Collections: Psychology Policy

Program Description

The goal of the Psychology Department at Tulane University is to provide students with a course of study in basic research and application. Undergraduate students study in such core areas as cognitive, developmental, social, and physiological psychology; and the practice or application of psychology including School, and Industrial/organizational Psychology. Psychology students engage in research through small laboratory courses and independent projects and gain applied experiences through community-based service learning and internship opportunities. At the graduate level, the department offers Ph.D. programs in Psychological Science, Industrial/Organizational Psychology and School Psychology.

The Psychology Department has 18 faculty members and its courses have the highest student enrollment figures among the science programs in Tulane's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Affiliated Programs

Neuroscience: A major in Neuroscience allows a student to pursue an interdepartmental curriculum that focuses on the role of the nervous system in regulating physiological processes. Neuroscience combines many traditional fields of study including Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy, and Physiology. The field of Neuroscience encompasses a broad domain that ranges from the cellular and molecular control of brain cells to the regulation of responses in whole organisms. The Program Co-directors are Gary Dohanich dohanich@tulane.edu of Psychology and Jeffrey Tasker tasker@tulane.edu of Cell and Molecular Biology. Staffing the Program are eight faculty drawn from the departments of the co-directors.



Subject Resource Guide

http://libguides.tulane.edu/psychology



Scope

Collection emphasis is on the non-clinical aspects of psychology, experimental, research methodologies, neuroscience, memory, cognition and cognitive development, animal behavior, organizational psychology, industrial psychology, early child development, adolescent behavior, special education, and school psychology.



Type

The library collects journals, monographic series, monographs, and specialized reference works. Other types--including works addressed to a popular, nonscholarly audience or instructional recordings--are considered selectively. Tests are not collected by the library because of copyright concerns. A considerable amount of material in the field of testing and measurement, however, is collected.



Format

To broaden accessibility, journals are sought online when this format is available. Print may be cancelled to reduce costs when ownership of the online version is assured. Online access that requires additional costs with a print subscription will be sought selectively within the amount budgeted for psychology journals. Monographs and other types are generally purchased as printed text. Other formats are considered, especially when the alternative format would improve access or utility.



Language

English is sought. Materials in other languages are considered selectively.



Chronological Period

Emphasis is on current research. Historical material in this area is considered selectively.



Imprint Date

Preference is given to items published within the last two or three years and items with older imprint dates are sought selectively. Out-of-print materials are sought selectively, mostly to replace important older works damaged or missing from the collection.



Geographical Considerations

North America and Britain are most commonly represented but no specific areas are excluded.



Related Collections

Tulane's Matas Medical Library holds journals and some monographs relating to neuroscience, brain research, and other clinical areas related to psychology.



Cooperative Resources

The Howard-Tilton Memorial Library has purchased more than 40,000 ebooks, with records loaded into the library catalog and covering a wide range of subjects, through the SOLINET regional library consortium. The library is one of 14 members of a cooperative consortium of southern research libraries called KUDZU, which includes a shared online catalog. Loan requests through this system receive priority processing and expedited two-day delivery. The library is also a member of the cooperative Center for Research Libraries (CRL) in Chicago, through which may borrow a wide range of rare materials for our users. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty may borrow materials directly from the main library nearby at Loyola University of New Orleans through a reciprocal agreement. Graduate students and faculty may borrow materials at other New Orleans area academic libraries through the CALL consortium and at other academic libraries throughout the state through the LALINC consortium. Faculty may in many cases secure temporary borrowing library privileges outside the state through OCLC. For more information about cooperative borrowing privileges inquire at the library's Circulation Desk.



Supply Sources

Limited numbers of books are automatically delivered to the library through an approval plan from Blackwell's Book Services. Most other books are purchased individually and also through Blackwell at a discount rate.



Endowed Funds

No endowed funds are specially directed toward Psychology.



Selection Tools

Reviews such as those from Choice, review journals, notification slips received from Blackwell's Book Services, occasional notices from foreign vendors, and recommendations from faculty, staff, and students.