The following is a summary of the University of Waterloo (UW) Library resources in support of the graduate program in Vision Science, prepared by Jim Winterbottom, Liaison Librarian for Optometry.
Material is collected to support teaching and research at the MSc and PhD levels in Vision Science with emphasis on the following areas:
The decision to purchase Library materials for Vision Science is the responsibility of the Liaison Librarian in consultation with the Faculty Library Representative and other faculty members. Selection is guided by the Collection Development Policy and the Approval Plans Subject Profile.
The holdings of the Optometry Learning Resource Centre (OLRC) include more than 5,300 monographs and 59 current print journals relevant to the study of vision science. In addition, UW Library holdings include 89,822 titles in subject areas relevant to
Optometry.
The UW Library provides access to more than 7,072 full-text electronic journals of which 42 are specifically relevant to vision science, and 1,158 that are in subject areas relevant to health- and biomedical sciences.
The University of Waterloo Library collections in Optometry and Physiological Optics are housed in the Optometry Learning Resource Centre (OLRC) at the School of Optometry. Related collections in such areas as physics, psychology and biology are located in the University’s Davis and Porter libraries. Access to the entire Library collection is through the web-based catalogue TRELLIS. The catalogue is available online (http://trellis1.tug-libraries.on.ca/), both on-campus and remotely.
The Library’s self-charge system allows graduate students to sign out materials on their own. With the exception of the most current issue of a journal and reference materials, most materials circulate. Graduate students and faculty may borrow most monographs for the academic term.
The Library subscribes to a number of computer databases, most of which are Internet- accessible and others which are available within the Library on a CD-ROM network. The following are databases particularly relevant to vision science:
Medline - biomedical sciences
Visionet - optometry
PsycINFO - psychology
Biological Sciences - biology
Inspec - physics
Web of Science - science citation index
Books and journal articles from the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University may be identified and requested through TRELLIS (http://trellis1.tug-libraries.on.ca/), the unified catalogue which indexes all library materials in the Tri University Group (TUG). Items are delivered to UW from any TUG library in 1-2 working days.
CISTI Source (http://www.wlu.ca/~wwwlib/swetscan/) is available to attain copies of articles that are not owned by TUG libraries. CISTI Source is a document delivery service offered by the Canada Institute of Scientific and Technical Information. It indexes tables of contents to over 17,000 journals, many from the scientific and biomedical fields. Requested articles are normally delivered within four business days.
Most materials not available via TUG libraries or CISTI Source can be ordered through the UW Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Service (ILL). This department obtains books, journal articles, patents, theses and standards from Canadian and international institutions, with most costs being absorbed by the University (with the exception of non UW theses, reports, patents and standards). Delivery time varies, though the receipt of journal articles from Ontario libraries is expedited through the use of Ariel software.
A reciprocal borrowing agreement by university libraries in Ontario, Quebec and the Western provinces gives faculty and graduate students direct borrowing privileges at these institutions.
The UW Library web page (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/) is organized to provide access to Internet-based resources such as TRELLIS, journal indexes, e-journals and links to libraries the world over. Also included is an Electronic Reference Collection with a subject link to a number of health and biomedical web sites (http://tug.lib.uwaterloo.ca/referencetools/health.html).
The liaison librarian for Optometry maintains an information resource page specific to optometry and vision science (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/discipline/opt/index.html), and the Optometry Learning Resource Centre maintains a page concerned with practical aspects of the Optometry library (http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/olrc/index.html).
A professional librarian and specially trained library assistants are available to provide reference assistance, in person or by telephone, at the Optometry Learning Resource Centre. The Library also offers an electronic reference service, ASK US/TELL US (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/comments/) that is accessible to UW students and faculty with access to the Internet.
The Liaison Librarian for Optometry is available for consultation with individuals or small groups of students. He also offers course-related instruction pertaining to library research strategies and tools. The library offers a number of orientation programs, including tours, general seminars for graduate students and workshops on effective library use.
Over the past seven years, the Library has spent approximately $269,595 directly on materials for Optometry and Vision Science (please see overleaf). Electronic databases and full-text journals are acquired from a general fund. It should be noted that materials acquired for other departments such as Biology, Physics, Psychology and Health Studies & Gerontology also support graduate study in Vision Science.
For more detailed information relating to specific serial titles purchased for Optometry and vision science, please contact Jim Winterbottom, Liaison Librarian for Optometry. We would be please to discuss the Library’s holdings and services with an appraiser at the time of a campus visit. We believe that the library, both in holdings and in services, has provided a high level of support for the graduate program in Vision Science.
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Murray Shepherd
University Librarian
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Date
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