Physical Geography and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Collection Development Policy

Subject Specialist Librarians: Leila Fernandez

Policy Written by: Trudy Bodak and Brian Wilks

Description of Current Collection and Programmes Supported

The related collections in Physical Geography and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences are closely linked with some overlaps.

The undergraduate collections in Physical Geography reflect the interdisciplinary instruction of the Department of Geography. These collections pertain to groundwater, hydrology, glaciers, snow and ice; geomorphology (landforms to the tectonic plate level); terrestrial ecosystems and vegetation and soils; the hydrosphere and related atmospheric and climate studies; and remote sensing and GIS systems.

At the graduate and research levels in Physical Geography, the collections reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the programme. These collections consist of biogeography (plant geography and disturbed ecosystems), including biogeochemistry and ecosystem dynamics; hydrogeochemistry and climatology. Other topics covered in the collections pertain to quaternary environmental change and geomorpohological studies of fluvial forms and processes. As well, GIS and data integration (including geological, geophysical, geochemical, hydrological and remote sensing) are covered.

Generally, the undergraduate collection of monographs, monographic series and journals in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences reflect the interdisciplinary instruction in applied science areas dealing with th e solid Earth and the atmosphere. There are two basic streams of instruction offered as well as two specialized streams, plus a certificate in Meteorology, and a certificate in GIS and Remote Sensing.

The Earth Sciences stream covers the physics and chemistry of the solid Earth, including structure and dynamics of the deep interior, motions in the fluid outer core and the origin and maintenance of the main magnetic field, convective motions in the solid mantle and surface plate tectonics, rotational dynamics of the Earth and space geodynamics, and superconducting gravimetry and studies of gravity signals.

The Atmospheric Sciences stream covers atmospheric motions and composition, numerical modelling of atmospheric dynamics and convection, radar sounding of the atmosphere, and remote sensing of the Earth from satellites.

The two specialized applied science streams are in Space and Communication Sciences (jointly offered by the departments of Computer Science, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and Physics and Astronomy); and in Atmospheric Chemistry (jointly offered between the departments of Chemistry and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences).

At the graduate and research level, earth sciences graduate students are registered for masters or PhD degrees in the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science or in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. At this level, the collections reflect graduate level courses which include Space Geodynamics, Convection dynamics, convection and plate tectonics, aeronomy, numerical weather prediction, and boundary layer meteorology.

Related Collections at York Overlapping and related collections in Physical Geography are located generally in the Scott Library and particularly in the Map Library as well as Business and Government Publications Library. The latter contains Canadian federal materials on water resources and geology.

Languages The monograph and serial purchases are predominantly in the English language. Works in other languages, however, are purchased as required.

Geographical Areas There is no specific geographic area of coverage.

Chronological Coverage There is no chronological coverage except for the broad sweep of historical works that indicate the development, particularly geology, the broad range of the earth or atmospheric sciences.

Date of Publications The majority of purchases are current publications. The Libraries purchase periodical backruns as well as retrospective review literature or treatises which summarize the various areas of study.

Duplication Duplicate materials are approved at the discretion of the bibliographer.

Relegation and Weeding Non-serial circulating materials not active in the last five years are relegated to storage.

Types of Materials In the purchase of monographs, hard copy is preferred; otherwise soft cover or microform is purchased, if available. CD -ROMs accompanying books in Steacie are kept at the circulation desk and in the Sound and Moving Image Library in the Scott Library. For backruns of periodicals microform is preferred. In the field of government documents, relevant deposit material is automatically added.

Resources Elsewhere in the Toronto Region For journals not subscribed to by the Libraries or specialized monographs or series that the libraries do not have and are required by students or researchers, the resources of the Atmospheric En vironment Service (Toronto) and the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (Burlington) are used. As well the resources of the University of Toronto are used.

Collecting Levels

Last updated: 1999