SFU Library Health Sciences collections policy

The Faculty of Health Sciences was established in September 2004. This is a multi-disciplinary faculty with broad areas of research. Much of the focus is on public health and epidemiology.

The Faculty of Health Sciences offers two graduate degrees: a Masters of Science (MSc) in Population and Public Health, and a Masters of Arts in Global Health, These programs prepare both established professionals and recent graduates for positions of leadership in health research and in the health professions, meeting a rapidly growing need in health care across Canada. The Faculty also offers and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Sciences, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences is currently being developed.

The SFU Library collects materials in the health sciences to support the courses, research, and goals of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Collection development is the responsibility of the Health Sciences Librarian. Liaison with the Faculty of Health Sciences is maintained through the Departmental Representative as well as with other faculty members when required. Regular contact with other liaison librarians and teaching departments is nurtured through the sharing of relevant review material.

SFU Resources

The W.A.C. Bennett Library is the major location for the University's Health Sciences collection. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the field, there is a wide overlap with other SFU Library collections such as statistics, kinesiology, psychology, and many other social sciences.

Regional Resources

The University of British Columbia also has a large Health Sciences collection representing many branches of the discipline.

Consortia and Document Delivery

SFU belongs to three consortia (Electronic Library Network; Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries; and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries). Document delivery agreements exist with all three of these consortia which allow delivery of journal articles and books from these libraries in a timely manner. Holdings and direct requesting from over 40 libraries are accessible through the Interlibrary Loan Web page and from many databases.

General Collection Guidelines

Subjects and Levels of Collecting

The following table lists the main subjects collected by the SFU Library in support of the Health Sciences teaching areas and research interests. Subjects listed are collected to varying depths. The method in which the library selects books on each subject is listed in the second column of the table. A designation of “Books” in this column means that items which fit the General Guidelines (above) for the subject in question are sent on an approval basis to the library. In such cases, a significant portion of the books on that topic will be acquired for the collection. A designation of “Forms,” on the other hand, means that only brief descriptions of the books on the subject in question are sent to the library. The liaison librarian, often with the assistance of the department or faculty representative or other faculty members, then selects the relevant items for acquisition by the library.