Collection Development Guidelines

Computer Science

Liaison

Ken Ryan

Program Description

The Department of Computer Science was detached from the (former) Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, College of Natural and Social Sciences (NSS), and merged as a separate, standalone department into the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology (ECST).  There remains an option in the B. S. degree in Mathematics from the Department of Mathematics (”Applied Mathematics / Computer Science”), and related courses in the Department, which cover some areas of computer science.  Additionally, there are numerous computer engineering courses offered under degrees from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, although they tend to be more related to digital devices and circuits, and programming at the device level.  Finally, there are the degrees offered by the Department of Information Systems in the College of Business and Economics.  These concentrate on “management information systems,” but include a significant number of information technology, software, computer programming and related courses.

Accordingly, establishing collecting guidelines for “computer science” is more of an art than a science, and depends on significant sharing of resources and ideas between the subject specialists in mathematics (MATHC), computer science (COMPC), electrical engineering (EENGC) and business information systems (INFOC).

The Department of Computer Science offers the B. S. degree in computer science, as well as a minor, and has a newly-developed program for the M. S. in Computer Science that had its first course offerings in Fall 2004.

Subject Parameters & Collection Levels

Complicating factors in this subject area include the rapidly changing scope of the literature to support the curriculum.  For example, programming language books are collected only in paperback and are not bound (even temporarily) due to their essentially ephemeral nature, and the fact that new versions, releases, and the like occur at dizzying speeds, certainly yearly, if not more frequently.  This, coupled with the enormous quantity of published materials in “computer science,” leads to having to exercise rather selective collecting in all areas, primarily due to budgetary restraints.  Hence, only a representative sampling of virtually all materials in this subject area is carried out.
 

Computer science	Advanced Basic
Computer software	Advanced Basic
Internet / Web	Advanced Basic
Information Technology	Advanced Basic
Manufacturing Control	Advanced Basic
Networks and Security	Advanced Basic
Programming	Advanced Basic
Computer Program (Software) Manuals	Selective
Computers (Specific Hardware)	Selective
Word Processing / Typing	Selective

Primary LC Classes

QA 75-76.95; T 58; TK 5105; Z45-52

Related LC Classes

HF 5546-5548 and HF 5717-5746 (both INFOC)

Chronological Coverage

Emphasis is on current materials. Some historical material is selected which illustrates the development of the field (e.g., history of the Internet, early computing machines, etc.).

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