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I. General Description of the Economics Collection and Its Users

The subject scope of the economics collection includes the history, theory, systems, policy, measurement, and methodology of the discipline. The focus of the collection is on sources supporting the quantitative analysis and decision making part of production, allocation, ownership, valuation, and consumption of goods and services.

The collection is developed in support of the curriculum of the College of Business and of the Economics Department of the College of Liberal Arts. The collection primarily supports undergraduate coursework (student research, faculty teaching needs). In addition, students in other colleges (primarily Computer Science and Engineering) draw upon the resources of the collection in fulfillment of a required core in the social sciences (Liberal Arts curriculum) as well as for elective classes.

II. Description of the Programs Served by the Economics Collection

A. Undergraduate Programs

The objective of the Economics program in the College of Liberal Arts is to prepare students for entry level positions in business, finance, and government as well as for graduate work in economics, business administration, and law. The program also focuses on the development of specific skills designed to take advantage of employment opportunities in the field. These skills include computer literacy, quantitative methods, knowledge of the business environment, and multidisciplinary reasoning. The Economics Department offers a B.S. degree as well as a concentration in economics. A minor in economics is available to mathematics and computer science majors.

III. Subject and Language Modifiers

A. Geographic Areas

The geographic focus of the collection is primarily on the United States.

B. Chronological Limits

No restrictions. Emphasis, however, is on current developments and analysis of recent events.

C. Languages

No restrictions. Emphasis is on English-language materials. Only selected foreign language statistical sources and multilingual dictionaries/encyclopedieas are acquired.

IV. Date of Publication

General emphasis for acquisition of new titles is on current publications in all subject areas. Acquisition/retention of material older than ten years is based upon importance of the work to the discipline; usefulness for historical information/perspective; extent of current publishing in the discipline; curriculum needs for new program development; usage of existing material of same age; and physical condition of the material. Retrospective acquisition of serials to meet new program needs will be extremely selective and limited to the past five years. Document delivery will be utilized instead to meet these needs whenever feasible.

V. Treatment of Subject Matter

A. Level of Treatment

Primary emphasis is on a collection which supports undergraduate coursework and faculty teaching needs. The needs of NTID students are also considered where relevant. Major published source material containing research reporting will be included, as well as titles appearing on core collection lists. Pertinent reference sources will also be acquired. Every effort is made to accommodate faculty requests for specific curriculum related titles.

B. Textbooks

Not acquired routinely unless classic titles or useful as general surveys or handbooks for a particular area not otherwise represented.

C. Multiple Copies

Acquired only when heavy use is anticipated or at the curriculum based request of a faculty member. A select few journals are retained in both paper and microfilm for (up to) five years, if use justifies, then in microfilm only. (See Bindery Policy/Procedure-Periodicals)

D. Newspapers

Essential sources of current information on domestic and international business and finance are acquired. Local papers and selected metropolitan and international daily papers are supported by general reference, business, and economics.

E. Government Documents

Acquired selectively when their content is appropriate to the scope of the collection.

F. Maps/Atlases

Acquired selectively when appropriate for specific representations (for example, commercial atlases, census maps).

G. Other

Pamphlets are purchased only if suffiently important to be cataloged. No pamphlet/vertical file is maintained.

VI. Cooperative Collection Development Agreements

No contractual cooperative collection development agreements for this discipline have been made between RIT Library and any other library. Informal working relationships with other members of the RRLC exist and closer associations will be pursued inthe future.

Where faculty and student research needs fall outside the primary undergraduate curriculum-based scope of the onsite collection, access to this information will be provided through traditional, as well as, commercial document delivery services.

VII. Publication Formats

A. Microfilms

Journals are routinely acquired in microform unless the title contains substantial graphical material or mathematical notation.

B. Non-Print Materials

Acquisition of traditional non-print materials (slides, videotapes, video discs, films, sound recordings, slide/tape programs) is very selective and made in consultation with the Media Resource Center, usually at the request of a faculty member. Non-print materials are generally housed in the Media Resource Center.

C. Software and CD ROM

Indexing and abstracting services and other specialized sources will be acquired in these formats where they meet subject collection criteria, as well as, the Electronic Resources Policy criteria (in process).

VIII. Collection Maintenance

Continuous maintenance of the collection is carried out based upon systematic evaluation in light of curriculum shifts, use statistics, core bibliographies, physical space limitations and alternative availability of information. Current periodical titles will be reviewed annually prior to their renewal. All other areas of the collection should be reviewed every three to five years. Included in the process are weeding of materials no longer relevant to curriculum needs, elimination of superfluous titles where information is duplicated in more current or authoritative sources, and the ordering of replacement copies of damaged/heavily used items still relevant to curriculum needs.

A. Weeding

1. Duplicates Only Weeded
a. Monographs
At least one copy in good condition of standard classic titles listed in major general bibliographies of business and special subject lists, such as Harvard Business School Core Collection should be retained in the collection. Second (and higher numbered) copies that do not circulate for five years should be deselected.
b. Serials
A highly selective collection of business serial titles are kept in both paper and microform for up to five years.
2. Selective Weeding
   a. Monographs
   In general, economics materials should be reviewed every three to five years to remove materials no longer relevant to the curriculum, older materials where sufficient coverage is provided by contem-porary titles, and multiple copies of materials where high use is no longer a factor.
   b. Serials
   1. Indexing and Abstracting Services
      Indexing and abstracting publications should be discarded only when equivalent or improved coverage and access is available through new sources, printed or electronic (i.e. covers approximately same or more pertinent journal titles in the field and/or provides enhanced search capabilities pertinent to our programs). Duplication of coverage should be monitored annually. If the library has a run of less than ten years and the materials covered are indexed by another resource, the volumes should be deaccessioned.
   2. Scholarly Publications
      Long runs of key scholarly journals in all aspects of business that meet the criteria given in the introduction to this section should be retained indefinitely. Priority for retention should be given to titles accessible though indexing and abstracting services available at RIT Library and titles not available in any other Rochester-area library. Titles that have ceased publication need to be reveiwed carefully. If the library has a run of less than ten years and the journal is available through an alternative source, either an area library or a document delivery service, then it should be deaccessioned. If the title is not readily available through an alternative resource and it meets the collecting levels assigned in Section IX: Subject Divisions then it should be retained.
   3. Trade Journals
      Retention of trade journals should be carefully scrutinized. Those that primarily provide timely information (industry news, new products, market trends, etc.) should be discarded after a period of one to five years. An example of this type of title would be Economic Commentary. Those that include articles of more lasting value should be considered for longer retention, particularly if they are accessible through indexing and abstracting services available at RIT Library. An example of this type of title would be The Economist.
3. Current Edition/Year Only Retained
   a. Monographs
   1. Modern (post-1960) textbooks
   2. Modern (post-1960) manuals of practice
   3. Career guidance and professional information (legal, business, tax, grant, etc.) materials
   4. Standards
   b. Serials
   1. Newsletters, calendars, other current awareness services providing timely information about events and activities of organizations, employment opportunities.
   2. Membership directories of economics organizations.

B. Replacement of Materials

1. Lost, Mutilated

Every effort should be made to replace lost or heavily mutilated titles if they are judged to be of continuing relevance to the collection. When mutilation is confined to a few pages, replacement copies of these should be requested through the Information Delivery Service (see RIT Library Bindery Policy: Monographs and RIT Library Bindery Policy: Serials).

2. Gifts which duplicate existing holdings should be used to upgrade the condiditon of collection by replacing worn circulating copies with more sound gift copies.

C. Stacks Maintenance

The business collection, particularly the reference section, is fairly heavily used therefore warranting shelf-reading on a on-going, consistent basis. The condition of items shelved in these areas should be monitored to ensure those in need of repair and rebinding are attended to before they are irreparably damaged.

IX. Subject Divisions

 

	Support Level (see Introduction for key)
A. General Economics Includes history, theory, (intermediate and advanced level) methodology, systems.	C-1
B. Economic Growth Includes economic development, planning thoery and policy, forecasting, inflation, and country studies.	C-2
C. Quantitative Methods Includes econometrics, mathematical methods and models, economic and social statistical data and analysis.	C-2
D. Domestic Monetary Theory and Institutions Includes domestic monetary theory and institutions.	C-2
E. Fiscal Theory and Institutions Includes fiscal theory and policy; public finance.	C-1
F. Industrial Organization Includes public policy, technological change, industry studies.	C-1
G. Natural Resources and Agriculture Includes the environment and economic geography.	C-2
H. Labor Includes manpower training and allocation, labor force supply an markets, unions, collective bargaining, labor relations, demographics.	C-2
I. Consumer Economics Includes welfare, health and education, urban economics, regional economics.	C-2

[rev. 7/94]

Maintained by Sheila Smokey