Download The Cardiovascular Center – Wellness Resource Center Collection

Wellness Resource Center - Collection Development Policy
Cardiovascular Center
University of Michigan Health System
Purpose
The purpose of the Wellness Resource Center (WRC) Collection Development Policy is
to guide the development, growth and maintenance of the resource center’s collection in
accordance to the WRC, Cardiovascular Center (CVC) and University of Michigan
Health System (UMHS) mission statements.
WRC Mission Statement
The WRC mission is to empower patients, families, caregivers and the public to make
informed decisions and become active partners in their health care. In collaboration with
CVC faculty and staff, the WRC develops information tools and services that enable
access to authoritative, reliable and current information about all aspects of heart health
including prevention, disease, treatment, support services, and quality-of-life issues.
Who we serve
The primary patron base for the WRC are patients and families receiving care at the
University of Michigan Health System cardiovascular Center. The CVC is part of the
University of Michigan Health System and provides adult and pediatric cardiovascular
care to people residing in Michigan and neighboring states. The WRC is open to anyone
seeking heart health information although borrowing privileges are restricted to patients,
families, CVC faculty and staff. Expert searching services are restricted to CVC patients
and families.
Scope
The collection covers all aspects of heart health, stroke and hypertension at a level
understandable to the layperson.
Geographical area
The majority of materials are focused on cardiovascular health as it is practiced in the
United States. Materials from other countries will be considered according to their value
and relevancy to people living in the United States.
Languages
The main language of the collection is English. Secondary languages are Spanish, Arabic
and Chinese. Materials in other languages will be considered as deemed appropriate.
Access
To inform the public of the library’s available materials, the WRC will provide an
automated system and online public access catalog (OPAC), using authoritative indexing.
Original and copy cataloging will be performed by the librarian in charge. The Planetree
Consumer Health Classification Scheme will be utilized for assigning subject headings.
Selection criteria
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Authoritativeness – Preference will be given to materials authored or reviewed by
credentialed professionals. Additional considerations include the authority and
qualifications of the publisher, or producer; the accuracy and objectivity in
presenting the topic and the inclusion of evidence-based content where
appropriate. Materials written by non-professionals will be acquired if they
contain accurate and useful information and were recommended by reputable
professionals. Most materials written by non-professionals are those that cover
non-medical topics such as coping, support, and practical aspects of
cardiovascular health
Quality –Preference will be given to materials that received favorable reviews in
professional review sources, or were favorably reviewed and recommended by
University of Michigan specialists. The quality of writing style, readability,
clarity, graphical presentation and illustrations will also be considered.
Relevancy - Major considerations include the significance of the subject matter, and
availability of other materials covering the same topic. Materials should
complement the collection, update previous editions, fill in gaps in subject areas,
provide new area of relevant interest, and add value to the collection. Expected
utilization by library patrons is also a consideration, but materials will not be
ruled out solely on the basis of expected low utility, if they are deemed valuable
to the collection.
Educational level - The Wellness Resource Center collection is aimed at lay people and
includes works in varying educational levels as follows:
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Picture and children’s books
Basic level (6th grade reading level)
Advanced lay person level (12th grade reading level)
College level – popular works written at a level that requires
undergraduate education.
Information needs of patrons looking for professional and research level
information will be fulfilled by utilizing the collection of Taubman Medical
library and free-access web resources.
Currency – The WRC will acquire materials that were published within the previous five
years unless the information they contain information is still current. A special
effort will be made to maintain currency of all works covering medical topics.
New editions will be purchased as soon as they are published and old editions will
be discarded. Works covering non-medical topics, such as support and coping,
survivorship issues, etc. may be kept for longer periods, and editions will be
replaced only if the resource has been substantially revised.
Types of Materials
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Formats
Brochures – The WRC collects free and low-cost pamphlets published by
government agencies and reputable medical organizations. The brochures
are displayed in a pamphlet racks and are provided to library visitors at no
charge. The WRC will utilize the program Brochure Boss, developed at
the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center to ensure consistent ordering of
the brochures and pamphlets.
Books - Books are purchased to develop a broad and comprehensive collection
that can help patrons gain in-depth knowledge about a topic in the
appropriate educational level. As a rule of thumb WRC does not purchase
books older than five years, unless the information they contain is deemed
relevant by the librarian. The majority of books are non-fiction books
describing aspects of cardiovascular health. The WRC also collects
biographies of people describing their experiences with heart disease,
hypertension and stroke. Children’s and young adult books are acquired to
help explain cardiovascular conditions to children and adolescents with
heart disease or those who have a sick loved one.
Periodicals – Magazines and newsletters are an important source of current
information and include articles about state-of-the-art therapies and
medical advances not covered in brochures or books. The WRC will
collect periodicals that have articles written by credentials health
professionals or published in publications that have editors or a review
board comprised of credentials medical professionals. To enable access to
this literature the librarian will index important articles in the WRC
catalog.
Audiovisual materials – Audiovisual materials explaining heart health, stroke and
hypertension conditions will be collected in CD and DVD format. As
these materials may be quite expensive special attention should be paid to
length, level of coverage, quality and currency. Quality audio and video
clips that were produced by authoritative sources (such as the ones
available on MedlinePlus.gov) will be indexed in the catalog to enable
quick access.
Models and Charts – Colorful graphical images and three-dimensional forms
provide additional ways of visualizing and understanding medical
conditions and diseases. The WRC displays selected models and charts
describing the cardiovascular system as part of the non-circulating
reference collection.
Electronic resources – Free and subscription-based databases, e-books and other
electronic resources available through the University of Michigan library,
the Library of Michigan and the National Library of Medicine are part of
the WRC collection, subject to license restrictions and limitations.
Reference Collection – The reference collection will consist of carefully selected
resources that allow an efficient process of answering reference inquiries. The
library will endeavor to acquire works that provide quick access to factual
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information including dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias and handbooks.
Reference books will be used to locate specific information quickly rather than for
extensive reading therefore materials in the reference collection will not circulate.
The WRC will acquire circulating copies of reference materials as deemed
necessary by the WRC librarian.
Subject & Collection Levels
Definitions of collection levels
 Minimal Level – A collection at this level will include a few, selective materials that
serve to introduce and define a subject.
 Basic Level – A collection in this level will include basic, explanatory works such as
overviews, handbooks and guidebooks. A basic level collection will be sufficient to
support the needs of patrons seeking general information about a subject.
 Advanced Level – Subjects collected at this level will include works that address the
full range of a topic as well as specific sub-topics. A special effort will be made to
include materials in a variety of formats and educational levels that present the topic
in different manners and perspectives. Selection and acquisition will be done
aggressively, identifying gaps in the collection and seeking materials to cover those
gaps and provide a comprehensive coverage. Advanced level collection will support
the needs of patrons seeking to gain in-depth, detailed knowledge about at topic.
Descriptions of subjects collected in advanced level:
The primary subject focus of the collection is cardiovascular disease, stroke and
hypertension. Major divisions in this area include:
o Conditions and diseases affecting adult and children including congenital
and acquired diseases and conditions.
o Diagnostic tests and procedures including non-invasive and invasive
procedures.
o Medications and treatment – including drug therapy, medical devices and
surgical procedures.
o Prevention and wellness both for healthy people and for people living
with a cardiovascular condition or disease. Sub topics include genetics of
cardiovascular disease, smoking cessation, weight and obesity, nutrition,
physical activity and healthy living.
o Quality-of-life issues affecting individuals living with heart disease
including fatigue and sexuality.
o Support and coping information – including communicating with family
members, children, friends and co-workers, sources of support, emotional
aspects of living with heart disease and caregiving for people with
cardiovascular disease.
o Practical matters including employment, financial and insurance issues as
they relate to individuals affected by heart disease, stroke and
hypertension.
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o Complementary therapies as they relate to heart disease, stroke and
hypertension.
Descriptions of subjects collected in basic level
o Conditions and diseases related to heart disease such as diabetes, cancer,
congenital syndromes, etc.
o Advocacy and fundraising for cardiovascular disease
o Survivorship issues of people with a chronic or life-threatening diseases
including employment, financial and insurance issues.
o End-of-life matters and advanced directives.
Descriptions of subjects collected in minimal level
o General works on medical topics such as anatomy, surgery, medical tests
and drug information.
o General works on caregiving, nutrition, healthy living and complementary
therapies.
o General works on patient advocacy and fundraising.
Responsibility for Selection
The primary responsibility for selection of materials, overall quality, and balance of
content rests with the librarian managing the Wellness Resource Center. The involvement
of CVC faculty and staff is important and encouraged. To that end, the WRC collection
development will be shared on the CVC intranet and staff and faculty will be invited to
make suggestions and recommendations for materials that match the selection criteria.
The WRC Manager will seek the opinion of CVC faculty and staff on specific materials
as needed.
Gift Policy –
Donated books will be considered for inclusion in the library’s collection on an
individual basis. The Library Director will evaluate the donated items using the same
evaluation criteria used for new purchases (see above). Library manager will discard any
un-needed duplicates and materials that do not fit the collection criteria. Patrons may
submit a list of gifts instead of the actual materials for review.
Retention & Withdrawal Guidelines –
To maintain a collection that is pertinent to the needs of its users, it is essential that the
removal of obsolete materials be done on a continuing basis. Periodic evaluation of the
collection in whole or in part is considered an integral part of development and
maintenance of a quality library collection. This periodic review will assure continued
relevance and currency of the materials, identify subject gaps, and make room for new
additions. Materials published more than 5 years prior to the review date will be
carefully considered for withdrawal from the collection. Some items may be retained in
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subject areas that do not change rapidly. In general, materials will be withdrawn when
they have outlived their usefulness. The following criteria will be used:
 Withdraw items damaged beyond repair.
 Withdraw duplicate copies of seldom used titles.
 Withdraw items that have been replaced in another medium.
 Withdraw items irrelevant to the information needs of library users.
 Withdraw obsolete items containing inaccurate or outdated information.
 Withdraw previous editions in accordance with the guidelines described in the
Currency section of the selection criteria above.
 Withdraw magazine issues that are older than 5 years. Newsletter issues will be
discarded after 3 years.
Materials identified for removal will have a “Withdrawn” sticker covering the property
sticker. They may be placed in a give-away bin for patrons, donated, or discarded,
depending upon the nature of content.
Method of Handling Patron Complaints –
When a patron wishes to complain about an item in the library’s collection, they should
be encouraged to fill out the library’s “Complaint Form.” If the WRC manager is
available, they can discuss the issue briefly, with follow-up offered if further
consideration is warranted.
Method of Handling Faculty or Staff Complaints –
Staff and faculty objecting to the inclusion of a specific item are encouraged to contact
the WRC manager. The WRC manager will remove the item promptly. If the WRC
manager does not agree with faculty or staff recommendation, the issue will be discussed
with the CVC director of patient education. In reviewing objectionable items censorship
will be avoided, although the appropriateness of materials to the mission and goals of the
library will be addressed. Labels with appropriate warnings and placement of
questionable items will be considered.
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