**These Collection Development Statements are under review and will be updated soon.**

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY: URBAN PLANNING

Date Drafted: December 28, 1995

Written by: T. Link

I. PURPOSE OR SCOPE OF COLLECTION

A. Curricular/research/Programmatic Needs

The urban planning collection supports the instruction, research, and service commitments of Michigan State University. MSU offers a B.S., M.A., M.S. and a PhD. in Urban and Regional Planning through the College of Social Science and the Department of Geography. Although the numbers of students in these programs is not large, the collection attempts to provide them research level support for advanced studies.

The growing urbanization of our world and the resulting challenges this forces upon us require intense and very interdisciplinary studies. Disciplines such as economics, political science, resource development, sociology, public administration, geography, engineering, etc. all have impact on searching for solutions that planners study. While a majority of the focus is domestic urban planning, global urbanization is proceeding at least as quickly and many of the difficulties are not limited by geography. Our faculty is involved with research and service overseas and numerous international students study within the program in order to return home to enhance the planning apparatus within their country. In addition, students and faculty from other disciplines make us of planning materials in their research involving urban issues.

The Charles Barr Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture Library is the primary home for materials specific to urban and regional planning. The Main Library, Map Library, and Engineering Library all hold materials also frequently used by planning students and faculty. There is a growing overlap in the area of technology, environment and urban planning and with the nature of the planning process and the involvement of community members in it.

B. History of the Collection/Existing Strengths and Weaknesses

The urban planning collection has grown steadily since its inclusion in the university libraries system in 1979. In previous years it was wholly supported by the School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture. Today the Charles Barr Planning and Design Library functions as a cooperative venture between the University Libraries and the Department of Geography. It is located in the Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture Building and administered through the University system by a branch librarian. The Library Assistant IV handles the day to day operation.

The former Urban Policy and Planning Library (UPP) was absorbed in part by the Planning and Design Library in the mid-80’s. Much of the vertical file materials and planning reports are housed in the Planning and Design Library while older planning reports are housed in the Main Library as PLA storage.

The major strengths of the collection are the planning reports and the monographs focusing on planning theory. Planning reports number over 20,000 and have a strong Michigan bias, while still providing broad domestic and to a lesser extent international coverage. Attempts are made to identify new reports and to acquire them first for free and then as purchases. We acquire 200-300 planning reports a year. The majority of the collection is English language. Attempts are made to purchase all English language planning monographs that deal with planning theory, planning studies of major cities, or benchmark topical studies with planning, i.e. transportation, zoning, housing development, land use, etc.

No attempt is made to be comprehensive outside of these limited areas. We are selective in choosing planning history, historic preservation, and foreign language treatments. Our periodical collection is solidly grounded in the core journals of the field but also strives to add emerging titles that are important to research and trends in the field.

II. FACTORS INFLUENCING COLLECTION POLICY

A. Anticipated Future Trends

There is a growing interest in the idea of “sustainable cities”, “edge cities” and regional planning. In addition, the state of Michigan is very much focused on “land use planning”. More work will be done on “third world” urban areas and a growing campus interest and commitment to South Africa. Finally, the legal issues revolving around planning issues, including citizen involvement in the process are bound to become more central to the field and to campus with the move of the Detroit College of Law to our campus in the next two years.

B. Relationships With Other Resources

1. The Michigan Society of Planning Officials is attempting to make us a depository for planning reports. It is not clear if the actual practice will follow the theory, but it may well enhance our already strong planning report collection.

2. Center for Remote Sensing is still the central campus site for access to GIS related information useful in planning. The Map Library is also developing the capability. Microcomputer Labs in the UPLA building are anticipated to offer some access.

3. Regional resources

The CIC campuses offer some strong urban planning collections, especially University of Illinois and University of Minnesota.

C. Relationships to resources Treated in Other Collection Policy Statements

Map Library: maintains the map collections and GIS access

Area Selectors: select most materials for areas outside of the U.S.

Engineering: selects material on the technical aspects of transportation, water quality engineering, and energy

Public Administration: selects city administration, budgeting, finance

III. ANALYSIS OF THE SUBJECT FIELD

A. Chronology of subject: emphasis/restrictions

The emphasis will be on current and future urban areas. Limited collection in the history of urban planning will occur.

B. Languages of Resources Collected: emphases/restrictions

English language materials are preferred. Landmark studies or reports in major European languages will be collected. Very selective collecting of materials written in the native language will be acquired when importance of the monograph requires that we own it.

C. Geography of the Subject: emphases/restrictions

Primary emphasis is on Michigan and the U.S. although all regions of the world are sought. Special emphasis on Africa as a result of our strong Africana collection and more than passing interest in Japan.

D. Format of Resources Collected: emphases/restrictions

Monographs, serials, planning reports make up the main part of the collection. There is a small but growing collection of video tapes. It is anticipated that full-text material on CD is just around the corner.

E. Date of Publication of resources: emphases/restrictions

Twentieth century for monographs. Planning reports since 1970.