We have not ordered foreign language monographs in at least ten years and they represent a small portion of the collection overall. We own a fair number of older titles written in German, French, and other languages, and can offer interested users an opportunity to practice reading physics in a foreign language. We do order current secondary sources on the history of physics and astronomy, such as books bought to support the non-major's course on Einstein and Relativity. There are no significant geographic considerations when selecting library materials for physics or astronomy. The majority of books selected are published during the current year.
Primary literature is emphasized, as evidenced by the high ratio of journals to monographs.
Within the monograph collection, we prefer scholarly works over popular works, but often buy books written specifically for the non-specialist to support introductory level courses. Frequently revised texts are not collected as a rule. We occasionally make exceptions for required introductory texts needed on reserve. Generally, we do not buy required textbooks, but may obtain a lending copy from a professor for reserve use when necessary. We subscribe to approximately 55 periodicals in physics and astronomy, supporting basic research in experimental and theoretical physics and astronomy and add an average of 320 serial volumes per year.