Religion and Culture

Policy Last Updated: June 23, 2019

Purpose

The Collection Development policy is used as a guide to shape the Laurier Library's Religion 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 Greg Sennema in cooperation with Dr. Ashley Lebner.

Focus

To support teaching, study and research up to the doctorate level, as well as to support faculty research

Scope

Language: emphasis is on English, French and German. Secondary emphasis is on other western languages.
Place of Publication: primarily North American, European, Indian and Far Eastern sources are collected. Publications from other countries are acquired as necessary
Dates of Publication: emphasis is placed on recently published works
Chronological Period: both contemporary and historical works are acquired
Geographical Areas: no area is excluded
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.
Single copies of eBooks and print formats are generally selected.
Excluded types include textbooks, abridgements, study aids, limited editions, works by vanity presses, reprints and partial contents (e.g., 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
History of religion, general	BL75-BL87; BL96-BL98	B
Methodology in the study of religion	BL41	B
Early Near Eastern religion and mythology	BL1610-BL1710	C
Greek and Roman religion and mythology (also collected by Classics Department)	BL780-BL820.V8	C
Jewish religious history and thought, general	BM150-BM155.3	B
Old Testament/Hebrew Bible	BM165-BM175	B
Extra-Biblical Literature	BM480-488.8; BS1691-BS1830	C
Inter-Testamental, Talmudic	BS1830.T74	C
Medieval Judaism	BM180-BM185.4.S533Z	C
Modern Judaism	BM190-BM199	C
Islam, general	BP1-BP63	A
Islamic history, theology and philosophy	BP50-68; BP166-BP166.94; BP100-BP134.W6; BP188-BP190	A
Contemporary issues in Islam	BP60	A
Iranian religion, ancient	BL2270-BL2280	C
Baha'i	BP300-BP395	B
Christianity, general	BR1-BR55	A
History, History of religious thought (also collected by Martin Luther University College)	BR160-1725	A
New Testament	BS1901-BS2970	A
Contemporary religious issues	BR115	A
African Religions and Caribbean Religions, general	BL2390-BL2490; BL2550-BL2592.X36	A
African Diaspora and other Diasporic Studies	DT16.5	A
Caribbean Religion and Culture	BL2565; GN564	B
African-American Religion and Culture	BL2490; BR563.N4; E185.86	B
African-Canadian Religion and Culture	FC106	B
Modern religious movements (cults and sects), non-Christian (emphasis on North America, Europe, South America, Africa, India and the Far East)	BL2700-2780; BL550-BL619	B
Asian Religions, general	BL1000-BL1035	B
Buddhism, emphasizing origins, South East Asia, East Asia, history, and development	BQ251-BQ799; BQ4000-BQ4060	B
Confucianism and Taoism	BL1830-BL1942.85.X58	C
Shintoism and modern Japanese Religions	BL2200-BL2228	C
Jainism, Parseesm (Zoroastrianism) and Sikhism	BL1300-BL1380; BL1500-BL1590; BL2017-BL2018.7; BL2520-BL2525	A
Asian religions in North America	BL2520-BL2525	A
Indian Religions
Hinduism, emphasizing classical period and modern Reform movements	BL1152.3-BL1153.5	B
Devotional movements, Tamil studies	PL4758	B
Temple tradition, temple art, Indian art	BL1243.72	B
Gandhian studies	DS481	B
Indigenous Religions	BL380	A
Native North American	E98	B
Hispanic religions	BL2540	C
Special Topics
Anthropology/Ethnography of Religion	BL41; BL256	A
Medical Anthropology, Religion and Healing	GN296	C
Mysticism	BL625	C
Myth, Ritual, Symbol and Imagination	BL603	A
New Immigrants and Religion	BL2525	A
Psychology of Religion	BL53	B
Religion and Contemporary Society (Racism, economic relations, technology, politics, ecology, violence, etc)	BT734-BT734.3; BR115	A
Religion and Gender Studies	BL65	A
Religion and the Arts	N72.R4	B
Religion and Popular Culture	BR115	A
Religion and Science	BL289-BL290	B
Religion and Sexuality	BT708; BL65.S4	C
Religion and Therapy	RC489	C
Ritual Studies, especially rites of passage	BL600	A
Spirituality	BX1407.S66(US)	B
Women and Religion	BL458	A
Ethics (also collected by Philosophy Department, Martin Luther University College)	BJ1188-BJ1395	C

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

Efforts are made to coordinate Religion and Culture collections with those purchased by other departments/schools at Wilfrid Laurier University, including Classics, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, and Martin Luther University College. In those disciplines, the university offers programs at the graduate level in History, Philosophy, psychology, Social Work, and Martin Luther University College.

The University of Waterloo library collection supports programs to the Ph.D. level in Religious Studies. In addition, library holdings of St. Jerome’s University, Conrad Grebel, University College, and Renison College, which are affiliated with the University of Waterloo, are also included in Omni.