Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Women, Gender, and LGBTQ+ Studies

Factors Influencing Collection Policy

A. Anticipated Future Trends

Global research and scholarship specific to women, gender, and LGBTQ+ studies continues to increase. Intersectionality is an area of abiding importance and of increasing interest in research, scholarship, and publishing in women, gender and LGBTQ+ studies. Current feminist scholars recognize the critical importance of focusing on the lived experiences of those who face overlapping areas of oppression, including racism and sexism. Black girlhood studies is also an area of increasing emphasis at MSU and resources will be acquired accordingly to support this important area of research and teaching.

B. Relationships with Other Resources

As a wholly interdisciplinary field, women, gender, and LGBTQ+ studies materials can be found within external and internal branches of the MSU Libraries, including the Art Library, the Music Library, and the Gast Business Library. The Stephen O. Murray and Keelung Hong Special Collections includes a very extensive and robust LGBTQ+ collection.

A sufficient number of women, gender, and LGBTQ+ studies materials are acquired to meet most departmental curricular and research needs. Some individual advanced research requires access to outside collections. Materials from other libraries can be identified using electronic resources, such as WorldCat. Most materials from other Big Ten Academic Alliance libraries can be obtained easily through interlibrary loan. The first collection in the Big Ten Open Books initiative focuses on gender and sexuality studies.