Guidelines for Nursing

Table of Contents

1. Purpose
2. General Collection Guidelines
    A. Language
    B. Chronology
    C. Geography
    D. Publication Date
    E. Treatment of Subject
    F. Types of Materials and Formats
3. Area Resources
4. Subjects and Collecting Levels

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1. Purpose.

Collections in Nursing support a research agenda consistent with the research enterprise at a Carnegie Research Intensive (Very High Research) institution with bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in the field. See specific collecting levels under section 4.

The School of Nursing offers the B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degree in nursing.  In addition, there are post-master’s certificate programs.  Many of the courses involve distance learning. The collection also supports patient care and research conducted by nursing staff at the VCU Health System.  The American Nurses Credentialing Center has awarded the VCU Health System Magnet status, the highest honor for nursing excellence.

 

2. General Collection Guidelines.

A. Language.
English is the primary language of the monograph collection. Foreign journal titles are acquired only if the majority of articles are in English. Translations into English are preferred over the original language.

B. Chronology.
Emphasis is on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Historical materials and artifacts are also collected.  The Special Collections & Archives Department is the repository for historically significant retrospective materials.

C. Geography.
Primary interest is on nursing in the United States and Canada with some interest in nursing in Great Britain and other English-speaking nations. There is general interest in world-wide nursing/health care.

D. Publication Date.
Emphasis is on current imprints except for the History of Nursing collection. Some retrospective purchasing takes place to add classic works or to replace missing titles still of use to the program.

E. Treatment of Subject.
Lower division textbooks are not generally acquired. Primary emphasis is on acquiring upper division, graduate and professional materials.

F. Types of Materials and Formats.
Monographs and periodicals are the principal format types collected for the general collection.  E-journals are preferred over print when it is an acceptable equivalent.  Indexes, abstracts, encyclopedias, handbooks, proceedings, publications of private agencies and professional associations, and statistical materials of all types are collected. Examination guides, self-instructional texts, outlines, pocket-sized books, syllabi, and workbooks are not collected.  The preferred format for reference works is electronic.  Other instructional and research formats for the collection include microform research collections, online databases, data sets, and audiovisuals in the most current technology available. Pertinent local, state, and federal government documents are acquired.

 

3. Area Resources.

Because a broad understanding of a wide variety of subjects is required of those who provide health care services, nursing faculty and students share interests with psychology, psychiatry, social work, rehabilitation counseling, health administration, mental retardation, gerontology, adult education, and public administration.

 

4. Subjects and Collecting Levels.

Nursing materials are typically collected at the research (4) or advanced study level. This includes all subject areas covered by the M.S. and Ph.D. curricula.  Materials for entry level B.S. courses may be collected at the instructional support level (3).