Collection Development Policy for Middle Eastern Studies
Subject Specialist: Pamela Bristah (x2076)
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This collection development policy guides the development and management of materials on Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic studies in the Wellesley College Library. This policy is for use by the Wellesley community and the religion subject specialist. Building library collections is a collaborative process, and faculty and students are encouraged to provide recommendations for library materials.
GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE COLLECTION
The library collection for Middle Eastern Studies supports the
undergraduate Middle Eastern Studies curriculum at Wellesley College.
It provides resources for undergraduate study, faculty instruction, and
basic faculty research in Middle Eastern studies.
The primary priority for the collection is support of the Middle Eastern Studies curriculum, which strongly emphasizes Arabic language study, and Middle Eastern religion, cultural studies, and history. The major also includes courses on Islamic art and architecture, political thought in the Middle East, and Hebrew.
The major in Middle Eastern Studies awards the Bachelor of Arts degree, and is designed to acquaint students with Middle Eastern civilization through interdisciplinary study of languages, literatures, histories, religions, arts, social and political institutions, and cultural patterns of the Middle East. Majors may also study Middle Eastern communities living in diaspora.
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
The Middle Eastern Studies collection reflects the
interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum. It is a dispersed,
broadly-based collection which relies on materials in many disciplines.
In addition to works specifically on the Middle East and Islam, the
collection draws on materials in related subjects, including art,
archaeology, history, anthropology, music, political science, and area
studies.
The collection emphasizes resources for the study of Arabic, Islam, and the culture and history of the Middle East, both ancient and modern. The collection also includes materials on Islamic culture and religion worldwide. The Middle Eastern Studies major is relatively new to Wellesley, and the Library is in a collection-building phase.
A common thread running through all subject areas at Wellesley College is an emphasis on the contributions and roles of women. In the Middle Eastern Studies collection, this is reflected in works on women and Islam, women in the Qur'an, women's lives in Islamic societies, women and Islamic law, Islamic women authors and artists, gender studies, and other subjects.
Primary materials and literature originally written in Arabic are collected in Arabic or in English translation. Source documents of Islamic religion, such as the Qur'an, are collected in the original language and in English translation. English is the preferred language for secondary materials on Middle Eastern Studies; secondary materials in non-Roman alphabets are excluded, with the exception of Arabic. Arabic books and newspapers are collected to support Arabic language studies. Important monographs and reference works in Western European languages are collected selectively.
The reference collection for Middle Eastern Studies follows the general subject parameters of the circulating collection, providing resources on Middle Eastern history, religion, literature, politics, and culture, and for the study of Arabic. The collection includes, but is not limited to, encyclopedias, biographical and subject-specific dictionaries, foreign-language dictionaries, research guides and bibliographies, and indexing and abstracting databases for periodical articles and other writings. Reference works may be acquired in print or online, with online generally preferred when available. English is the preferred language for reference works, except for dictionaries and other materials in support of Arabic language studies. Reference materials are selected by the Research and Instruction Group librarian for Middle Eastern Studies, who may collaborate with the subject specialist for Middle Eastern Studies.
Formats in the Middle Eastern Studies collection include books,
periodicals, newspapers, electronic resources, sound recordings, and
video recordings. Middle Eastern Studies materials are primarily housed
in Clapp Library. The Clapp Library materials are not housed together
but are arranged by their primary subject:
- materials on Islam are shelved with other books on religion, in Library of Congress class BP
- Middle Eastern Studies history materials are located in the history section, DS35 through DS326
- works on Arabic language and literature are located in the literature section, PJ6001 through PJ7876
and so on. Works on Middle Eastern and Islamic art and architecture
are located in the Art Library, and works on Middle Eastern and Islamic
music are in the Music Library.
The Knapp Media and Technology Center includes language lab facilities and instructional materials for the study of Arabic.
RELATED SUBJECTS & INTERDISCIPLINARY RELATIONSHIPS
Africana Studies: The Middle Eastern subject specialist selects materials on Middle Eastern literature, language, and culture in general, including north African countries. The Africana Studies subject specialist select materials on north African history, anthropology, sociology, and other areas.
American Studies: The Middle Eastern studies subject specialist has primary responsibility for works related to Muslims and Islam in the United States, but may collaborate with the American Studies subject specialist.
Anthropology: The anthropology and Middle Eastern studies subject specialists collaborate on works related to societies and cultures of the Middle East.
Archaeology: The Middle Eastern, religion, and classical studies subject specialists collaborate on Near Eastern and Middle Eastern archaeology.
Art: The Art Librarian has primary responsibility for selecting works on Islamic art and architecture.
East Asian Languages & Literatures: The Middle Eastern studies subject specialist has primary responsibility for selecting materials relating to Muslims and Islam in East Asia, and may also collaborate with the East Asia subject specialist.
History: The Middle Eastern studies and history subject specialists collaborate on selecting materials relating to history and the Middle East. Typically, the Middle Eastern subject specialist selects materials on the relationship of history and religion in the Middle East, and the history subject specialist selects materials on other aspects of Middle Eastern history.
Jewish Studies: The Jewish Studies subject specialist selects materials related to Jews and Judaism in the Middle East; the Middle Eastern subject specialist selects materials on Muslims and Islam in the Middle East.
Music: The Music Librarian has primary responsibility for Middle Eastern music, but may collaborate with the Middle Eastern subject specialist.
Political science: The political science subject specialist has primary responsibility for selecting works on Middle Eastern politics, but the Middle Eastern subject specialist may also select materials in this area.
Religion: The religion subject specialist and Middle Eastern Studies subject specialist collaborate on selecting materials related to religion in the Middle East, and on Islam and Muslims in particular.
Sociology: The sociology subject specialist has primary responsibility to select works on the sociology of Middle Eastern groups, institutions, or organizations.