Acquisition Criteria 1. Purchase of Books Emphasis is placed on conventional, printed books. Dissertations are actively sought from the Laboratory personnel, but can be purchased from UMI upon request and justification. Suggestions for materials are strongly encouraged. Purchase of Journals Journals are acquired through subscription, donation, and exchange agreements.
Emphasis is placed on printed, peer-review scientific journals.
Some popular scientific journals are also collected. Reprints Historically, reprint collections were the mainstay of the Rice Library. However, due to the rapid growth and comprehensiveness of the current journal collection, as well as the availability of the materials via interlibrary loan and through electronic access, reprint collections are not retained unless they represent material unavailable in any other form or are of historical significance to the Beaufort Laboratory. In such cases, it is recommended that the reprint collections be accompanied by funds for their organization and upkeep. If large collections are not accompanied by such funds, the Library maintains the right to decline the gift.