Guidelines for Women's Studies

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 Women's Studies support teaching and research consistent with the curriculum at a Carnegie Research Intensive (Very High Research) institution with undergraduate programs in the field.

Women's Studies is the interdisciplinary, cross-cultural examination of women's perspectives, experiences, and achievements. The Women's Studies program engages faculty and students from a variety of disciplines in research, teaching, and public service, and offers a minor to undergraduates. Established as a minor at VCU in 1989, the program offers undergraduate students coherently interrelated courses drawn from the College of Humanities and Sciences and various professional schools within the University. The curriculum examines the contributions, perspectives, experiences, roles and status of women within a complex matrix of race, class, age, ethnicity, nationality, and sexual identity. The minor in Women's Studies shall consist of 18 credits. Students are required to take 1) WMNS 201, Introduction to Women's Studies, 2) a feminist theory course, and 3) a course addressing racial/cultural diversity. The remainder of courses are electives.

 

2. General Collection Guidelines.

A. Language.
English is preferred.

B. Chronology.
No limitations.

C. Geography.
No restrictions.

D. Publication Date.
Collecting efforts center on current imprints, but if the material is of importance to the historical coverage of the disciplines, there are no restrictions on date of publication.

E. Treatment of Subject.
Material providing critical, historical, bibliographic, or textural studies of the various areas are collected.

F. Types of Materials and Formats.
Monographic literature and a wide variety of reference works, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, are acquired, as are relevant serial titles and selected proceedings. Unpublished theses and dissertations may be collected when they provide a unique source of information on a particular topic. In general, there are few restrictions on format if the material is deemed essential for instructional support. Textbooks and popular materials are not actively collected.

 

3. Area Resources.

The University of Richmond's library collection and the University of Virginia's library collections have strong holdings in Women's Studies.

 

4. Subjects and Collecting Levels.

Resources for Women's Studies are collected at an instructional support level (3).