Purpose
The Collection Development policy is used as a guide to shape relevant collections and to ensure consistency in collection development. The decision to purchase library materials is primarily the responsibility of the collections librarian in consultation with faculty in the Department.
This policy has been developed by Joanne Oud, the Women’s Studies Librarian, in cooperation with Margaret Toye, the Program’s Library Liaison.
Focus
The Library collection supports teaching, study and research at the undergraduate degree level, especially in support of current courses. These include:
- Introduction to Women’s Studies
- Women and Identity
- Women in Canada
- Girls, Women and Popular Culture
- Women and Work
- Gender and Visual Culture
- Violence Against Women
- Feminist Theory
- Gender, Race and Transnationalism
- Gender, Culture and Technology
- Women and Social Justice
- Gender and Social Politics in Contemporary Muslim Societies
- Gender, Cinema and the Developing World
Scope
- Language: works written or translated into English are preferred
- Place of Publication: priority is given to materials published in North America and the UK
- Dates of Publication: emphasis is placed on recently published works
- Chronological Period: emphasis is placed on the contemporary period (20th and 21st centuries)
- Geographical Areas: no area is excluded
- Publishers: scholarly and academic publishers are given priority, although non-scholarly publishers are considered for activist materials
Types, formats, and readership of materials collected
- Materials with academic-level readership are emphasized
- Web-based format is preferred for reference sources, journals and indexes.
- Single copies of books in print formats are usually purchased. Web-based formats may also be selected, especially if the title is of interest to users at multiple Laurier campuses.
- Types of materials not purchased include: textbooks, abridgements, study aids, limited editions, works by vanity presses, juvenile works, pamphlets, reprints and partial contents (eg. single issues of journals, electronic versions of single chapters of books).
Subjects collected and collecting priorities
Collecting priorities are categorized into 3 levels:
- A - highest emphasis
- The collection includes major published materials required to support the core teaching and research at the highest degree level offered by the Department.
- B - secondary emphasis
- The collection includes a selection of materials to complement the discipline as a whole, although it may not be a primary focus for courses.
- C - selective emphasis
- Materials, including reference materials and basic journals and indexes are collected to introduce and define an area.
| Subjects collected | Classification | Collecting priority |
|---|---|---|
| Feminism | A | |
| Feminist Activism | HQ1236-HQ1237.5 | B |
| Feminist ethics | A | |
| Feminist Methodology | HQ1180 | B |
| Feminist Pedagogy | LC197 | B |
| Feminist Theory | HQ1190-HQ1216 | A |
| Love/romance/relationships | A | |
| Mothering/maternity | A | |
| Sexual orientation | B | |
| Theories of Gender | HQ1190 | A |
| Violence against women | A | |
| Women’s movements | B | |
| Women’s Studies | HQ1180-HQ1186 | B |
| Women or gender and: | A | |
| Abuse/Violence | A | |
| Advocacy/activism | A | |
| Class | B | |
| Colonialism | A | |
| Empowerment | A | |
| Globalization | A | |
| Identity | A | |
| Immigration | B | |
| Islam | A | |
| Media | A | |
| Mental health (theoretical/cultural perspectives only) | B | |
| Multiculturalism | A | |
| Muslim societies | A | |
| Performance art | A | |
| Physical health (theoretical/cultural perspectives only) | B | |
| Popular culture | A | |
| Race/ethnicity | A | |
| Representation/image | A | |
| Science (theoretical/cultural perspectives only) | B | |
| Sex trade | B | |
| Sexuality | A | |
| Social change | A | |
| Social justice | A | |
| Technology | A | |
| Therapy (theoretical/cultural perspectives only) | B | |
| Third world cinema | A | |
| Nationalism, Transnationalism | A | |
| Visual culture | A | |
| Women artists | A | |
| Work | A |