Veterinary Medicine Collection Policy

OVERVIEW

subject description and guidelines

  • “Veterinary medicine is the branch of science that deals with the application of medical, surgical, public health, dental, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to non-human animals, including wildlife and domesticated animals, including livestock, working animals, and companion animals.”

    The Library seeks to support the research, instruction, and clinical service missions of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.  The major specialty areas include: behavior, anesthesiology, cardiology, clinical pathology, dermatology, dentistry, emergency medicine and critical care, endocrinology, farriery (therapeutic horseshoeing), genetic and inherited disorders, imaging (radiology) and radiation therapy, infectious (bacterial and viral) diseases and immunology, internal medicine, neurology, nutritional diseases, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, parasitic diseases, pathology, pharmacy, production medicine, public health and epidemiology, theriogenology (obstetrics and reproduction), and surgery. All species are included:
    • Companion animals, e.g., dogs, cats, pocket pets, ferrets
    • Livestock and food-producing animals, e.g., cattle, horses, sheep, goats, poultry, swine
    • Wildlife, exotic, and captive zoo animals
    • Caged and wild birds, raptors, waterfowl
    • Reptiles, amphibians
    • Fish and aquatic mammals
    • Laboratory animals, e.g., rats, mice, guinea pigs, primates


    Under the “one health” concept, veterinary medicine interfaces with human medicine, especially as related to pathology and public health through the monitoring and control of zoonotic diseases (e.g., infectious diseases transmitted from non-human animals to humans).

constituencies

  • The collection is used by veterinary clinical and biomedical research faculty, research associates, Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) residents and interns, veterinary technicians, technical and support staff, Ph.D. and M.S. graduate students, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students directly affiliated with the College of Veterinary Medicine and its centers, including the James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health located on Snyder Hill.

    The collection also supports alumni and practicing veterinarians in New York State and elsewhere, including back-up support for the Cornell University Veterinary Specialists: 24-hour & Critical Care, a university-affiliated private veterinary referral center in Stamford, Connecticut.

    Materials related to animal disease processes and control associated with nutrition, husbandry, infection, and parasites are of potential interest to faculty and graduate students in other University departments, including CALS Department of Animal Science, CALS Department of Entomology, Laboratory of Ornithology, Division of Nutritional Sciences, and Cornell Center for Animal Resources and Education (CARE).

    Because of the College’s land-grant mission and SUNY-affiliation, the collection is also open to pet owners and others outside the University seeking animal health-related information for in-house use on site and remotely via a fee-based research service.

COLLECTION SCOPE

collection strength

  • The collection strength in Veterinary Medicine focuses on all aspects of non-human animal health and disease and its various clinical specialties.

    Materials in human medicine that have a direct relationship or connection with animal species or disease processes, including animal models of human disease, are selectively acquired.

    Materials related to veterinary business practice and office management are collected at the research level, while titles in animal welfare, animal husbandry, human-animal bond, and legal jurisprudence are selectively acquired.

    Supplemental areas include history of veterinary medicine, history and control of diseases related to animals (e.g., anthrax, rabies), and memoirs and biographies of veterinarians.

    In addition to Veterinary Medicine and its clinical specialties, the Veterinary Library supplements this collection with responsibility for supporting the biomedical and biological research conducted at the College which bridges veterinary and human medicine with immediate clinical application, in that it uses animals as models for human systems.  Among the research areas of interest to faculty at the College include: Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Cancer Biology, Cardiovascular Biology, Developmental Biology, Epidemiology, Infection and Immunity, Medical Biology, Medical Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Reproductive Biology, Signal Transduction, Stem Cell Biology, and Zoology and Wildlife Conservation.

geographical guidelines

  • The collecting scope is global, with selection at the country or regional level. Emphasis is placed upon North America (United States and Canada), Europe, and Australia. Books and journals are selectively acquired from Africa, Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Mexico, Central and South America.

language guidelines

  • Materials are collected primarily in English. However, journals published by international veterinary associations and educational institutions as well as some selected texts in Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish are selectively acquired.

language

  • Chinese 
  • Dutch 
  • English 
  • French 
  • German 
  • Japanese 
  • Spanish 

chronological guidelines

  • General collection dates from mid-1800s when veterinary medicine developed as a scientific discipline and service profession. Special and historical coverage dates from 1600 forward.

exclusions

  • The following areas are not collected: veterinary practice management software

material types

  • Scholarly communication in the field of Veterinary Medicine is conducted through academic and specialized journals. Scholarly, trade and popular monographs and serials, and textbooks are also collected. Audio-visual materials including slides, videotapes, and sound recordings are also acquired in various formats including ½-inch VHS, 2x2 35mm slides, CD-ROM and DVD particularly for instructional purposes, clinical procedure demonstrations, and organism identification.

COLLECTION CONTEXT

housed in

  • Carl A. Kroch Library 
  • Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library 
  • Library Annex 

special collections or noteworthy resources in the field

  • Historical and rare books concerning the various fields of Veterinary Medicine prior to 1870 are housed in Kroch Library Rare and Manuscript Collections. eCommons serves as a repository for publications issued by the College and its centers, course-related senior seminar documents (primarily since the 2002/2003 academic year), oral histories of alumni and designated veterinarians, and other materials related to the College and Veterinary Medicine in general.

AFFILIATIONS

academic department

  • Animal Science (AN SC) 
  • Biomedical Sciences (VTBMS) 
  • Clinical Sciences (VETCS) 
  • Entomology (ENTOM) 
  • Microbiology and Immunology (VETMI) 
  • Molecular Medicine (VETMM) 
  • Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences (VTPMD) 

graduate field/program

  • Animal Science 
  • Comparative Biomedical Sciences 
  • Genomics  
  • Immunology and Infectious Disease 
  • Microbiology 
  • Molecular and Integrative Physiology 
  • Pharmacology 
  • Zoology and Wildlife Conservation 

cornell research program, unit, or center

  • Cornell Feline Health Center (FHC) 
  • Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO) 
  • Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) 
  • James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health 

cornell academic division

  • Division of Nutritional Sciences (DNS)

clinical section

  • Ambulatory and Production Medicine Clinic 
  • Anesthesiology 
  • Behavior 
  • Cardiology 
  • Community Practice Service 
  • Dentistry 
  • Dermatology (Veterinary) 
  • Emergency and Critical Care 
  • Exotics and Avian Medicine 
  • Farriery 
  • Imaging 
  • Large Animal Medicine 
  • Large Animal Surgery 
  • Medical Oncology 
  • Neurology 
  • Nutrition 
  • Ophthalmology 
  • Pharmacy 
  • Radiation Oncology 
  • Small Animal Medicine 
  • Small Animal Surgery 
  • Theriogenology 
  • Wildlife Medicine 

cornell college or professional school

  • College of Veterinary Medicine 
  • Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College 
  • Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences 

RESPONSIBILITY

library contact

  • Mabry, Lauren - Veterinary Librarian