COLLECTIONS POLICY STATEMENTS

Women's Studies

Selection Guidelines

The purpose of the Women's Studies collection development policy statement is to provide guidelines for the acquisition of library materials in the field of Women's Studies and support California State University's Women's Studies Program.

Subject Coverage | Types of Materials | Geographical Coverage | Period Coverage
| Date of Publication | Languages | Selection Tools

Subject Coverage

The women's studies collection's primary intent is to support the undergraduate curriculum offerings of CSUN's Women's Studies Program, and women's studies' faculty research needs. Primary users are women's studies students, faculty, affiliated faculty and other members of the campus and general community seeking information or doing research related to women, feminism and gender.

Taking into account the interdisciplinary nature of women's studies, scholarship on women, feminism and gender from across the disciplines is actively collected. Areas of interest within feminist scholarship include anthropology; architecture; communication studies; domestic sciences; education; feminist theory; geography and environmental studies; history and social movements; international/postcolonial studies and global feminism; law and criminology; language and literature; media; medicine and health; performing arts and performance studies; philosophy and religion/spirituality; political science; psychology; recreation/physical education/sports/travel; sciences and technology; sex and sexualities; sociology; and visual and material culture. Emphasis is on feminist scholarship and resources that describe and theorize the conditions, experiences and contributions of women's lives; perspectives of women of color; the history, politics and theory of feminism, global feminism, and feminist cultural studies. Consultation with other subject area bibliographers occurs with topical overlap.

Types of Materials

A. Monographs

Monographs are primary to the collection.

B. Serials/Series

Serials are primary to the collection

C. Electronic Resources

The library subscribes to electronic indexes and full-text databases that offer research value to Women's Studies researchers. Links to free websites are not actively collected together on the library’s website although links to websites are included in guides produced by the library.

D. Microfilms

Research collections in microforms are purchased only when deemed relevant due to their limited usage by users.

E. Theses/Dissertations

Dissertations are acquired on a highly selective basis.

F. Audio/Visual

Video and audio materials are acquired when relevant to the curriculum.

Geographical Coverage

Materials on the United States, Europe, and Third World are actively collected. There is an increasing emphasis being placed on global coverage of women's issues to support department curriculum and faculty research interests.

Period Coverage

Primarily the modern period with an emphasis on the 20th and 21st century. Historical studies are also collected as appropriate to the collection.

Date of Publication

Currently published material is emphasized. Earlier important work not represented in the collection is purchased as needed and upon request.

Languages

In general, only English language materials are collected. Important works in other languages will be purchased upon request or as deemed relevant to the curriculum.

SELECTION TOOLS

Materials will be identified through recommendations in or from:

Faculty, student, or patron recommendations

Choice

Library journal

Booklist

Journal of Gender Studies

Media Report to Women

Feminist Review

Signs

LC Classes:Interdisciplinary

Lynn Lampert, Women's Studies Librarian 5/2003