.degree program is intended for premedical and predental students, for students preparing for teaching in secondary school, and for others for whom a broad background in chemistry is desirable.

American Chemical Society Certification

The American Chemical Society recommends a program of study for students planning a career in chemistry. Chemistry majors who complete the curriculum described for the B.S degree in chemistry and who have taken selected courses including instrumental analysis (Chemistry 42) and inorganic chemistry (Chemistry 76.1) may receive American Chemical Society certification. Certified graduates are eligible to become members of the society after graduation; other chemistry graduates may become associate members after graduation and members after three years of professional experience in chemistry.

Library Resources in Chemistry

The library provides access to a wide range of chemistry journals online. They are accessible via the Chemistry subject page on the Library home page. This includes 39 journals from American Chemical Society, 22 journals from the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and several other journals that are freely accessible via the Internet. Journals from the American Institute of Physics (US), and Institute of Physics (UK), and American Physical Society are also available to chemists when needed via the Physics subject page.

The major indexing source for Chemistry literature is Chemical Abstracts. The library currently provides this database in print format due to excessive costs of acquiring it online. Other online science databases also offer citations to world literature in all aspects of chemistry. These include Applied Science and Technology Abstracts, and General Science Abstracts,. The Library is currently a participant in the Dialog@Carl consortium that offers several databases in Chemistry for students and faculty who are searching specialized literature in their disciplines. The online resources in particular have considerably increased the range of scholarly materials available to the faculty and doctoral students. The addition of subscriptions to online periodicals from major publishers (e.g. Wiley, Academic Press, Elsevier, etc.) has expanded the availability of chemistry materials to all students and faculty. As the online resources continue to flourish, electronic books are entering the online world giving patrons the opportunity to read the text of a book from their own computer terminals. Net Library, the e-books program at Brooklyn College, includes titles covering chemistry and the number of titles is expected to increase in the future. The Library has an extensive collection of circulating books and reference materials in all areas of chemistry for undergraduates, graduates and faculty that supplement the online items and provide full coverage of the chemical sciences. The strengths of the print collection are physical, organic, inorganic and analytical chemistry.

GENERAL APPROACH TO MATERIALS SELECTION

A. Acquisitions Strategy:

The Physical Sciences Librarian is responsible for collection development in Chemistry . The bibliographer maintains ongoing contact with the Chemistry Department library liaison regarding the resources suitable for the collection. The Department has requested that most of the chemistry titles ordered for the collection should be approved by the liaison to avoid depleting the Chemistry budget allocations with materials that are not relevant to department needs. The bibliographer regularly scans review publications, publishers catalogues, web sites, newspapers, and other sources to find materials for this multi-faceted discipline. Others come to the bibliographer's attention via interlibrary loan requests, and patron requests. The bibliographer examines and assesses the material for relevancy, price, and anticipated use and makes a decision independently or in collaboration with the department liaison.

B. Level of Difficulty

Materials acquired for the library range from the general materials used by undergraduates to the more scholarly technical and research publications used by graduate students and faculty. In all cases, the works should be well written, accurate, and suitable for the academic environment.

C. Languages:

Materials are collected primarily in English. Resources in other languages may be acquired based upon the bibliographers assessment of need and anticipated use.

D. Geographic Areas Included:

Resources on chemistry issues are produced worldwide in many countries. Geography is generally not a criterion for acquiring or rejecting a work. Chemistry is an integral part of science in all areas of the world. Scientific research cannot proceed without some elements of chemistry being present. Thus, geography or place of publication of a chemical work is not a consideration for acceptance or rejection of that work.

E. Current and Retrospective:

Chemical knowledge changes frequently as new findings and newer applications of chemistry to daily existence are revealed. However, many of the theories and concepts now in place, were discovered in earlier times. Therefore, classical works that are still the backbone of today's chemistry may be acquired if necessary. Current works issued within the last five years are vital to keeping the collection up to date and will be acquired as budgets permit.

F. Format of Materials Collected:

The library collects primarily monographs, conference proceedings, and periodicals in both print and electronic formats. Audiovisual materials related to Chemistry are acquired when requested by a faculty member for use in courses.

G. Reference Policy:

Reference materials in print and online include dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, and other works are generally used for looking up small amounts of information; they are not read or perused in entirety. The library has an extensive collection of reference materials in Chemistry to meet the needs of all users. These include encyclopedias, dictionaries, guides to the literature, reference works on the elements and/or specific compounds, and other related areas. These are heavily used by our students who find them essential for the facts and data they are seeking.

H. Duplication:

One copy of each resource is usually acquired. For heavily used materials that are checked out or consulted frequently, the bibliographer will make a decision regarding acquisition of additional copies if budgets allow.

I. Weeding Policy:

Outdated materials and earlier editions of works deemed obsolete or no longer applicable to course work or research will be withdrawn, except in those cases where they are retained for historical purposes.

Updated: March/2001
Prof. Irwin Weintraub