Michigan State University

Collection Development Policy Statement: Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics

Factors Influencing Collection Policy

Anticipated future trends

All aspects of agricultural economics have been and will continue to be impacted by rapid social change, domestic and international economics and markets, technology, biotechnology and politics.

Agriculture is in the top five leading industries in Michigan and will remain high. 

The growth of data-intensive research is exponential. Grant-funded research will increasingly demand data management plan specifications, including considerations for publishing and sharing data. Relevant granting agencies such as the USDA and the National Science Foundation will soon include these data management requirements. This will increase the need for awareness of data publication venues.

To keep abreast of trends, we should look to additional resources of applicable datasets, existing dataset repositories and their content. For guidelines, please see MSU's Digital Research Data Collection Development Policy.

MSU Libraries should consider purchasing a majority of materials in electronic or ebook formats. This supports the research needs of faculty, researchers, and especially AFRE graduate students who much prefer electronic over print materials.

Relationships with other resources

1. On campus branch or format collections, if any

Main Library: Economics, agriculture, international development

Business Library: Farm management, agribusiness, international trade, market reports

Special Collections: Historic American agricultural economics works

2. Regional or network resources, if any

Other strong collections in the region are at University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, Penn State, Purdue University, and the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois. The MSU Libraries borrow very little in the agricultural economics subjects (relative to other areas in the applied sciences) and much of what is borrowed comes from the National Agricultural Library and other land-grant established universities.

3. Relationships to Other Resources Treated in Other Policy Statements

Africana / African Studies

Agriculture

Digital Research Data

Economics

International Development