Foreign languages and literatures
Statement of program and library needs
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers a B.A. degree with majors in French, German, Spanish, Classical Studies, and Russian area studies. Non-major programs are given in Classical Greek, Latin, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Russian. The purpose of the collection in foreign languages is to support undergraduate teaching and research and faculty research in languages and literatures. In addition, the areas of languages and literature are of interest to students in the College of Education and to those in International Programs. The collection should attempt to supplement the general research requirements of many university departments.
I. Collection areas
A. Area: Foreign Languages and Literatures
B. Classes and Levels
PA 1-2995 Classical Philology Study
PA 3000-3049 Classical Literature Study
PA 3050-4500 Greek Literature Study
PA 5000-5655 Byzantine & Modern Greek Literature Minimal
PA 6000-7041 Latin Literature Study
PA 8001-8595 Medieval & Modern Latin Literature Study
PB 1-431 Modern Languages: General Study
PC 1-400 Romanic Philology and Languages:
General Study
PC 1001-1984 Italian Language, Sardinia
Language and Literature Minimal
PC 2001-3761 French Language Study
PC 5001-5498 Portuguese Language Study
PD 1-777 Germanic Philology & Languages
General Study
PD 1001-1350 Old Germanic Dialects Minimal
PD 1501-7159 North Germanic, Scandinavian Minimal
PF 1-1184 Dutch Minimal
PF 3001-5999 German Language Study
PJ 1-995 Oriental Philology and Literature
General Minimal
PL 501-898 Japanese Language and Literature Minimal
PL 1001-3299 Chinese Language and Literature Minimal
PL 8000-8844 African Languages Minimal
PN 1-44 Literature: Periodicals, Yearbooks
Societies, etc. Study
PN 45-75 Literature: Theory, Philosophy
Esthetics Study
PN 80-99 Literary Criticism Study
PN 441-1009 Literary History Study
PQ 1-3999 French Literature Study
PQ 4001-5999 Italian Literature Basic
PQ 6271-8929 Spanish Literature Study
PQ 9000-9999 Portuguese Literature Basic
PT 1-4899 German Literature Study
PT 5001-9999 Dutch and Scandinavian Literatures Minimal
C. Chronology
There are no restrictions as to literary periods, but selection efforts emphasize current materials.
D. Geographic Guidelines
For French language and literature: France, and other French- speaking areas on a less extensive basis, primarily French Canada, Belgium, and Switzerland, with attention to French- speaking Africa and the Caribbean.
For German language and literature: Germany, plus Austria and German- speaking Switzerland, in addition to exile literature.
For Spanish language and literature: Spain and Latin America, except Brazil, including the Spanish- speaking Caribbean, with some attention to other Spanish speaking- areas, such as Chicano literature in the U.S.
For Italian and Portuguese language and literature: Italy, Portugal, and Brazil.
E. Languages
The primary languages of the collection will be French, German, Spanish, Latin, Italian, or Portuguese, as the case may be, especially for primary materials. Secondary works will be acquired in the relevant languages. Translations into English of major authors are purchased.
F. Treatment
Monographs and periodicals of a scholarly nature form the nucleus of the collection. The library collects basic indexes, abstracts and encyclopedias, including dictionaries, directories, bibliographies and other sources relevant to the field. Conference proceedings, symposia, festschriften and similar irregular materials are purchased selectively.
G. Formats
Primarily print for monographs and most journals,though electronic full-text is also of growing importance for journals. Bibliographc databases are available through the Internet. Videos are acquired upon faculty request, funds permitting. Popular magazines and newspapers are purchased in their original languages in order to enhance the teaching of these languages. Besides being a source of current events and contemporary history, they provide insight into a different culture and are read by the general public as well as the researcher.
H. Multiple copies
Very few are purchased except for heavily used titles.
II. Acquisition Strategy
The foreign languages bibliographer selects materials for purchase. Criteria for selection include: need, demand (specific faculty requests), availability of item, price, importance of the author or the work in the subject field. Retrospective purchasing has been and continues to be important in order to fill the gaps in journal holdings and to add important older titles. The serials collection is periodically reviewed for the purpose of canceling some subscriptions and adding several important basic subscriptions.
III. Collection Notes
Textbooks, popular literature, and translations into languages other than English are not ordinarily acquired. Theses and dissertations from other universities are not collected unless specifically requested by a faculty member. Because of the wide readership of outstanding world literature, selected translations into English are purchased.
The library is an important research tool for faculty and students in the field of foreign languages since it is their primary resource. The courses offered in the Department of Foreign Languages aid researchers in other areas of the university as well. Programs in International Studies, Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Humanities Program have heightened the demand for a strong collection. The area studies concentrations stress the interdisciplinary nature of foreign languages study. The program offers courses in history, the cultures of the area being studied, art, religion, economics, communications, political science, and sociology.
Revised 10/2000
