Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: International Development

Collection Parameters

  1. Types of materials and formats: monographs and serials are to be supplemented as needed by indexes, bibliographies, maps, films (documentary and feature), and links to electronic resources. U.S. and international government documents are a key resource, but most are collected by that department.

  2. As noted above, collection efforts focus on the more theoretical and policy-making aspects of recent and current efforts of developing countries, and the results.

  3. Most collecting will be of materials in English, with other languages represented as necessary, usually in connection with foreign publication and/or area studies.

  4. Finding and using materials sources overseas is an important part of collection management, for reasons of relevance, availability, and economy. Buying and networking trips have been important in the past, but may be less so in the future as more material becomes available through increased foreign dealer capability and/or in electronic form. Capable book dealers in places like India, Singapore, Africa, etc. routinely make useful resources in English available through their catalogs.