Mission

The mission of the Collection Development Department is to build and maintain a library collection that supports the academic and research needs of the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans. As such, the department is responsible for routine evaluation, selection, and acquisition of new resources in the subject areas that pertain to the various schools and Centers of Excellence.  The department orders, processes, and pays for resources and manages the Libraries' acquisitions budget.

About

The collection was first established in 1931 with the opening of the School of Medicine, and as such, the Libraries maintain a large print collection of books and journals.  The print collection currently consists of over 200,000 volumes housed at the Isché and Dental Libraries.  Each location has circulating, reserve, reference, and historical collections. Weeding is part of regular maintenance, and large weeding projects may also be necessary as part of renovations and space reallocation.

The online collection provides access to over 25,000 books and journals, along with 100+ databases and research tools.  Most online resources are acquired through large packages either directly from publishers or through joint subscriptions with partner libraries and consortia. We also order resources via subscription agents, aggregators, and book distributors. Online resources are licensed for use by LSUHSC-NO faculty, students, and employees.

Selection

Materials are selected based on traditional selection criteria such as scope, authority, publication date, cost, licensing limitations, and availability.  Faculty and students are encouraged to recommend resources which will enhance and update the collection in their areas of study and/or expertise. Recommendations for purchase can be submitted online using the LSUHSC-New Orleans Libraries Purchase Recommendation form.

Required and recommended textbooks are acquired as funding and availability allow.  Course adoptions are identified through faculty and student requests, as well as through the Louisiana Board of Regents Act 125 Textbook Adoption Data Reporting Program.  The Libraries currently provide at least one copy, either online or in print, to over 95% of reported course textbooks. Course materials are organized in the library catalog’s Course Reserves module.  Print items are shelved in the reserve collections.  For more information, please refer to our Reserves Policy.

Gifts and Donations

The LSUHSC New Orleans Libraries are unable to accept donations of print books and journals for our main collections. Please refer to our Gifts and Donations Policyfor information about gifts of course materials and historical items.

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Updated June 2024