SFU Library Mechatronic Systems Engineering collections policy

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Offered only at SFU Surrey, and one of the first programs of its kind in North America, Mechatronic Systems Engineering is a multidisciplinary engineering program that uniquely integrates three engineering fields – mechanical, electrical and software engineering – for the development of electromechanical products and systems.

The School of Mechatronics Systems Engineering provides the opportunity for study towards degrees at the BASc, MASc, and PhD levels. There are also two double degree options available to undergraduate students: MSE-Business (for BASc. and B.B.A. degrees) and MSE-Design (via a partnership with Kwantlen Polytechnic University).

Research by faculty and students tends to fall into the following categories: bio mechatronics, intelligent systems and control, energy systems, products and systems design, and micro and nano mechatronics.

Collection development is the responsibility of the Mechatronics Liaison Librarian. Liaison with the department is maintained through the departmental library representative and direct contact with other faculty members when required.

SFU Resources

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board Academic Library at the Surrey campus is the major location for the Mechatronics Systems Engineering collection. This collection is supplemented by the University's Engineering collection, which is located at WAC Bennett Library (Burnaby), as well as Computing Science locations at both the Surrey and Burnaby campuses. A significant number of our relevant scholarly books are purchased in e-book format, providing accessibility to these materials to a wide range of library users, regardless of physical location. SFU Library's e-book collection is complemented by our wide range of online resources such as journals and databases.

Regional Resources

The University of British Columbia also has a large Engineering collection covering many branches of the discipline. A range of Engineering standards beyond SFU's collection can be found at various academic libraries in the lower mainland.

Consortia and Document Delivery

The SFU Library benefits from active participation in several library consortia. Specifically, the SFU Library participates in the following:

• BC Electronic Library Network, representing 30 post-secondary libraries in BC
• Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL), representing 20 university libraries in western Canada
• Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN), representing 73 university libraries across Canada

Document delivery agreements exist with all three of these consortia which allow delivery of journals articles and books from these libraries in a timely manner.  Holdings and direct requesting from over 40 libraries are accessible through the Interlibrary Loan webpage and from many databases.

General Collection Guidelines

Language:   the emphasis is on the acquisition of materials in English.
Treatment of subject: history of, practical, political, computer applications, statistical/mathematical, economics of, business/management/administration, legal aspects, medical aspects, social aspects, teaching of college or postgraduate level, general, psychological aspects
Types of materials: collecting is split between books and journals, with an emphasis on e-journals and online resources.
Date of publication: emphasis is on current publications.  Retrospective acquisitions are normally only for the replacement of important titles which have deteriorated or disappeared.

Subjects and Levels of Collecting

The following table lists the main classes of Library of Congress Classification for areas collected by the SFU Library in support of the teaching areas and research interests in Mechatronics. The areas 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 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.