The Library has been collecting material in applied mathematics at a RESEARCH level for many years. The entire mathematics collection, including both pure and applied math, has long been considered, by us and nationally, as one of the Library's strongest. The collection holds some 14,200 titles in those classifications identified by the Department as supporting their discipline. Among these are 182 currently received serials. In addition, the collection is supported by the related areas of pure mathematics, computer science, and engineering, all of which are particularly strong parts of the Library's collections in themselves.
Support for applied math has taken an increased share of the library's financial resources since the last review, as is evident from the table below.
| Library Support | 1995/96 | 1996/97 | 1997/98 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firm Orders | $2,160 | $1,406 | $1,156 |
| Approval plan | 13,555 | 20,402 | 11,216 |
| Serials | 88,453 | 93,625 | 99,304 |
| Total Support | $104,168 | $115,433 | $111,676 |
It is interesting to compare these figures with those of just ten years ago. In 1987/88, the Library spent just $40,100 in support of Applied Math. The serial expenditures cost $29,000, or 72% of total expenditures. Today the serial costs amount to 89% of total expenditures. This has been a trend in all the sciences, and creates a problem for budgeting, since this money is committed before the year begins, and serials prices have been increasing at a much higher rate than general inflation. Unless we cancel some science serial titles each year, we pull funds away from other areas. The expenditures for books are almost entirely through the approval plan, i.e., current output of university and scientific presses.
According to the Collection Development Policy Statement for Applied Math, the desired coverage in all aspects of the discipline is RESEARCH. A RESEARCH level collection is one which includes the major source materials required for dissertation and independent research, including materials containing research reporting, new findings, scientific experimental results, and other information useful to researchers. It also includes all important reference works and a wide selection of specialized monographs, and an extensive collection of journals and major indexing/abstract services.
Three areas of particular strength are dynamical systems, differential equations, and mathematical modeling, each reflective of long-term interest from the Division. Material is collected in all major Western European languages, and in Russian. The collection is still weakest in statistical and actuarial material necessary to conduct longitudinal analysis, a demand created by various social science departments. Some effort has been made to answer this demand through acquisition of serials backfiles, and by the creation of the Social Sciences Data Services within the Library.
Since the last review, the Library has acquired access to three major bibliographical databases which may be useful to Applied Math. These are Math Sci Net, a web version of Mathematical Reviews, from the American Mathematical Society; Engineering Information Village, which includes Ei Compendex; and the Web of Science, a product which includes the Science Citation Index.
Last year, the Library saw the retirement of Carrie Helie, a librarian with some 30 years of service at Brown. She had been responsible for our collections in Math, Applied Math, Physics, and Engineering, all of these with overlapping interests. We are now recruiting for a librarian to cover these areas, and we hope to have someone in place before the summer. We thank Janet Crager, our medical librarian, for watching over Math and Applied Math in the interim.
William S. Monroe, Head Collection Development
Division of Applied Mathematics
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