Urban affairs and planning; public administration/public affairs

Statement of programs and library needs

The Department of Urban Affairs and Planning offers programs leading to B.A., M.A., and PH.D. degrees in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. A major in public administration is also offered by the department which leads to a B.S. degree.

The Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP) offers four programs: the Specialty Program of 12 semester hours; the Master of Public Administration degree; the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) for 69 hours of advanced post-master's work; and the Ph. D. in Public Administration/ Public Affairs.

CPAP and UAP participate in the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA).

The center's programs draw upon, and its faculty interrelates with, the various colleges, centers, and the extension division of the university. The interdisciplinary programs of the center are conducted by the core faculty and the staff of the center, by special visiting guest faculty, and by cooperating units of the university. Center programs are offered at the Blacksburg campus, at the university's Northern Virginia Graduate Center in Falls Church, and at other off-campus locations.

I. Collection areas

A. Area: Urban Affairs and Planning

 

Center for Public Administration and Policy

B. Classes and Levels

HT 1501-1595    Communities. Classes. Races.
                  Urban groups. The City                       Research
JF 1321-2112    Political Institutions and
                  Administration. Government. Administration.  Research
JK 468-9599     Political Institutions and Administration.
                  U.S. Government. Administration              Research
JS 300-1583     Local Government.  U.S. Local & Municipal
                  Government                                   Study

C. Chronology

Emphasis is on twentieth century affairs and administration, but historical works in these subjects are acquired for all periods.

D. Geographic Guidelines

Primary emphasis is on the United States. Materials from and related to other areas may be purchased on occasion.

E. Languages

English is the primary language of the collection.

F. Treatment

Emphasis is on monographs and periodicals.

G. Formats

Primarily print for monographs and most journals, though electronic full-text is also of growing importance for journals. Bibliographic databases are available through the Internet. Printed materials are preferred. Some government documents appear in microform. Some periodicals are also acquired in microfilm.

H. Multiple copies

Multiple copies of heavily used titles are acquired as funds permit.

II. Acquisition Strategy

The bibliographer for Urban Affairs and Planning and for Public Administration/Public Affairs selects materials for purchase, with priority given to faculty requests. The libraries maintain an approval plan for books from many university press and significant trade publishers and standing orders for many important serials. Significant gifts of materials not already owned are rarely received, but duplicate copies of frequently used titles are sometimes added by gift. Retrospective purchases are limited to filling in journal holdings or adding important older titles.

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 is preferred. The overlap in the areas of political science is obvious. The law collection is heavily used to support the curriculum of the Center for Public Administration and Policy.

Revised 11/2000