MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY STATEMENT
Department: Collection Management
Subject: Women and Gender Studies
Written by: Sharon Ladenson
Initial draft: March 10, 2006
I. Purpose/Scope of the Collection
Curricular/Programmatic Needs
The Gender Studies collection supports the curricular and
research needs of the undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from the
Women, Gender and Social Justice (WGSJ), and the Women and International
Development (WID) programs. The WGSJ
and WID programs are highly interdisciplinary. The WGSJ program offers eight undergraduate specializations: Gender, Race,
and Ethnic Identity, Gender and Sexuality, Gender, History, and Narrative,
Gender and Conflict/Violence, Gender and Literary, Performance, and Visual
Arts, Gender and Public Policy, Gender and Urban Spaces, and Gender and Health.
MSU also offers graduate and undergraduate specializations in International
Development (which include women’s and gender studies courses), administered by
the WID program and by the Center for Advanced Study of International
Development (CASID). In addition, the College of Social Science and the College
of Agriculture and Natural Resources jointly sponsor a graduate specialization
specific to “Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change.”
II.
Factors
Influencing Collecting Policy
A.
Anticipated
Future Trends
The WGSJ program
has developed two graduate specializations in “Gender, Theory and
Representation:” one focuses on comparative and cultural studies, while the other
focuses on gender, violence and conflict. The graduate specializations are
being submitted for approval during the spring of 2006, and student enrolled is
anticipated for the spring of 2007.
B.
Relationships
with other resources
1. MSU Libraries
As a wholly
interdisciplinary field, women’s and gender studies materials can be found in
specialized units of the Main Library and the various branches, including
Special Collections, Government Documents, Fine Arts, and the Gast Business
Library.
2. Regional or network resources:
A sufficient number of women’s and gender studies materials are acquired to meet most departmental curricular and research needs. Some individual advanced research requires access to outside collections. Materials from other libraries can be identified using electronic resources, such as WorldCat (the union catalog produced by the Online Computer Library Center). Most materials from other CIC libraries can be obtained easily through interlibrary loan.
C. Relationships to resources treated in other policy statements:
African American Studies: African American women
Asian Pacific American Studies: Asian Pacific American women
English and American Literature: Women’s literature
French Studies: History of women and family in France
Labor Relations and Human Resources: “Working women, both current and historical, gay
and lesbian employees, discrimination, harassment, affirmative action.”
Special
Collections: LGBT collection, Changing Men’s collections
III.
Analysis of the
Subject Field
A. Chronology of
the subject:
There are no chronological restrictions.
Materials on both current and
historical
topics are considered.
B.
Language of resources collected:
The gender studies
bibliographer selects English language materials primarily, although materials
in other languages are also considered. Area studies bibliographers
cooperatively select materials written in the languages specific to their
respective geographic foci.
C.
Geography of
subject:
No
restrictions. Women and international
development is an area that is of increasing interest at Michigan State.
Efforts are made in cooperation with other bibliographers (particularly the
area studies and international development bibliographers) to acquire materials
that are international in scope.
D.
Format of
resources collected:
All appropriate
formats, including print, electronic, and microforms are considered.
E.
Date of
publications collected:
Emphasis is on
current publications, but retrospective works are also considered.
IV.
Levels of
collecting intensity
HQ
1101-HQ1190 Feminism/Feminist
Theory 3b
HQ1121-HQ1187.5 Women – History & Social
Conditions 3b
HQ1185-HQ1186 Women’s Studies (including biographical methods) 3b
HQ1206-HQ1216 Women – Psychology 3b
HQ 1236-HQ
1236.5 Women’s Rights 3b
HQ 1390-HQ
1391 Women in Public Life 3b
HQ 1871-HQ
2030.7 Women – Societies and Clubs
3a
Selection of women and gender studies materials is not limited to the call number ranges listed above. The LC classification schedule does not neatly describe the interdisciplinary nature of women’s and gender studies. The Gender Studies bibliographer is the primarily selector of women and gender studies materials for the Main Library collection in all formats, and in collaboration and consultation with bibliographers in other subject areas and locations.
V. Collection management issues
Policies in effect for preservation, replacement, and weeding for the Main Library stacks apply to the women and gender studies collection.