Guidelines for Fashion Design and Merchandising

Table of Contents

1. Purpose
2. General Collection Guidelines
    A. Language
    B. Chronology
    C. Geography
    D. Publication Date
    E. Treatment of Subject
    F. Types of Materials and Formats
3. Area Resources
4. Subjects and Collecting Levels

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1. Purpose.

Collections in Fashion Design and Merchandising support teaching and research consistent with the curriculum at a Carnegie Research Intensive (Very High Research) institution with a bachelor’s degree program in the field.

The primary goal of the program is to provide the student with the basic practical and creative skills necessary to a career in the various areas of the fashion industry.

The Fashion Design and Merchandising Department offers opportunities for study in three curricular tracks: Fashion Design (leading to a B.F.A. degree) is a program wherein individual designs in haute couture and ready-to-wear are carried from the two-dimensional to the final three-dimensional fabric creation; Fashion Merchandising (leading to a B.A. degree) concentrates on retail and wholesale marketing procedures in the garment industry; and third, the Home Fashions Merchandising track (which leads to a B.A. degree) focuses on textiles, furnishings, and accessories that are included in the home furnishing industry.

 

2. General Collection Guidelines.

A. Language.
English or English-language translations are preferred, unless the primary value of the material lies in its illustrations (e.g. pattern books, fashion photography, or illustration techniques).

B. Chronology.
Although curricular emphasis is on twentieth-century fashion, selected works supporting a broader study of the history of fashion may be acquired.

C. Geography.
No limitations.

D. Publication Date.
Current imprints are actively collected, as is retrospective material important to twentieth-century fashion history.

E. Treatment of Subject.
Because of the strong practical component of the program and the nature of the literature of the discipline, certain textbooks and "how to" books will be acquired.

F. Types of Materials and Formats.
Monographs, reference works, and related serial titles are collected. Electronic copies are considered in instances where images and illustrations are not a primary concern.

Digital images important to fashion design, contemporary and historical, are selectively collected to supplement large online resources such as Artstor.

Streaming media programs are actively sought and evaluated for content relevant to the arts. The development of streaming platforms and the negotiations of copyright is closely monitored. To assure uninterrupted access, DVD is the current preferred format for core titles and remains the only available option for many titles.

Electronic and online resources to support the Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising are actively sought and evaluated for acquisition.

3. Area Resources.

There are no resources in the Richmond metropolitan area that effect collecting efforts for this discipline.

4. Subjects and Collecting Levels.

Resources for Fashion Design and Merchandising are acquired at an instructional support level (3).