National Library of Australia


State Library of Queenland collection assessment
Medicine

This is a basic collection with strength in the History of Medicine in Australia, bibliographies of medicine and health and in the holdings on diseases.

The collection is enhanced by holdings of several significant audiovisual items. Physiology, women's health, various diseases, mental health, alternative medicine and sports medicine are represented in this format.

It is collection development policy not to acquire any juvenile literature, school or tertiary curriculum texts and advanced academic research material. Professional diagnostic and para- professional and experimental medicine materials are not acquired.

The total number of monographs held in the division is 6,719 which represents 1.75% of monographs total 383,000 quoted for SRL and Special Collections in 1994/95 annual report.

There is an overlap in the bibliographic lists for medicine with the area of services to the sick and disabled (part of the Conspectus division of Sociology) and with the area of ethics in medicine (part of the Conspectus division of Philosophy and Religion).

SRL has good holdings in the area of ethics of medical professions and of sex and reproduction. There are good holdings also in the area of problems of and services to sick and disabled people.

Relevant sections of the following bibliographies have been checked against State Library's monographic holdings:

 Title

Total Checked

SRL Holdings

% Held

An annotated bibliography of the history of

medicine and health in Australia, 1984

Australian national bibliography 1991-1995

Collier's encyclopedia Guide to information sources in alternative therapy

Guide to reference books. 11th ed.

Nutrition in foodservice

Readers adviser - science, technology, medicine

Walford's Guide to reference material

World medicine:the east west guide to healing your body

 

296

2139

244

471

 

311

55

1742

546

55

 

192

454

65

122

 

78

20

479

150

12

 

65

21.2

26.6

26

 

25

36.3

27.5

27.5

21.8

Periodical (serials) coverage in the division of Medicine

There are 61 open serials subscriptions and 35 closed.

This is a very limited collection. 10% of collection are annual reports of various Australian health related organisations. The collection is enhanced by MDX health digest CD-ROM, and HealthRom which covers Australian sources and cumulative Index Medicus on microfiche. There are 16 full text journals mainly newsletters and bulletins and some pamphlets. Most information is from government reports and publications.

There is some coverage of medical and health sources is on GPO and World Magazine Bank CD-ROMS.

The following bibliographies have been checked against State Library's holdings:

 Title

Total Checked

SRL Holdings

% Held

Annotated bibliography of the history of medicine and health in Australia

Australasian medical index (HeathRom)

Journals list from MDX CD-Rom

314

 

102

114

110

 

22

10

35

 

22

8.8

Last modified: August 18 2004.