Philosophy

Collection Development Policy: Philosophy

Subject Librarian: Scott Opasik

Purpose of Policy

The collection development policy for Philosophy guides the development and management of the Philosophy collection.

Program Description

For a full program description, please see the department website.

Areas of Established Specialization

• Ancient Greek Philosophy
• Modern Philosophy
• Ethics
• Medieval Philosophy
• British Empiricism
• 19th Century Philosophy
• Phenomenology and Existentialism
• Social and Political Philosophy
• American Philosophy
• Scientific Reasoning
• Humanistic Issues in Science
• Philosophy of Science
• Religion and Science
• Symbolic Logic
• Metaphysics
• Theories of Knowledge
• Philosophies of Mind
• Biomedical Ethics
• Feminist Philosophy

Degrees Offered

• Minor in Philosophy
• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Clientele

The primary clientele are the undergraduate students, faculty, and staff of the Department of Philosophy. Members of the Michiana community may also use the collection.

Scope and Collection Guidelines

The Philosophy collection consists of works written for the basic through advanced undergraduate level and for basic faculty research. Graduate- and research-level publications are collected selectively.

Formats Collected

• Scholarly monographs
• Serials
• Collections of essays
• Conference proceedings
• Videos
• Electronic resources

Formats Excluded

• Pamphlets
• Newsletters
• Article reprints
• Required textbooks
• Popular and/or journalistic monographs about social issues (selectively collected)

Language

The collection is primarily in English.

Geographic Coverage

All geographic areas are covered.

Chronological Periods Collected

Philosophy is unique in that texts written hundreds or thousands of years ago may be collected and actively circulate. Preference should be given, however, to new editions of these texts.

Subject Emphases

See areas of specialization.

Emerging Collection Areas

Faculty have shown a recent interest in Open Educational Resources.

Reference

Reference material for the Department of Philosophy is selected by the Philosophy subject librarian following the general subject parameters of the collection policy.

Interdisciplinary Considerations

There is interdisciplinary crossover with history, sociology, sustainability, and religion, with particular crossover with political science and health sciences.

Location

Philosophy materials are housed in the Schurz Library. Works specifically about the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, and religion are classified in the B schedule of the Library of Congress system, with philosophy-specific titles classified in B-BD.

Classification Call Numbers

Anthropology Call Number Areas:

• Philosophy (General): B
• Logic: BC
• Speculative Philosophy: BD
• Ethics: BJ
• Religions, Mythology, Rationalism: BL
• Political Science: J
• Political Theory: JC
• Medical Ethics: R723-726