Description
The collection is maintained by the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library, although there are interdisciplinary collection activities occurring in the Funk ACES Library and the Grainger Engineering Library under Medicine, Biomedicine, and Health.
The Applied Health Sciences collection supports the teaching and research of the College of Applied Health Sciences and consists of approximately 504,750 volumes. Recently published materials in the collection are held in the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library, with supplementary materials in the Main Stacks and the Oak Street Storage Facility. Of note within the Applied Health Sciences special collections is the Avery Brundage Collection at the University Archives.
Revision Date: July 2025
Statements
I. Collection Description
Purpose:
The primary purpose of the Applied Health Sciences collection is to support the research and instructional needs of students and faculty in the College of Applied Health Sciences, which offers undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D. degrees in the areas of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Kinesiology, Community Health, Recreation, Sport & Tourism, and Speech & Hearing Science. The college prepares students to “become medical providers, therapists, hospital leaders, non-profit directors, public health officials, and providers of healthy and enjoyable environments” (AHS Undergraduate Affairs). Students can gain research experience in the college’s labs across each of these specialized subject areas, as well as at the Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Clinic, where graduate student clinicians provide care to their clients under supervision of licensed and nationally certified audiologists and speech language pathologists. The development and growth of the library’s collection provides resources to students in each of the college’s areas of study and supports faculty research.
History of Collection:
The Applied Health Sciences collection originated in 1949 as the Physical Education Library, created as a departmental library unit to support the academic efforts of the School of Physical Education. The library was located in rooms 104 and 106 on the first floor of the Main Library with 4,000 volumes and a capacity of 48. This collection was initially designed to support class reading assignments; consequently, it held only a core reference collection and a few items of interest to the graduate students and faculty. By 1952, book selection was geared toward support of graduate and faculty research with master’s degrees now being offered in both Recreation and Health Education. In 1964, the collection had grown to 10,660 volumes, and the Physical Education Library was relocated to a larger space in room 146 of the Main Library. The name of the library was changed to Applied Life Studies in 1975 to reflect the college’s new name. In 2006, the college again changed its name to Applied Health Studies, with the library following suit. The Applied Health Studies Library was merged with the Education and Social Science Library and the Business and Economics Library in 2012 to form the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library, where its collection remains today.
Estimate of Holdings:
504,750 volumes.
State, Regional and National Importance:
The Applied Health Sciences collection is a highly regarded resource of the state, the region, and the nation. Its prominence is evidenced by its selection by G. K. Hall to have its card catalog published in book form: Dictionary Catalog of the Applied Life Studies Library, V. 1-4 and Its First Supplement, v. 1-2.
Unit Responsible for Collecting:
Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL), although there are interdisciplinary collection activities occurring in the Grainger Engineering Library under Medicine, Biomedicine, and Health.
Location of Materials:
A core collection of approximately 6,906 volumes as of June 2025 are housed in the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library. Older and/or supplementary materials are housed in the Main Stacks and the Oak Street off-site storage facility, consisting of approximately 497,844 volumes. In addition, there are complementary collections housed in the Funk ACES Library and the Grainger Engineering Library under Medicine, Biomedicine, and Health.
Citations of Works Describing the Collection:
Ash, Lee, ed. Subject Collections, 5th ed. New York: Bowker, 1978, p. 1030.
Dictionary Catalog of the Applied Life Studies Library, v. 1-4.Boston: G.K. Hall, 1977, and First Supplement v. 1-2, 1982.
II. General Collection Guidelines
Languages:
Standard statement.
Chronological Guidelines:
No restrictions. The emphasis is on acquiring current literature covering ancient Greek civilization to the present.
Geographical Guidelines:
No restrictions, although the emphasis is on United States, German, and British Commonwealth materials.
Treatment of Subject:
Standard statement.
Types of Materials:
Standard statement.
Date of Publication:
Standard statement.
Place of Publication:
No restrictions.
III. Collection Responsibility by Subject Subdivisions with Qualifications, Levels of Collecting Intensity, and Assignments
Below is a table that lists specific subject subdivisions within the collection. Each row in the table lists a specific subject subdivision, followed by three columns noting: Collection Strength, Primary Assignments and Secondary Assignments. The Existing Collecting Strength column notes how well the existing collection covers that topic on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 being very strong. The Primary Assignments column lists departmental libraries that have the greatest collection intensity of subject materials, respectively. In the case of 2 or more libraries listed, the collection intensity is comparable. The Secondary Assignments column list departmental libraries where additional materials may be found.
Applied Health Sciences Collection |
|||
SUBJECT SUBDIVISIONS |
EXISTING STRENGTH |
PRIMARY ASSIGNMENTS |
SECONDARY ASSIGNMENTS |
| Public Health-Environmental health |
4 |
SSHEL |
Funk; Grainger |
| Public Health-Epidemiology |
5 |
SSHEL |
Funk |
| Public Health-Health data analysis |
5 |
SSHEL |
Funk; Grainger |
| Public Health-Health planning and administration |
5 |
SSHEL |
Funk |
| Public Health-Occupational health |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Public Health-Personal health |
4 |
SSHEL |
Funk; Grainger |
| Public Health-Sex education |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Public Health-Aging, Gerontology |
4 |
SSHEL |
Funk; Grainger |
| Physical Education-Adapted physical education |
3 |
SSHEL |
|
| Physical Education-Administration |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Physical Education-Biosciences (exercise, exercise ergonomics, kinesiology, physiology, sports biomechanics) |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Physical Education-Physical therapy |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Physical Education-Professional preparation (teaching) |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Physical Education-Sports (anthropology of play, history, law of sport, philosophy of sport, sport psychology, sociology of sport) |
5 |
SSHEL |
|
| Physical Education-Sports medicine |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Recreation-Camping |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Recreation-Environmental education |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Recreation-Leisure (theory, history, behavior) |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Recreation-Outdoor recreation |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Recreation-Recreation and park administration/management |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Recreation-Recreation resources and facilities |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Recreation-Therapeutic recreation |
4 |
SSHEL |
|
| Recreation-Tourism (sociology, economics) |
5 |
SSHEL |
|
Sections on the purpose and history of the collection were researched and written by Emily Morgan.
Revision Date: July 2025