Michigan State University Libraries

Collection Development Policy Statement: Environmental Studies

• A. Curricular, Research and Programmatic Needs
  
  The collection supports the curricular and research needs of faculty with environmental science and policy interests, specifically the Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) faculty, and provides resources for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The ESPP is composed of over 160 faculty from 11 colleges across campus. Current faculty and graduate student research interests and applied experience in environmental science and policy cross a broad spectrum of disciplines and include agriculture, anthropology, engineering, geography, natural resources, political science, sociology, and zoology. This is reflected in the broad range of materials selected for the collection.

  Related Degrees, Specializations, and Programs
  

  • Doctoral specialization, Environmental Science and Policy Program
  • BS, Environmental Studies and Applications - Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation, and Resource Studies (CARRS), College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Undergraduate specialization, Environmental Studies - Residential Initiative on the Study of the Environment (RISE)
  • Undergraduate specialization, Environmental Studies - College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Natural Science, and College of Social Science
  • Interdisciplinary concentration, Environmental Policy - Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science
• B. History of the Collection/Existing Strengths and Emphases
  
  The environmental studies collection is highly interdisciplinary. In the past, all bibliographers were responsible for buying materials in this subject area (as it pertained to their disciplines). In the mid-1990's, it was felt that some areas relating to environmental studies were falling through the cracks. So, the EVP fund was set up to purchase materials on environmental topics across all disciplines.

• A. Anticipated Future Trends
  
  Collecting should follow and anticipate, when possible, major trends and developments in environmental science and policy. The collection should also reflect significant curricular changes.
• B. Relationships with Other Resources
  
  Regional or Network Resources
  There are collections in the area of environmental science and policy at both the University of Michigan Libraries and at Wayne State University, as well as other CIC institutions.
• C. Relationships to Other Resources Treated in Other Policy Statements
  
  Agriculture, Anthropology, Biological Sciences/Natural History, Engineering, Gull Lake Library, Natural Resources, Political Science/Public Policy, Sociology

• A. Chronology of the Subject
  
  The collection emphasis is on current research and trends, but materials that focus on historical topics are also considered.
• B. Languages of Resources Collected
  
  The collection comprises primarily English language materials.
• C. Geography of the Subject
  
  The primary collection emphasis is on North American and regional works.
• D. Format of Resources Collected
  
  All appropriate formats, including print, electronic, and microforms, are considered. Print and electronic materials are the primary formats of the collection. Due to the high demand for convenient access to information, electronic journals are given priority whenever possible. Textbooks are rarely purchased and only if they provide a valuable current synthesis of a complex or developing area of study; subsequent editions of texts very selectively.
• E. Date of Publications Collected
  
  The collection emphasis is on current publications.

Multiple copies are rarely purchased unless of extreme importance or MSU faculty publications. Multiple copies of outdated monographs are usually not retained.