Archaeology and Classics

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 John McCallum, the Collections Librarian, in cooperation with and endorsed by Judith Fletcher, the Department Faculty Library Liaison and the Department Chair.

Focus

To support teaching, study and research up to the honours level in all four of the streams of Archaeology currently established at WLU (Near Eastern, Classical, North American Prehistoric, and North American Historic/Industrial), as well as to support faculty research.

Scope

• Language: primarily English and French materials with occasional major works in other languages such as German, Italian or modern Greek
• Chronological Period: In the Mediterranean and Near Eastern areas, major emphasis from ca.3000 BC to 800 AD. In North America, major emphasis from 1000 AD to the present. As a general policy on impression dates, relatively few works printed be fore 1950 will be collected.
• Geographical Areas: The broader region of the Mediterranean and Black Sea littoral, a s far as the limits of the Persian Empire and the roman Empire, from Britain in the northwest to Mesopotamia in the southeast, and from Scythia (Ukraine) in the northeast to Morocco in the southwest. As well as all of North and Central America, with a concentration on Central Canada, the northeast United States, and Bermuda.
• Publishers: works from scholarly and academic publishers are emphasized

Types, formats, and readership of materials collected

• Materials with academic-level readership are selected
• Web-based formats for reference sources, journals and indexing sources are preferred. Print and microform are considered for reason of cost, availability, expected use or long term access.
• Single copies of books in print formats are generally selected. Web-based formats are selected on a title by title basis, especially if the title is of interest to users at multiple Laurier campuses. Duplication of print across Laurier campuses is generally avoided.
• Excluded types include textbooks, abridgements, study aids, limited editions, works by vanity presses, manuscripts, slides (collected by department), 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.

Related programs and support

Consortial purchases with the Ontario Council of University Libraries, and on a national level, are pursued.