Collection Development Policy

MSU Libraries

Jewish Studies

Shari Buxbaum

 

I. Purpose and scope of the collection

            A. Curricular/Research/Programmatic needs

The Jewish Studies collection supports the undergraduate courses that comprise the Jewish Studies program offered in the College of Arts and Letters. In Spring 2002 these courses were Hebrew language (beginner and intermediate), several Holocaust courses, Israeli culture and society, Jews and anti-Semitism, Jewish-American literature, American Jewish history, and Introduction to the Old Testament. Each semester new courses are developed on Jewish themes.

 

Because the concept of Jewish Studies is highly interdisciplinary, the need for resources, including  research-level material, occurs across the social sciences and humanities. Many researchers not formally connected to the Jewish Studies program use the Jewish Studies collection of the library.

 

            B. History of the Collection

Jewish Studies was established as an undergraduate specialization program at MSU in 1990, with Prof. Barry Gross as the director. In 1992, a bibliographer (Shari Buxbaum) was given selection responsibilities for Jewish Studies. Previously, materials on Jewish subjects were selected by various bibliographers according to the discipline (religion, history, women's studies, etc.).

 

In 1991 several serials relating to Jewish Studies were canceled as part of a serials reduction project in the library. Since then, serials have been added. Some recent subscriptions are

·        Shofar

·        Moment

·        Forward, English  ed.(paper and microfilm)

·        Journal of Holocaust Education

·        Michigan Jewish History

 

At present, the collection reflects the buying pattern of an average academic research library, with no particular area of strength or weakness.

 

II. Factors influencing collection policy

            The need to offer a collection suitable for an undergraduate curriculum on one hand,  while meeting the research needs of the faculty who teach that curriculum on the other,  will call for close relationships with each member of the faculty in order to stay abreast of current research needs in specific areas

The Jewish Studies Program has recently added two new faculty, in the subjects of Jewish-American History and Hebrew Studies. Another appointment for Jewish Religion is being developed. Thus the multi-disciplinary character of the program will continue to push the needs of the collection into many subjects.. 

            The focus of the Jewish Studies Program at MSU is in the two centers of  modern Jewish experience: America and Israel. The program reverses the order of most university teaching in Jewish Studies by beginning with the current situation in Jewish life: language, religion, history, literature and the arts, and society as reflected in today's two centers. These two societies are studied as the point of intellectual and curricular departure; however, the history of European Jewry is included in order to understand today's American and Israeli Jewish societies.

            The priorities of the Jewish Studies program, as stated in the Plan for Jewish Studies which is updated each year, lists the following:

·        Faculty appointments for Israel Studies and Jewish Religious and Philosophical Traditions

·        Visiting professor appointment which brings Israeli scholars who teach semester courses

·        Holocaust education programs, which include the annual MSU Michigan Teachers Institute on Holocaust Education, Al Rabin Holocaust Memorial Lecture, and film and art presentations.

·        Program in distance education focusing on a certificate in "Contemporary Jewish Studies"

·        Library support for collections and staff development

·        Study in Israel, which has been suspended because of the security situation.

 

III. Analysis of the subject field:

            Chronological guidelines: Emphasis on contemporary studies and the modern period.

            Languages of resources collected: English language to support all levels of instruction. Coverage of current material is done through trade and university approval plans with appropriate profiles. Hebrew in the area of literature is collected. Additional sources in English are acquired through firm orders. Conference proceedings, publications of research institutes, and other scholarly publications in English are collected.

French, Italian, German, and Slavic languages are not collected comprehensively, but may be selected to ensure that research needs are met.

Geographic guidelines: The "two centers" approach determines that the emphasis is on America and Israel, with Europe covered less intensively.

Format guidelines: Most acquisitions are in print format. Some backfiles of serials may be in microfilm. Essential reference resources such as the Encyclopedia Judaica may be in electronic format also. A recent (2003) gift to create an electronic collection was received from Steven Dines, which enabled the establishment of a Hebrew computer with some programs including word processing, located in the Digital Media Center of the library. Dissertations and theses from other institutions are not collected.

 

Major subject areas of Jewish Studies

• Judaism, broadly interpreted to include Jewish theology, rabbinical literature, Jewish classical texts and commentaries, liturgy and customs, religious law, mysticism, movements and sects, philosophy and ethics, and synagogue history. This area is collected at the study or instructional level (3a).
• Jewish history, a far-reaching field spanning 4,000 years of Jewish life in Paestine, modern Israel, and all countries of the Diaspora, with emphasis on America and Israel. Community history, demography, anti-Semitism, Zionism, Jewish-Arab relations, and the Holocaust are included in this area. Advanced instructional level(3b)
• Israel is an integral part of Jewish Studies. Emphasis is on the cultural, political, and social aspects of Jewish life in modern Israel. Very few statistical series and government documents are collected beyond the Statistical Abstract of Israel. Collected at a low research level.
• Bible including texts, commentaries, and criticism of the Hebrew scriptures related to the growth and development of Judaism and the Jewish people, written from a Jewish perspective. Works of a Christian doctrinal or devotional nature are collected by the Religions bibliographer. (3a).
• Hebrew language and literature is collected selectively. . Hebrew literature is selectively collected in Hebrew and in English translation. The expanding Hebrew language program at MSU requires attention to future needs. Also, the classics of Yiddish literature are added very judiciously through gift collections. (3a).