Area Studies is, by nature, an interdisciplinary field, so there is much overlap between the South and Southeast Asian Studies Collection and other collections throughout the humanities and social sciences, but also stretching to include agriculture, business, law, biological sciences, and environmental sciences. MSU's unique place within the broader network of Area Studies library collections is taken into account, especially with regard to the agricultural and natural sciences and growing interdisciplinary interest in these areas on campus.
In general, the South and Southeast Asian Studies Collection contains material focused specifically on a subject in South or Southeast Asia (such as economics in India), while other disciplinary collections cover general scholarship in said subject (such as general economics texts). The South and Southeast Asian Studies Collection also, in general, covers scholarship on various subjects from the regions. Collection work such as this necessarily involves collaboration and consultation with other subject librarians.
Secondary sources in the English language can readily be obtained through approval plans, but materials from the region must be obtained from local vendors and through purchasing trips. A special effort is made to acquire these materials to give voice to scholars and writers from the region.
Regional or Network Resources
The South and Southeast Asian Studies Collection exists with close proximity to the University of Michigan's South Asia and Southeast Asia collections and does not seek to duplicate either of these collections. Instead, this collection focuses on supporting campus interests while also recognizing its unique position in a growing national collection of area studies materials. The subject librarian for this collection works closely with their counterparts at University of Michigan.
The South and Southeast Asian Studies Collection is part of active collaborative collection development work at the national level, including through the South Asia Cooperative Collection Development Workshops and the Big Ten Academic Alliance.
