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Collection Development @ SJSU Library

Collection Development Policy -  Computer Science

Last Updated: July 2018

Programs Supported

The Computer Science curriculum is designed to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for a variety of careers and post-graduate educational opportunities, including software engineering, network design and development, security assurance, and graduate study.  The department offers certificates in cybersecurity for undergraduate and graduate students. The department also collaborates with the department of Computer Engineering, and the departments of Biological Sciences and Mathematics and Statistics, to provide degrees in Software Engineering and Bioinformatics, respectively.

Selection for Computer Science is designed to support undergraduate study leading to the BS degree or a minor and graduate study leading to a MS degree.  Specific degrees offered include:

• BS, Computer Science
BS, Software Engineering
Minor, Computer Science
MS, Computer Science
MS, Bioinformatics (beginning Spring 2019)

Existing Resources

The University Library serves as the University’s main resource for this subject.  Access to resources is provided through the Library’s Catalog and databases. Materials we which do not own or provide access to may be accessed through CSU+ or Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

The department of Computer Science houses the Computer Science Study Lab, which may be used for tutoring or group study. The department of Computer Science also benefits from strong relationships with local technology companies, which participate in the department's robust internship program. The Technology Partnership Program allows companies to sponsor extracurricular activities and research.

There are a number of free, online resources for Computer Science students, such as CodeAcademy, Lynda.com and MOOCs.

Coordination

To avoid collection overlaps while ensuring complete coverage, there is coordination within the areas of Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Mathematics & Statistics, Management Information Systems, Library & Information Science, and Biology (Bioinformatics).

In some areas the collection also duplicates materials found in the San Jose Public Library collections, although in general the SJSU collection is scholarly while the SJPL collection is more general and introductory.

Materials Collected


A.    Special Materials – Collected where appropriate to the curriculum.

B.    Languages – The emphasis is on English language materials.

C.    Geographical Areas – There are no geographical limitations placed upon the collection.

D.    Chronological Periods – Current publications are of primary importance.

E.    Current / Retrospective Materials – The emphasis is on keeping the collection as current as possible, but there is intentional effort to also have older materials that are appropriate to the curricula.

Collection Strengths

Strengths of the Computer Sciences collection include subscription to the Association of Computing Machinery’s ACM Digital Library and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers IEEE/Xplore database. The collection of print and electronic materials has increased greatly over the years to meet the high demand for current and developing technologies.

The collection also includes subscriptions to several ebook collections, such as Safari Tech Books Online and Ebook Central. The ebook collections provide access to many new publications in Computer Science.

Evaluation of Collection

Priorities include:

  • Replacement of essential books that are missing
  • Purchase of new titles in electronic format (if available)
  • Expanding Bioinformatics collection in preparation for new Master's program (launching Spring 2019)