Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Packaging

Page Coordinator: Anita Ezzo Last updated: 03-06-2010

Purpose or Scope of Collection

Curricular/Research/Programmatic Needs

With the establishment of the School of Packaging in 1952, Michigan State University became the first university in the world to institute packaging as a discipline; in 1996 the School was the first to offer a doctoral program in packaging. As the oldest and largest packaging educational institution in the world, The MSU School of Packaging is an internationally-recognized leader in packaging research; its faculty and graduates have made and continue to make significant contributions to every sector of the industry.

The packaging collection of the Michigan State University Libraries serves the instructional and research needs of faculty and students in the School of Packaging, as well as those in other disciplines concerned with packaging and its environmental impacts.

The School of Packaging offers both undergraduate and graduate programs leading to Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The program is designed to prepare graduates for positions in purchasing, production, quality control, package development, research, sales, marketing, testing, or technical service. Specialized study may be done in areas such as food, industrial, or medical and pharmaceutical packaging. Graduate programs focus on distribution packaging, the environmental impact and recycling of packaging materials, human factors in packaging, packaging systems development and optimization, barrier characteristics of packaging systems and materials, quality preservation and storage stability of packaged products, the mechanical properties of packaging materials, and product and/or package damage in the physical distribution environment.

History of the Collection/Existing Strengths and Emphases

The packaging collection in the Main Library dates back to the founding of the School in 1952 and is distributed throughout a number of call number classifications, depending upon the packaging material (e.g., paperboard, plastics, glass, metal), packaged product (e.g., food, pharmaceuticals, electronics), or focus (package design), although HF and TS are the primary call number areas. Some related materials are located in the Business Library (e.g., distribution packaging, warehousing, packaging law).

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Library collections can be seen as an outgrowth of academic research and community. Historically and presently, academia does not have broad inclusive representation of diverse people and perspectives. This means that the opportunities for collection to advance DEI may be limited by the academic research community and what is published. However, effort will be made to collect content created by or about historically oppressed, underrepresented, and underserved communities. Examples of strategies for inclusion and broadening the collection include deliberately looking for scholars from underrepresented groups (often via disciplinary societies that focus on these communities) and verifying their books are purchased as well as looking at works from small presses or occasionally self-published works. Additionally, purchased electronic materials, such as ebooks and online journals, must meet University standards on accessibility.