Pure Sciences (500)

General Comments

This area is minimally developed since it depends on the more comprehensive coverage of the Adult nonfiction collection.

Development Plan

• 500 Pure sciences. A collection represented by experiments in natural science appropriate for science fairs, some career information, and biographical information representing famous scientists is maintained.
• 510 Mathematics. Minimally developed.
• 520 Astronomy and allied sciences. A small collection of astronomy and suggested experiment books is developed and maintained.
• 530 Physics. A collection of experiments in physics for science fairs, as well as representations of current physics discoveries, is developed and maintained.
• 540 Chemistry and allied sciences. This area is developed with experiment titles as they become available.
• 550 Earth sciences. A large collection offering diverse coverage of natural disasters, geology (identification tools), oceanography, climate, weather, and experimentation titles is maintained. Geology sources and natural disasters information are developed and maintained.
• 560 Paleontology. A small collection of fossils and dinosaur information, with a few project books and identification guides, is maintained. Local regional information is also developed and maintained.
• 570 Life sciences. Works with an emphasis on biology are maintained. Environmental issues, rainforests, and global warming sources are also maintained. Genetic engineering information is developed and maintained. Information on extraterrestrials is maintained. Endangered species information is developed and maintained.
• 580 Botanical sciences. Sources on trees and flowers are maintained. Some field guides and information on regional plants are developed and maintained.
• 590 Zoological sciences. This large collection is developed and maintained with a focus on species overview and a non-mammal focus on unusual spiders and insects. Career information is also developed and maintained.

Influencing Factors

Purchases and buying patterns are determined in large part by:

• limited availability of material for young adults meeting the criteria of visual appeal and appropriate vocabulary.
• electronic/Internet sources availability.
• new works.
• budget constraints.
• circulation statistics.
• patron requests.
• present and potential relevance to young adult patrons.
• shelf space.
• Experimentation books should be easy to use, lie flat, have lists of materials needed, and have easy to understand directions.

Retention/Weeding

• This area contains many subject areas where information is quickly dated and inaccurate. Special attention should be given to providing current information in the areas of space development, genetics, and physics. Weeding needs to be aggressive in these ever changing areas.
• Endangered species information should be updated regularly, as sources become available.
• Titles should be looked at for physically worn conditions, damage, and change of general interest in the subject area by young adults.
• High or low circulation statistics can be seen as indicators of updating needs.