Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Business

Analysis of the Subject Field

  1. Chronology: The focus of the collection is on contemporary, cutting-edge information. No attempt is made to comprehensively collect historical material, with the exception of the history of companies and important historical business trends or people.
  2. Languages: English is the primary language of the collection. Only in very exceptional circumstances will material be acquired in other languages.
  3. Geography: There are no geographical restrictions to the business collection. Business has become an international enterprise, and at MSU, business students are encouraged to develop a global outlook. Therefore, material written in English is acquired from and about every region where business is conducted and business research is conducted. The labor collection primary coverage is the United States. However, other English-speaking and/or developed countries are also covered. More emphasis is currently being placed on collecting international material from emerging markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China, for example) as well as the comparative treatment of LHR subjects.
  4. Formats
    • Monographs
    • Journals
    • Trade publications
    • Services
    • Reference material
    • Electronic Databases
    • E-books
    • CDs (Audiobooks)
    • Videos are selected on an as needed basis. Streaming packages have also been purchased.
    • Microforms are located in the Main Library or Remote Storage

    Electronic format is preferred for serials. For monographs electronic format is preferred if the title is easily understandable electronically to allow for access remotely. There is typically no duplication of resources in multiple formats, unless they are made available for free or very inexpensively.

    Videos are selected on an as needed basis. Streaming packages have also be

  5. Data Collection
    Much of the data used in the business field is purchased or leased data which typically cannot be disseminated. Research data which is not already openly available or that cannot/will not be placed in existing research data repositories is not normally collected but may be collected if it otherwise meets collection development guidelines for research data. For additional information about the guidelines, please see MSU's Digital Research Data Collection Development Policy. Other possible depositories to store and share your data for business research are University of Michigan's ICPSR and Harvard Dataverse Network

  6. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion concerns
    Business has a history of being focused on white men. We want to make sure to include a wide range material on diverse topics and authors. During normal purchases, we make sure to select diverse titles and we do seek out diverse authors including poc and women from independent web searching.

    We also make sure to purchase textbooks when we are able for classes to assist with the Libraries' Affordable Textbook Program to be able to assist students with textbook costs. Book cost and availability and class size are used to determine what we purchase. Many classes require students to get the online platform bundle.