Applied Sciences (600)

General Comments

This collection provides access to reference information in the diverse fields of technology, including the medical sciences, engineering and allied operations, agriculture, home economics and family living, management and auxiliary services, chemical engineering, manufacturing, manufacture for specific uses, and buildings.

Development Plan

• R 600 Technology. A small collection of business directories is maintained.
• R 610 Medical sciences. Sources emphasizing medical information of a general nature are maintained; sources on specific diseases or conditions are minimally developed. Prescription and non-prescription drug information is developed and maintained. Some nursing sources of a general nature are maintained.
• R 620 Engineering and allied operations. Sources emphasizing automotive and other motorized vehicles, and small engine repair are developed and maintained. Price guides for new and used vehicles are developed and maintained. Sources covering general engineering as well as major fields of engineering are minimally developed. A small collection of military weaponry, air-craft, and sea-craft sources is maintained. Price guides for knives, guns, and collector autos are developed and maintained.
• R 630 Agriculture and related technologies. A collection emphasizing gardening (very little on larger agriculture/crop concerns) is maintained. Also maintained are some veterinary medicine sources emphasizing pet care.
• R 640 Home economics and family living. This small collection covers numerous topics. Consumer evaluation and purchasing guides (for cars, electronic equipment, appliances, etc.) are developed and maintained. While they are not cataloged (call number would be 640.73), they are housed in ready reference. A collection of cookbook indexes is maintained; cookbooks are only minimally developed due to the size of the circulating cookbook collection. A collection emphasizing general food sources is maintained. Maintained also is a small collection of homemaking and householding sources. A small collection of lodging guides is maintained. A personal business forms collection is also maintained. An uncataloged collection of Mother Earth News back issues and indexes is maintained.
• R 650 Management and auxiliary services. A collection of briefer sources (e.g., handbooks, short encyclopedias) on a number of management topics is maintained. The collection of sources related to the management of small business is maintained. A small collection of resume, business letter, and secretarial guides is maintained, as well as a small collection of business forms.
• R 660 Chemical engineering and related technologies. A small collection with some focus on food chemistry is minimally developed.
• R 670 Manufacturing. This small section, consisting only of the Thomas Register, is developed and maintained.
• R 680 Manufacture for specific uses. A collection of price guides for guns, clocks, toys, and dolls is developed and maintained. A small collection of book and publishing sources is developed and maintained. A collection of consumer guides to electronic equipment is also developed and maintained.
• R 690 Buildings. A collection of codes for building, mechanical, fire, and plumbing is developed and maintained. (Code volumes should include notice of local applicability as supplied by the county engineer's office.)

Influencing Factors

Purchases and buying patterns are determined in large part by:

• electronic/Internet sources availability.
• new works.
• budget constraints.
• circulation statistics.
• patron requests.
• present and potential relevance to the community.
• shelf space.

Retention/Weeding

• Haynes publications and motorcycle sources are re-examined in the yearly review.
• Business directories are updated annually or biennially as use warrants.
• Drug sources are discarded after three years.
• Consumer buying guides are discarded after three or four years.
• Lodging sources are discarded annually or biennially.
• Collecting price guides are weeded biennially or every three years as use warrants.