Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Medicine

Factors Influencing Collection Policy

A. Anticipated Future Trends 
The literature of medicine is rapidly outdated. Collecting should follow and anticipate, when possible, major medical trends and developments. Collections should also reflect significant curricular changes, new and emerging areas of medicine and medical practice, the nature of on-going health science research, and the establishment of new services and programs such as the new online Masters in Public Health and Department of Biomedical Engineering. Publishing in osteopathic medicine seems to have decreased in recent years. There are only a few books in osteopathic medicine published per year and few journals are currently active. Anticipated new types of resources such as diagnostic and point-of-care tools, question banks for licensure exams, and virtual patient cases may take up a growing portion of the available budget.


B. Relationships with Other Libraries and Resources
MSU Law Library

Materials related to legal aspects of medicine, particularly malpractice and texts with lawyers as their primary audience, are collected primarily by the MSU Law College Library. However, because medico-legal issues and ethics are a component of medical education at MSU the Libraries’ selectively purchases books in this area according to need, interest, and faculty recommendations. The medico-legal collection at the Main Library has focused on the areas of: right-to-die debates, ethical considerations, organ donation, reproductive rights, historical information, forensic medicine, and healthcare law.

College-Run Resource Centers

CHM operates the Bob Echt Computer and Learning Center in the Clinical Center and the Learning Resource Center at the Secchia Center. At these locations are some required course materials as well as a number of computers. These materials are purchased by the college and not the Libraries.

Similarly, COM has The Kobiljak Resource Center (KRC) and the Kobiljak Computer Center (KCC) as interactive educational facilities within the College of Osteopathic Medicine and additional resource centers at the Detroit and Macomb SE Michigan campuses. The Resource Center houses selected osteopathic textbooks and journals, class readings, and audiovisual materials. The Kobiljak Computer Center (KCC) provides technical support and access to computer-based instructional software.

Community Hospitals

Unlike most academic medical centers, MSU has no separate medical library nor is there a University hospital. Students in their clinical clerkships, residents, and faculty at the community hospitals rely heavily on their hospital libraries and interlibrary services. Credentialed librarians are given adjunct status with MSU Libraries.

National Network of Libraries of Medicine

The MSU collection is a component of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region (NN/LM GMR). The MSU Libraries serves as a Resource Library for the region, supporting hospital libraries and other libraries through interlibrary loan via DOCLINE.

Big Ten Academic Alliance

MSU and its Libraries are a member of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA). Consortial purchases with the BTAA have added important online resources to the biomedical and clinical collections, especially large journal and ebook packages. There are additional consortial purchases with members of the Michigan Health Sciences Libraries Association. Digitized interlibrary reciprocity with the BTAA libraries as well as other renowned research collections is an additional benefit to MSU patrons seeking medical literature.

C. Relationships to Resources Treated in Other Policy Statements

The following policies all cover collection in areas that can have a medical component.  Materials on medical subjects from an economic, political, historical, humanities, or philosophical viewpoint will be purchased primarily with those funds.