Collection Development Policies:

Human Development

Purpose: To support teaching and research in both undergraduate and master’s programs in Human Development. Areas of specialization include: human development, family studies, early childhood education (preschool - 3rd grade), family and consumer services education (junior high and senior high). Emphasis is on development across the life span. The content of these programs integrates relevant knowledge from diverse fields such as anthropology, philosophy, biology, communication, economics, education, psychology, sociology, and women studies.

General Collection Guidelines:
  1. Languages: English is the primary language of collection. Works written in other languages are ordinarily purchased only in English translation.
  2. Chronological Guidelines: Primary emphasis is on acquiring materials in the 21st Century, particularly those which are most current. There is selective acquisition of historical materials.
  3. Geographical Guidelines: Primary focus of interest is on materials from English-speaking countries, primarily the United States. Materials comparing different cultures are selectively acquired.
  4. Treatment of the Subject: Popular-level materials and upper-division textbooks may be selectively acquired. Lower-division textbooks, curriculum guides, and juvenile fiction are not ordinarily be purchased (the Education Library collects these). Biographies of child and family authorities are selectively collected. Case studies and works describing therapeutic techniques are purchased selectively.
  5. Types of Material: Books and periodicals are the major types of materials collected. Basic reference materials, such as indexes, abstracts, encyclopedias, directories, etc., are purchased. Government documents, Federal and Washington State, are acquired selectively. Items such as indexes, abstracts, periodical articles, encyclopedias, etc. may be purchased in electronic format when pricing and easy of use make this an appropriate medium.
  6. Date of Publication: Emphasis is on materials published since 1995. Retrospective purchasing is very selective and may involve microform, reprints, or photocopies rather than the original format.
  7. Other General Considerations: Additional resources on the WSU campus include the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center, which provides assistance with statistical analysis and access to federal census data tapes. The university is a member of ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research) which allows access to all of its data holdings to all WSU students, faculty and staff.
Observations and Qualifications by Subject with Collection Level: Human Development: C(1) Emphasis is on preparation for students to work with children, adolescents and older adults in a variety of social service settings. Material will cover all periods of the life span. Students from education, psychology, sociology and women studies departments/programs also use these materials. Family Studies: C(1) Focuses on family relationships, child development, family resource management, pre-family therapy, and includes issues related to social welfare and community service. Students from the education, psychology, sociology and women studies departments/programs use these materials heavily. Consumer Studies: C(1) Emphasis is on preparation of majors for work with consumer-oriented private and government agencies. Also offers training as a family and consumer services teacher to junior high and high school students. Students from the business, communications, international marketing, economics, education and sociology departments will also use these materials. Government publications, including statistical sources, are essential. Early Childhood Education: C(1) Offers training for professional work in preschool through 3rd grade programs and education for social services concerned with children. Includes materials dealing with special education for children. Emphasizes resources unrelated to school environments. Materials related to schools, including kindergarten are covered in Education policies. Aging: C(1) Emphasis is on interdisciplinary materials which relate to working with or providing services to older persons. Prepares students for graduate training in gerontology. Ryan Johnson
Spring 2004

WSU Libraries, PO Box 645610, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-5610, 509-335-9671, Contact Us