Collection Development for Physics in the Boston College Libraries

Format decisions follow the General Collection Development Policy by default, but allow for considerations of requester preference, curricular needs, and other factors.

• With the exception of an extremely limited core set of titles, journals are electronic, with perpetual access whenever possible, and include the offerings of all the major scholarly publishers in the field.   Electronic journal backfiles are purchased to augment available content or replace print, based on requests, usage data, and space considerations.
• Monographs are increasingly purchased as e-books to support wider access, particularly for edited, individually-authored chapter works.  Exceptions may be made at individual user request.
• Bibliographic Databases ("Indexes") provide access to the extensive literature of the field and are purchased in electronic format.
• Property/Data Databases provide essential access to critically-evaluated, empirical data. Print data compilations remain useful, but providing immediate online access to the important property/data resources is considered critical, whenever possible.
• Conference Literature access is generally met through purchase of published proceedings. 
• General/layman-focused materials are acquired to support first-level, scientific literacy/non-major courses.  Biographical information is also acquired for much the same purpose.

Materials purchased for the Physics collection are primarily English-language materials, with some exceptions, as needed.  Older materials in other languages (particularly German and Russian) remain relevant and are maintained.

Selection focuses on current scholarship;  materials covering historical research are acquired on a very limited basis.