Ohio University Latin American Studies Program
Library Resources Development Policy

The Latin American materials in Alden Library should be constantly analyzed to meet the general undergraduate curricular needs of the University and support program and research needs of the faculty and graduate students associated with the University's interdisciplinary Latin American Studies Program.

Funding for Latin American library acquisitions comes from two primary sources:

1. departmental library budgets, which purchase titles in their respective disciplines as requested by the Latin American specialists on each department's faculty; and
2. the library budget of the Latin American Studies Program, which supports interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary acquisitions. This collection development policy statement defines the parameters of the Latin American Studies Program's library acquisitions, purchased through its own funds.

II. Parameters of Selection

Languages: For purposes of general Latin American collection development, highest priority will be assigned to English-language acquisitions, supplemented where possible by Spanish-language research resources.

Chronology: Emphasis is placed on both modern and historical periods for all areas of study.

Formats: The major focus of Latin American acquisitions funded from the Latin American Studies Program library budget will be on the following types of publications (not in order of priority):

Periodicals: including current issues and microform back-runs of multi-disciplinary professional journals, Latin American newspapers, regional reports, and magazines, in part to be specified by the Latin American Studies Program.

Statistical Databases: including census reports and other primary research data, in print, microform, and, as the library moves more into the realm of computer-readable formats and on-line formats these are preferred as long as cost and continued access are favorable.

Monographs: including significant interdisciplinary works that fall outside the more narrowly defined disciplinary boundaries of traditional department-based library acquisitions.

Government Documents: from Latin American and Caribbean nations, and other international, regional, and sub-regional organizations.

Film Resources: including documentaries and feature films, in DVD and videocassete (still preferred for the near term) formats.

Note on Resource Sharing: In light of the Library's participation in the OhioLink system, the collection development priorities should reflect the fact that resources which once had to be purchased by Alden Library for convenient use can now be quickly obtained from other libraries for use at Ohio University. OhioLink provides the opportunity to quickly and easily borrow books or resources from (CRL) as well as books held at any other OhioLink member library, which includes essentially all libraries in Ohio. The Library is also a member of the Center for Research Libraries, a depository clearing house for member libraries to borrow from their extensive book/manuscript, newspaper, microform sets, and foreign doctoral dissertation collections. They are often willing to purchase items that are requested which they do not own.

Note on Electronic Resources: In regards to current monographs, except for supplemental the original printed version is preferred and in general CD-ROM is the preferred supplemental format. For Periodicals a good portion of titles are (also) preferred in the original paper format, but increasingly current back issues are wanted on the on-line format is preferred as long as cost, searchableness, and continued access are favorable. Larger statistical resources preferred in electronic searchable format.


Geographical Areas: The principle focus of Latin American Studies Program library acquisitions will be on materials with a broad regional and sub-regional emphasis. Among the sub-regions of Latin America, materials will be acquired at the following levels of collection-building intensity Please see Appendix A for explanation of levels of collecting intensity.

Andes Brazil Caribbean Central America Mexico Southern Cone

B C B B B B

Collection-building activities will generally refrain from concentration on single nations (except Guatemala). Individual faculty members will develop such specializations, in accordance with their individual research interests, through their departmental library budgets.

Disciplinary Emphasis: The major emphasis of Latin American collection development activity funded from the Latin American Studies program library budget will be on the acquisition of interdisciplinary and general materials of use to faculty and students from more than one academic discipline. The principle disciplinary interests of the Latin American Studies Program are those indicated by a "B" level of collecting intensity in the list below.

Anthropology Art Communications Development Studies Economics Education Geography History

B C B B B C B B

Law Literature Media Studies Medicine Music Political Science Science/Technology Sociology/Culture

D B B D C B D B

Appendix A: Levels of Collecting Intensity Level Explanation *

A Comprehensive Level. A collection in which a library endeavors, so far as is reasonably possible, to include all significant works of recorded knowledge (publications, manuscripts, other forms), in all applicable languages, for a necessarily defined and limited field, this level of collecting intensity is that which maintains a "special collection." the aim, if not the achievement, is exhaustiveness.

B Research Level. A collection which includes the major source materials required for dissertations and independent research, including materials containing research reporting, new findings, scientific experimental results, and other information useful to researchers. It also includes all important reference works and a wide selection of specialized monographs, as well as a very extensive collection of journals and major indexing and abstracting services in the field.

C Study Level. A collection which is adequate to support undergraduate or graduate course work, or sustained independent study; that is, which is adequate to maintain knowledge of a subject required for limited or generalized purposes, of less than research intensity. It includes a wide range of basic monographs, complete collections of the works or more important writers, selections from the works of secondary writers, a selection of representative journals and the reference tools and fundamental bibliographic apparatus pertaining to the subject.

D Basic Level. A highly selective collection which serves to introduce and define the subject and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere. It includes major dictionaries and encyclopedias, selected editions of important works, historical surveys, important bibliographies, and a few major periodicals in the field.

E Minimal Level. The subject area which is out of scope for the Library's collections, and in which a few selections are made beyond the very basic reference tools.

* from "Guidelines for the Formulation of Collection Development Policies." Library Resources and Technical Services, v. 21, no. 1 (Winter 1977). pp. 41-47.

Appendix B: (April 2002) Blanket order geographic specifications via the Yankee Book Peddler Group (*indicates a additional blanket order program for this region/country by other distributors for major Spanish/Portuguese works only):

Mexico
Send books, throughout the subject profile. Do not override the non-subject parameters. [Assign Fund Code 067. Throughout the D, F, and F subclasses assign fund code 024. For the J subclasses assign fund code 022.]

Central America
Send MAJOR WORKS. If otherwise excluded by the subject profile, send notification slips. Send books for GUATEMALA,* NICARAGUA.* Do not override the non-subject parameters. [Assign Fund Code 0671]

Caribbean
Send MAJOR WORKS. If otherwise excluded by the subject profile, send notification slips. Send books for CUBA. Do not the override the non-subject parameters. [Assign Fund Code 067]

South America
If otherwise excluded by the subject profile, send notification slips. Send books for ECUADOR * and MAJOR WORKS (South America). Do not override the non-subject parameters. [Assign Fund Code 067] (Brazil *)

BACK Last Update, 26 July 2002
This page is maintained by Theodore Foster: fosterth@ohio.edu.