Collection Details of the Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University

Books (Monographs)
Monographs, textbooks, and other treatises serve to document information written in the field of veterinary medicine and related subjects. Books are arranged according to the Library of Congress classification scheme.

In the Flower-Sprecher Library books are shelved in two locations:

Items with Library of Congress call numbers ranging from A through Q (Basic Science, including zoology, anatomy, histology, physiology, microbiology, and immunology) are stored in the third level stacks.

Items with LC call numbers beginning with R (Human Medicine), S (Agriculture), SF 600-1100 (Veterinary Medicine) to Z (Bibliography) are shelved in the second level stacks.

Oversize materials in excess of 12 inches high are shelved at the south end of each of the stack levels on specially marked shelves. The spine labels include a +, ++, or +++ in the call number.

Reserve Books
The shelves directly behind the Circulation Desk contain materials needed for course use or which require restricted yet maximum access. Reserve books are arranged by Library of Congress call number and are marked by red spine tape. They circulate for 2 hours. Items taken overnight 2 hours before the Library closes are due by 10:00 a.m. the following day.

New Books
When new books are received, they are displayed on the "New Book" shelves for about three months. This enables browsing for new materials acquired by the Library for current awareness purposes and borrowing for one week. Each item is easily identified by yellow "New Book" label. You may browse through the new materials and borrow any item for a period of one week.

Reference Books
Reference books include dictionaries, directories, handbooks, drug sources, style manuals, and other volumes containing specific data or reference information. Materials in this collection are marked with green tape on the spines and are arranged by Library of Congress call number (e.g, subject). They do not circulate.

Examples of important items include: world almanacs; geographic atlases; zip code directories; animal encyclopedias; biographical directories; list of associations; English and foreign language, standard, medical and specialized subject dictionaries; human and animal drug sources; and lists of medical and veterinary specialists such as the latest American Veterinary Medical Association Directory.

A growing number of these print publications are becoming available in electronic format via the Library Gateway. Use the Library Catalog or Find Databases on the Library Gateway. If you need assistance in finding specific information, consult the Reference Librarian or ask at the Circulation Desk.

Casual Reading Books
A small collection of recent novels and other casual books in paperback form is available for leisure reading. Since no systematic selection is performed, the titles vary widely. These books may be borrowed on the honor system and do not need to be checked out at the Circulation Desk. Donations to the informal collection are welcome at any time.

Rare Books
The Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library is fortunate to have a number of historically significant early books relating to veterinary medicine and farriery. Some of these volumes were acquired by Dr. James Law, the first dean of the College. Additional materials came from the collections of John Busteed, M.D., founder of the New York Veterinary College, Dr. John Zuill, former dean of the veterinary department of the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Simon Henry Gage, Daniel Elmer Salmon, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry, and others. This early collection has been supplemented by donations over the years.

All of these materials are stored in the Rare Book Room and do not circulate. Ask for assistance at the Circulation Desk for viewing these materials.

E-Journals
The Cornell University Library offers a growing collection of full text electronic journals. Among these are numerous veterinary and other biomedical journals, including such titles as American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and Veterinary Surgery.

They can be located through the Library Catalog or E-Journal Titles list on the Library Gateway.

All titles can be accessed from computers in the Veterinary Library as well as other locations on campus. Most are also available from off-campus using your netID and password. For assistance contact vetref@cornell.edu or 607-253-3499.

Print Journals (bound and unbound)
Journal articles are the primary means of conveying scholarly research and clinical information in the biomedical sciences. In the Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library, print journals are arranged alphabetical by title in several locations. Volumes from 1990 to present are shelved on the main floor. Volumes 1989 and earlier are stored on compact shelving on the lower level stacks. Directions for the operation and safe use of the compact shelving ranges are posted. If you need assistance, do not hesitate to ask.

If you cannot find volumes before 1960 in the stacks, they may be in storage in the Annex Library, a high density off campus storage facility. You can send an email request to have materials delivered to your desktop from the Annex for needed articles or you can have the complete volume delivered to the Veterinary Library. Verification of holdings and call number information can be obtained from the Online Catalog.

Reserve Journals
Selected volumes of a few journals are held on the reserve shelves to assure equitable access. Among these are the last three years (2000+) of Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the four Veterinary Clinics of North America series, and Veterinary Record. The last 10 years (1992+) of Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian and Equine Veterinary Journal are held on reserve as well. Ask at the Circulation Desk to borrow any of these volumes for 2 hour use

Current Journal Issues
The most recent issue of important journals received by the Library are displayed on the racks in the current issue area on the main floor. This display enables patrons to browse through the latest issues for articles of interest. Each of the journal issues has a white sticker indicating "Current Issue". Current issues may circulate out of the Library for 24 hours only and are due back by 10:00 a.m. the next day. Older or previous issues are shelved in the adjacent periodicals stacks on the main floor.

Theses (MS & PhD)
The Library has a circulating collection of theses prepared by graduate students who earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in affiliation with the Veterinary College. All volumes have the call number, SF 610, and are shelved on the second level book stacks. Within that call number, the volumes are sub-arranged by year, then alphabetical by name. The loan periods are the same as those of regular books at 6 months or 6 weeks.

Foreign Veterinary Theses
The Library has an extensive collection of theses written by D.V.M. students attending various European veterinary colleges. Among the institutions represented are Alfort, Geissen, Hanover, Munich, and Stockholm. These items are not included in the Library Catalog and there is no printed index. However, some theses may be indexed in the CAB Abstracts database and the printed Index Veterinarius. Please ask for assistance at the Circulation Desk to obtain these materials currently held in off-site storage.

Fourth-Year (Senior) Seminars
Each year, the D.V.M. students give a seminar during their fourth year and prepare a written paper on a topic of interest, usually an interesting clinical case. Copies of these papers are available in the Library.

All seminars have the call number, SF610.1. Within that call number, the seminars are sub-arranged by year, then alphabetical by name. Presently, seminars from 1980 to date are searchable from the Library Catalog while papers back to 1948 will be added in coming months.

Seminars from the latest several years are shelved behind the Circulation Desk on reserve while the earlier materials are in locked storage on the third level stacks. Seminar papers do not circulate. Ask for them at the Circulation Desk to be paged from reserve or locked storage.

Audiovisuals
The Library maintains a large collection of recent ½” VHS videotapes. They are arranged by Library of Congress call number on shelves in the back of the reading room. Some titles may be temporarily held on reserve behind the Circulation Desk for course use. Videotapes can found by searching the Library Catalog or browsing the shelves. Videoplayback units are located in the Audiovisual/Multimedia area in the back of the library for in-house viewing. These tapes may be borrowed for three days.

A number of older (pre-1985) audiovisual materials are also available in various formats including videotapes (½” VHS and ¾” U-Matic), audiotapes, and 35mm slides in carousel trays. They are shelved near the periodical indexes in the rear of the reading room and are arranged by broad subject categories, such as anatomy, breeds, behavior, limbs, microbiology, ophthalmology, and surgery. Within each category, the arrangement is by format (AC for audiocassette, SL for slide, and VT for videotape), then by accession year.

CD-ROM & Laser Videodiscs
A number of titles have been acquired in recent years on CD-ROM and laser videodisc. These materials are stored with the reserve items behind the Circulation Desk and can be utilized on computers located in the rear of the Library behind the Photocopy Room. Titles such as the Merck Veterinary Manual, Exotic Medicine Library on CD-ROM, Electronic Animal Model Series, and Noah's Arkive (International Veterinary Pathology Slide Bank) are available. Additional materials related to veterinary medicine in these formats are added as they become available.

Microfiche & Microfilm
A small collection of selected titles in microform is stored in a file cabinet under the stairs on the main floor stacks near the Photocopy Room. This includes some NTIS technical reports, NCI Cancergrams and other publications. There are also a few reels of microfilm containing selected Ph.D. dissertations and short runs of selected journal volumes. Items are arranged in various ways: by call number, technical report number or other system. Please ask for assistance if you need to utilize these materials. No viewing equipment is available on site, but items may be charged out for use on microform readers in other campus libraries (Mann Library has reader/printers available).

Electronic Resources
A number of online bibliographic databases, including PubMed MEDLINE, CAB Abstracts, BIOSIS, and Agricola are accessible for searching the biomedical journal literature. They can be searched from any of the 12 public access computers in the Library. Many of these networked databases may also be accessible from offices and other campus locations as well as from home via Cornell’s Library Gateway.

Electronic journals comprise a growing collection of digital resources. These titles are searchable from the Library Catalog or from the E-Journal Title list on the Library Gateway and can be accessed from any computer on or off-campus (off campus users will be asked to authenticate with their userid and password).

The full text of monographs and many reference publications are also included in Cornell’s digital library and can be accessed via the Library Catalog.

Consult the Reference Librarian or ask at the Circulation Desk if you need help in utilizing these digital resources. We can also provide advice on searching or locating appropriate materials and help in resolving technical difficulties should they arise in connecting to these resources.

Printed Indexes and Abstracts
Located in the rear of the reading room, a number of printed index and abstracting sources are available for locating journal references. They are arranged alphabetically by title and the volumes carry green spine tape. Among the titles are Cumulated Index Medicus, Index Veterinarius, Review of Veterinary and Veterinary Mycology , Pig News and Information and Veterinary Bulletin. Earlier volumes and some additional titles are shelved at one end of the third level book stacks. Online versions of many of these bibliographic tools are also available, including MEDLINE and CAB Abstracts.

Core Resource
When the College implemented an innovative professional curriculum in 1993, the Library established a Core Resource Collection that includes multiple copies of heavily used texts. Similar to an open-shelf reserve, these books are conveniently shelved in the reading room and are arranged by Library of Congress call number (subject). All volumes on Core Resource can be quickly identified by the blue tape on their spines. They do not circulate outside the library.

Newspapers
The Library subscribes to several newspapers. This includes daily issues of The New York Times (excluding The Sunday New York Times) that are generally available by late morning as well as The Cornell Daily Sun during the academic year and The Ithaca Journal. On a weekly basis, issues of The Cornell Chronicle and Chronicle of Higher Education are also received.

The current day’s issues are displayed in the current journal display area. Older ones are temporarily stored on the stand between the current journal issue area and the main floor periodical stacks. Back issues of the daily papers are discarded after about a week or so while the weeklies may be retained up to several months. For locating back issues of newspapers search the Olin Library Newspaper Indexes.

Archival Materials
The Library has a selection of materials related to the history of the College of Veterinary Medicine in particular and veterinary medicine in general. Among the resources are composite photos of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine classes, informal photographs of buildings and people taken over the last 100 years, alumni records, faculty meeting minutes, annual reports, and similar materials.

Check the College Archives web page for more information. If you need information concerning the background of the College, consult Laura Finkel the College Archivist or the Reference Librarian. This material supplements the official records of the University held in Manuscripts and Archives in Kroch Library.