The Libraries seek to support research and instruction in the area of food science. The major areas of scholarship are the biological, microbiological, chemical, physical, sensory, nutritional, and engineering properties of foods and beverages. Extension and outreach programs transfer research-based information and technology to consumers, food and beverage companies, and government agencies with the goal of enhancing the availability, quality, and safety of our food supply. There is a particular emphasis on New York State products.
constituencies
The collection is used by faculty, staff and students of the Department of Food Science, including those affiliated with Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. Other constituencies include a variety of disciplines such as animal science, nutrition, food engineering, and applied economics and management. The associated Graduate Field of Food Science encompasses all aspects of food science on Cornell’s Ithaca campus.
Collection Scope
collection strength
Overall, the collecting goals for Food Science are to provide materials suitable for dissertation-level research and undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate education and research. The following topics are collected at this research level: food analysis and chemistry; food quality factors and their measurement; nutritive aspects of food constituents and effects of processing and handling; food microbiology, mycology, and toxicology; food processing and engineering; food product development; the commodities milk and milk products, meat, poultry, eggs, seafood fats, oils and related products, cereal grains, legumes, oilseeds, vegetables and fruits, beverages, confectionary and chocolate products; food safety and regulation; the food industry.
In English, as intensively as the budget will allow. Most current literature is published in English. German, Spanish, and French may also be important if dealing with specific local issues.
Popular, or consumer, works on home processing or food safety will be collected selectively. Marketing of food products and food prices are of interest and are covered by the Applied Economics and Management policy. Geneva, not Mann, will collect works on home and industrial brewing and enology. The Law Library collects materials dealing with legal aspects of food regulation. The Engineering Library collects standards.
material types
Scholarly, trade monographs and serials, textbooks and data sets are collected, as are publications of major trade associations.
special collections or noteworthy resources in the field
Mann Library's Special Collections hold materials that are too rare, valuable or fragile to be housed in the regular stacks. ECommons serves as a repository for data files compiled by Cornell researchers.
