Section 1. Introduction
The School of Medicine Library (SOML) collection is an integral part of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV and primarily serves to support the educational and research missions of the medical school. The uniqueness of this collection includes its primarily digital-first format, coverage of educational text, and partnership with University Libraries allowing access to cross-disciplinary resources. To better understand the purpose and goals of our collecting efforts, this policy includes a purpose statement, collections goals and overview.
The University Libraries has management and faculty governance authority over the SOML, funded by the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine and guided by a Memorandum of Understanding. While this structure may be complex to navigate at times, it is also an efficient arrangement that decreases overall cost of information resources, draws upon supporting services such as cataloging and interlibrary loan without a fee to the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, and provides a tenure & promotion process for the academic faculty in the SOML. Together, the University Libraries and Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine are able to provide library instruction, research collections, and advance library services that medical students, residents, faculty, and staff require.
This collections policy aligns with the overarching University Libraries list of policies and the Collection Development Policy Statement. In the event of any conflict, the Policy Statement issued by University Libraries will take precedence.
1.1 Entities Affected by the Policy
Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine faculty, students, residents and fellows.
1.2 Purpose Statement
The School of Medicine Library is dedicated to providing access to comprehensive and current information resources that support the educational, research, and clinical missions of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine faculty, staff, medical students, residents and fellows.
1.3 Collections Goals
School of Medicine Library’s collections goals align closely with University Libraries with particular emphasis on the following:
- Build a collection that meets the research, curricular and information needs of faculty, medical students, residents and fellows at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine.
- Support open access efforts of faculty, medical students, residents, fellows and the larger research and publishing community.
- Collect content by and about people and communities that have historically been excluded. This effort includes but is not limited to the intentional collection of materials about and by groups historically excluded by virtue of their ethnicity, race, religion, sexuality, gender, physical ability, mental ability, language, and nationality.
- Liaison with academic departments to incorporate faculty input in the development of the collection and to identify new trends in research and curriculum.
- Spend collection allocations to achieve the greatest benefit and track expenditures closely to ensure the judicious use of resources. Conduct collection assessments as needed.
Section 2. Collection Overview
The School of Medicine Library is a digital-first collection with approximately 97% coverage in electronic resources including journals, ebooks, and databases. This format allows for 24/7 global access to journals, ebooks and databases. The School of Medicine Library also carries a small print collection to support the curricular needs, professional development, and leisure reading for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine community.
2.1 Collection Access
The School of Medicine Library, supported in part by University Libraries, provides access to its collections for individuals affiliated with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the following ways:
- Physical Access: The library provides physical access to its collections through its onsite facilities including the School of Medicine Library, Lied Library and the branches.
- Electronic Access: The library provides electronic access to its collections through its website and off-campus access software.
- Interlibrary Loan: The library provides interlibrary loan services by obtaining materials not available in its collections through services provided by University Libraries.
2.2 Collections Budget
Each biennium fiscal year, the collections budget is set by the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine in consultation with University Libraries, the Dean of Libraries, and School of Medicine Library Director. Final decisions on collections’ allotments are made by the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine executive administration.
On average, the School of Medicine Library estimates an inflation rate for library subscriptions of 5% per year. As a result, an increase in the library’s budget may not be substantial enough to allow for additional resources to be added to the collection. A flat budget results in the need to cancel existing subscriptions, which may occur over multiple fiscal years.
In cases of financial downturns and significant budget reductions, the School of Medicine Library follows University Libraries practice of including a financial exigency clause to cancel resources when it is no longer able to continue a subscription.
2.3 Collections Selection & Scope
The School of Medicine Library primarily collects biomedical resources that support the educational, research, and clinical missions of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. Part of the collections selection process includes negotiating contracts and license agreements on behalf of the medical school.
In addition, library faculty serve as selectors and may purchase books and materials that support new and emerging areas of interest for the print or online collection. These one-time purchases are made at their discretion and/or from recommendations from the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine community.
Informational resources that are considered out of scope for this collection include:
- Course platform software, learning management systems, and related instructor resources
- Exam or board certification resources that support individual users or a single GME program*
- Health sciences and allied health resources to include but not limited to journals, books, and databases
- Course textbook outside the Phase 1: Foundations curriculum**
- Book donations
*Many of these information resources are funded and supported by other departments at Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine and we recommend reaching out to them for further assistance.
**The School of Medicine Library strives to offer a comprehensive collection covering pre-clinical and clinical resources as funding permits. Instructional faculty are strongly encouraged to reach out to liaison librarians early in the calendar year to determine if there are books within the existing collections that can supplement student learning, and/or add print copies to course reserves for the following academic year. Required textbooks and supplemental readings not included in the SOML’s existing collection are taken under consideration in terms of feasibility, cost, accessibility, and utilization across the medical school. The library may provide alternative resources and procurement options.
Subscription purchasing requests: When possible, we aim to purchase resources that support library users across the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. Purchase requests for subscriptions that incur an ongoing cost are reviewed annually and if approved, submitted as part of the library’s budget proposal for the following fiscal year.
Section 3. Collection Development Policy Review
The library will review and update its collection development policy on a regular basis to ensure it remains current and relevant.
Date developed
September 2024
Date finalized
July 2025
Contact Information
School of Medicine Library
702-545-2005
medlib@unlv.edu