Collection Development Policy Statement: Museum Studies and Library Science

A. Curricular/Research/Programmatic Needs

MSU offers a Museum Studies minor that covers topics in Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM. The Museum Studies collection includes materials on museum education, exhibitions, administration, collection diversity, curatorial methods, and internships. It also contains research on preserving and conserving books and various museum artifacts.

The Library Science collection supports MSU Libraries staff by providing resources for library services either by utilizing the approval plan or requests by the library staff and faculty. It includes professional literature, research materials for different academic areas, and general information on book history, printing, paleography, typography, publishing, copyright, censorship, and management.

B. Collection/ Existing Strengths and Emphases

The Main Library's collection focuses on current materials in English related to modern academic library issues, such as management, administration, personnel, leadership, reference services, acquisitions, cataloging, preservation, collection development, copyright, censorship, and intellectual freedom. There is also a small but internationally diverse collection on archives and archival administration.

The collection also includes materials on the history of books, typography, printing, and the book trade. It primarily covers printing history in the U.S. and UK, paleography, individual presses, book design, typesetting, and typographical innovation particularly prior to the 20th century. The collection supports master’s level research and includes a fair number of foreign-language monographs.

The acquired collection address issues like library and museum history and philosophy, ethics in the museum and library fields, exhibition design, technologies, museum management, and the care of various materials (artworks, photographs, sound recordings, and storage media). It also covers resources on conservation and preservation techniques for both paper and non-paper objects, disaster management, environmental control, repair, library binding, digitization, preservation, program planning, and administration.