Subject Librarian: Rajiv Nariani
Description of Current Collection and Academic Programmes Supported
The Department of Biology (Faculty of Science) offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in all major fields of biology. The research interests of faculty members, research associates & students influences the variety of topics being taught at all levels and programs. This in turn shapes the libraries print and electronic collections.
Three main Streams in Biology at York include:
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Cell & Molecular Biology
- Physiology
In upper years, students can choose to specialize in such areas as:
- Biotechnology
- Biochemistry
- Biomedical Science
- Biophysics
- Environmental Biology
Research in the Biology graduate program includes three key areas:
- Animal & Plant Physiology
- Cell & Molecular Biology
- Ecology and Evolution.
Treatment of these subjects ranges from the introductory through advanced to the research level, and the collection must accommodate these diverse interests while also supporting a strong laboratory component to these courses. As in other areas of science, there is an increased emphasis on the use of the research literature, so that journal consultation is encouraged in the early undergraduate years.
The biology collection is also designed to support interdisciplinary overlaps with programs such as Nursing, Mathematics & Statistics, Kinesiology & Health Sciences, courses in the Faculty of Environmental Studies and courses in Neuroscience. All these programs and courses necessitate selection at different reading and study levels.
Research activities at graduate and post-doctoral levels in the areas of faculty expertise continue to impact the collection. Faculty renewal in the Department of Biology requires a changing focus in the selection of library material. Areas such as molecular endocrinology, neurophysiology and neuroscience, immunology, molecular genetics, microbiology, ichthyology, limnology, insect physiology, restoration ecology and conservation biology have received increased emphasis. Joint projects with other departments including Mathematics & Statistics and applied science areas such as biotechnology & bioinformatics and structural biology are supported by continued growth of the collection in these areas. Other high profile areas such as vision research conducted by the York Centre for Vision Research make additional demands on the collection.
Related Collections at York Relevant government documents are found at the Steacie Science and Engineering Library and in the Government Documents Collection of Scott Library. The Microlog collection is of particular relevance in this connection. The Resource Centre of the Faculty of Environmental Studies is useful for topics concerning the natural environment, and the Core Molecular Biology Facility provides access to electronic resources in molecular biology. Access to York University Dissertations and Theses is available in full text online back to 1997 through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database. Print copies of earlier theses are available through the library catalogue.
Languages English language works predominate.
Geographical Coverage Worldwide publications are covered, although emphasis is on North America and Canada in particular.
Chronological Coverage Current material is emphasized. Historical works are available as part of the Landmarks of Science micro card collection. Monographs and periodicals on the history of biology are also acquired.
Date of Publications Current or recent works predominate. Retrospective issues of journals or abstracting and indexing services are purchased when required. Review literature or historical works are acquired on a title-by-title basis.
Duplication Duplicates are purchased upon request by teaching faculty for the Reserve collection.
Types of Materials Monographs have traditionally been bought as paper copies and bound if required for the reference collection. Recently, however, electronic book packages are becoming increasingly attractive to both librarians and students. Student access to online books is 24/7, and because they are not accompanied by space requirements, this format is preferred.
The journal collection in Biology is especially important since currency is emphasised. Subscriptions are maintained for all significant periodicals, and back runs are acquired if available. Whenever possible, electronic journal format is preferred over print format. York University Libraries is moving towards providing a complete range of resources to students’ desktops. As electronic subscriptions are added to the collection, print versions are cancelled once ongoing access to the electronic archives has been ensured.
The demand for periodicals, particularly online journals is increasingly fulfilled through our involvement and memberships in consortia such as the CRKN - Canadian Research Knowledge Network (formerly known as the Canadian National Site Licensing Project - CNSLP) and the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL). Many journals are also available from publishers such as the National Research Council, Canada, PubMed Central, and aggregations such as Synergy-Blackwell, and Proquest. Individual titles are added on request by faculty.
Electronic Resources Many subscription-based databases are available for conducting research level searching in Biology. The major databases are Biological Abstracts, Medline (PubMed), as well as the proprietary version Medline (OVID), Scifinder Scholar which indexes both Chemical Abstracts and Medline. Web of Science & Scopus provide access to citation information in addition to being interdisciplinary databases that are strong in the biomedical and life sciences areas.
When available, electronic journals are acquired and preferred by our academia. These are purchased on a subscription basis or through consortium purchases. Electronic archives of full-text journals in ecology, general science, biology and medicine are available through JSTOR and Highwire Press among other content providers.
Multimedia resources are collected at Steacie Library for instructional and research purposes. Items such as Primal Pictures, Birds of North America Online, The Encyclopedia of Life Sciences and the Oxford Reference Online are some examples of multimedia resources that are available to our users online. The selection of some reference works in electronic format is also under consideration. Other subject resources available on the Web are identified through links on the Steacie Science & Engineering Library website and in subject specific research guides compiled by librarians for Biology, Chemistry, Kinesiology & Health Sciences, Psychology and Mathematics & Statistics.
Relegation and Weeding Superseded editions and out-of-date textbooks are weeded regularly during inventory of the collections.
Resources Elsewhere in the Toronto Region Additional resources are available at the libraries of the University of Toronto, the Royal Ontario Museum Library, the Ontario Ministry of Environment Information Resource Centre with specialized resources in aquatic sciences and toxicology, the Ministry of Natural Resources Library and the Library and Archives Canada online database.
Collecting Levels
| LC Class | Description | Current Level | Desired Level |
| QH 1-74 | Natural History - General | 2 | 2 |
| QH 75-81 | Nature Conservation | 2 | 3b |
| QH 83 | Classification - Nomenclature | 3a | 3a |
| QH 84-199 | Geographical Distribution - Biogeography | 3a | 3a |
| QH 201-274 | Microscopy | 2 | 3a |
| QH 305-324.9 | Biology (General) including Biometry and Bioinformatics | 3a | 3a |
| QH 352 | Population Biology | 3a | 4 |
| QH 359 | Evolution | 3b | 4 |
| QH 423-499 | Genetics | 3b | 4 |
| QH 505 | Biophysics | 3a | 3a |
| QH 506-529 | Molecular Biology | 3b | 4 |
| QH 540-559 | Ecology | 3b | 4 |
| QH 573-671 | Cytology | 3a | 4 |
| QH 705 | Economic Biology | 2 | 3a |
| QK 600-638 | Fungi, including Arctic regions | 2 | 3a |
| QK 641-899 | Plant Anatomy and Physiology | 3a | 4 |
| QK 900-939 | Plant Ecology | 3a | 4 |
| QL 5-345 | Zoology - General | 2 | 2 |
| QL 101-221 | Zoology, North America, including Canada and Polar Regions | 2 | 4 |
| QL 351-352 | Classification - Systematics, Taxonomy and Nomenclature | 3a | 4 |
| QL 365-454 | Invertebrata | 3a | 4 |
| QL 461-599 | Insecta | 3a | 4 |
| QL 606-607 | Chordata Vertebrate - General | 2 | 4 |
| QL 610 | Protochordata | 1 | 2 |
| QL 619-639 | Fishes | 3a | 3a |
| QL 625-629 | Freshwater Fishes - North America | 3a | 3b |
| QL 637 | Freshwater Fishes - Arctic Regions | 1 | 3b |
| QL 640-664 | Reptiles and Amphibians - General | 2 | 3b |
| QL 651-654 | Reptiles and Amphibians - North America | 3a | 4 |
| QL 667-668 | Amphibians | 3a | 4 |
| QL 67 1-698 | Birds | 3a | 3a |
| QL 700-739 | Mammals - General | 3a | 3a |
| QL 715-736 | Mammals - North America, Canada and Arctic | 3a | 4 |
| QL 737.R6 | Rodentia | 2 | 3a |
| QL 739-739.2 | Mammals - Anatomy and Morphology and Physiology | 3a | 4 |
| QL 750-795 | Animal Behaviour. Ethology | 3a | 4 |
| QL 799-950 | Animal Morphology. Anatomy | 2 | 4 |
| QL 951 | Embryology | 3a | 4 |
| QM 601-691 | Human Embryology | 1 | 1 |
| QP 501-625 | Biochemistry including Hormones, Enzymes and Nucleic Acids | 3b | 4 |
| QP 670-671 | Pigments (Biology) | 3a | 3a |
| QP 701-702 | Carbohydrates | 3a | 4 |
| QP 751-752 | Lipids | 3a | 4 |
| QR 12-189 | Microbiology, including Bacterial Genetics and Immunology | 3a | 3b |
| QR 201-353 | Pathogenic Microorganisms | 3a | 3a |
| QR 355-484 | Virology | 3a | 3b |
| S 589.7-589.76 | Agricultural Ecology | 3a | 3a |
| SB 123.57 | Transgenic Crops | ||
| SD 1-669.5 | Forestry including Silviculture, Forest Conservation and Protection | 3a | 3a |
| SH 1-399 | Aquaculture. Fisheries | 3a | 3a |
| TP 248 | Biotechnology and genetic engineering | 3a | 4 |
Last Updated: Sep. 2015