Political science
Statement of programs and library needs
The Department of Political Science offers programs leading to the B.A. and M.A. in political science. The undergraduate program offers courses which provide understanding of political systems, forms of government, and political processes throughout the world. Political science courses also offer preparation for careers in government, business, law, politics, and education. A legal studies option is offered for those considering attending law school although this is not considered a pre-law program. The graduate program is designed to provide students with a firm grounding in the scope of the discipline and a strong foundation in research methods. It is useful for students who want to acquire analytic skill before pursuing a Ph.D. in political science or entering a public or private career requiring research skills.
I. Collection areas
A. Area: Political Science
B. Classes and Levels
D, E, F History Study
HX Communism and Socialism Study
J-JA Official Documents and General Works Study
JC Political Theory Study
JF Constitutional History and Administration Research
JK United States Research
JL British America, Latin America, etc. Study
JN Europe Study
JQ Asia, Africa, Australia, etc. Study
JS Local Government Study
JV 1-5399 Colonies and Colonization Study
JV 6000-9500 Emigration and Immigration Basic
JX International Law Study
K 1-36 Law, Periodicals Study
KF 1-156 Federal Law (Bibliography, Legislative
Documents, Statutes, and Administrative
Regulations, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries) Study
KF 175-178 Periodicals and Yearbooks Study
KF 1600-2940 Regulation of Industry, Trade & Commerce
Occupational Law Study
KF 3300-3750 Social Legislation Study
KF 3941-3977 Public Safety Basic
KF 4501-5130 Constitutional Law Study
KF 5500-5865 Public Property. Public Restraints of
Private Property Study
KF 6200-6795 Public Finance Study
KF 7201-7755 National Defense. Military Law Basic
KF 8700-9075 Courts, Procedure Basic
KF 9200-9461 Criminal Law Criminal Procedure Basic
U Military Science (General) Study
UA Armies: Organization, Description
Facilities, etc. Study
UB Military Administration Study
V Naval Science (General) Study
VA Navies: Organization, Description
Facilities, etc. Basic
VB Naval Administration Basic
Z 5051-7999 Subject Bibliography Study
C. Chronology
Emphasis is on twentieth century political theory and administration, but historical works in these subjects are acquired for all periods.
D. Geographic Guidelines
Primary emphasis is on the United States. Materials for Great Britain, Canada, Western Europe, Central Europe, Australia, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the countries newly freed from the ex-Soviet Union may be purchased.
E. Languages
English is the primary language of the collection. Works in Western European languages and in Russian are collected selectively, with English translation preferred when available.
F. Treatment
Monographs, periodicals and source documents (i.e., Congressional bills, hearings and reports, treaty documents) form the core of the collection. Yearbooks, statistical compilations, census materials, and polls, dictionaries, and encyclopedias are acquired for reference. Biographical works on public figures are collected selectively. Indexes and abstracts, as well as subject bibliographies, provide access to the collection.
G. Formats
Primarily print for monographs and most journals (also microforms), though electronic full-text is also of growing importance for journals. Bibliographic databases are available through the Internet. Standing orders are maintained for American Statistics Index Microfiche Library, Congressional Information Service Microfiche Library of U.S. Congressional Publications, United Nations Official Documents, and some other collections in microformats.
H. Multiple copies
Multiple copies are purchased sparingly. Some periodicals are duplicated in microform. Some binding copies are maintained.
II. Acquisition Strategy
Materials are selected for purchase by the political science bibliographer with high priority given to faculty requests. The libraries maintain an approval plan for many university press publications and significant trade publishers and standing orders for many important serials. Duplicate copies of frequently used titles are occasionally added by gift or purchase. Retrospective purchases are limited to filling-in journal holdings or adding important older titles, including replacement of missing ones.
The libraries are a selective depository for United States documents distributed by the Federal Depository System. At present, of the items available for selection, the libraries receive about 70%. This privilege allows us to receive, at no direct cost to the libraries, publication of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the government as well as publications of departments and agencies. In return the libraries must comply with Federal guidelines regarding housing, retention, and availability to the general public of the documents received (see appendix for policy on federal documents).
International documents are acquired from the European Union, United Nations, International Labour Organization, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and many other agencies and organizations.
The libraries are also designated by the Virginia State Library as an official depository for Virginia documents. We receive one copy of all publications of the Governor's office and state agencies under this program. Documents of other states are selectively acquired (see appendix for policy on state and local documents).
Local documents are also acquired by gift or purchase for Blacksburg, Montgomery County, Roanoke, the 4th and 5th Planning Districts and counties and cities of southwestern Virginia.
III. Collection Notes
Elementary textbooks or books of readings are not ordinarily purchased, nor are foreign language materials. Theses and dissertations from other institutions are generally not collected; when they are purchased, microfilm rather than paper copy is preferred. The overlap in the areas of history and political science is obvious. Frequently the collection development librarians for history and for political science and public administration collaborate on purchases. In some cases there are informal agreements as to which historical period will be covered by each (i.e., twentieth century diplomatic history is purchased by the political science librarian, whereas earlier diplomatic history is purchased by the history librarian). The law collection is heavily used to support the curriculum of the Political Science Department. All types of statistical materials are a strong collection interest.
Revised 11/2000
