Sustainability Studies

Collection Development Policy: Sustainability Studies

Subject Librarian: Scott Opasik

Purpose of Policy: The collection development policy for Sustainability Studies guides the development and management of the Sustainability collection.

Program Description

The Sustainability Studies Program provides an interdisciplinary approach to the foundations of the discipline, and application of this knowledge to the development and implementation of sustainable values, innovations, practices, and technologies, in homes, in business, on campus, and in communities. It emphasizes connections between environment, economy, and society. Civic engagement and experiential, project-based, and service learning are important components of the program.

The Center for a Sustainable Future, established in 2008, fosters campus and community relationships and projects in order to find innovative and engaging ways to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The Center focuses on the discovery and dissemination of practices and strategies that are ecologically friendly, economically sound, and socially responsible in order to help Michiana become a vibrant and leading region in the green economy.

Degrees Offered

• Sustainability BA
• Sustainability Graduate Certificate in Strategic Sustainability Leadership
• Sustainability Minor

Courses

The minor consists of a core introductory course, and 4 additional courses taken at the 200 level or above from three different areas of courses listed for the major below.

The 15-credit Graduate Certificate requires a core introductory course, a capstone, and three electives from the graduate-level sustainability offerings:

• SUST-S 501 Sustainability Strategies and Applications
• SUST-S 520 Sustainability and Innovation
• SUST-S 620 Sustainable Technologies and Alternative Energy
• SUST-S 630 Sustainable Food Systems
• SUST-S 660 Sustainability and the Built Environment
• SUST-S 690 Sustainability Leadership Development and Planning

The BA consists of 120 credits including 33 credits in the Major. Major courses include:

• SUST-S 201 Foundations of Sustainability
• BIOL-L 101 Introduction to Biological Sciences 1
• BIOL-N 390 The Natural World/Environmental Biology
• CHEM-N 190 The Natural World/Chemistry and our Environment
• GEOL-G 210 Oceanography
• GEOL-G 219 Meteorology
• HPER-N 220 Nutrition for Health
• POLS-Y 115 Environment and People
• POLS-Y 343 The Politics of International Development
• SOC-B 399 Human Behavior and Social Institutions/Sustainable Communities
• SUST-B 399 Human Behavior and Social Institutions/Just Food: Sustainable Food Systems
• SUST-S 361 Sustainability Abroad
• WOST-T 390 Literary and Intellectual Traditions/Women and Sustainability
• HIST-T 190 Literary and Intellectual Traditions/History of United States Environmental Units
• PHIL-T 390 Literary and Intellectual Traditions/Environmental Philosophy
• BUS-B 399 Business and Society
• SUST-S 411 Sustainability, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

Areas of Established Specialization

• Food and Agriculture/Urban Farming
• Built Environment/Green Building
• Urban Planning/Sustainable Cities
• Water Conservation
• Sustainable Business Models

Changes in User Population for the Most Recent Five Years

• Recent addition of the Graduate Certificate which is offered as an online degree
• Addition of the Sustainability BA

New and Expanding Areas of Interest

• Sustainability related to Health and Wellness
• Zero Waste
• Multicultural views of sustainability
• New and developing technologies – Fuel Cells, transparent solar, advances in transportation

Clientele

The primary clientele are the students, faculty, and staff of the Sustainability program and Center for a Sustainable Future along with Departments that offer classes that count toward the completion of a Sustainability Degree, Minor or Graduate Certificate. Because the Center for a Sustainable Future works on collaborative community projects, members of the Michiana community also use the collection.

Number of Faculty: 1 FTE

Director: 1

Number of BAs, Minors and Graduate Certificates:

Collection Guidelines

The Sustainability collection consists of works written for the general public, basic through advanced undergraduate level, and for practitioners. Graduate- and research-level publications are collected very selectively.

Formats Collected

Popular, applied, case studies and practitioner-focused materials are collected because of the applied/practical nature of this program. Monographs, serials, collections of essays, conference proceedings, videos, and electronic resources are also collected, with an emphasis on works with an undergraduate focus rather than scholarly research.

Formats Excluded

Pamphlets, newsletters, article reprints, and required textbooks.

Language

The collection is primarily in English.

Geographic Coverage

All geographic areas are covered, with an emphasis on the United States, and more specifically on the Michiana region.

Chronological Periods Collected

Priority is given to current publications. Older imprints are collected selectively, usually as replacements for classic works, or upon request.

Subject Emphases

The Sustainability Studies collection focuses on a wide range of topics because of the interdisciplinary character of the discipline. These include Business, Agriculture, Community Development, Economics, Health and International Development.

Current Collecting Priorities

The Sustainability program emphasizes applied and practical projects and skills, civic engagement, and service learning, so the collection emphasizes works for practitioners and real-life applications. Highly theoretical works are not emphasized.

Many of the Sustainability courses are offered through distance education, so a priority is placed on online resources.

Reference

Reference material for Sustainability Studies are selected by the Sustainability Studies subject librarian following the general subject parameters of the collection policy.

Interdisciplinary Considerations

Due to the highly interdisciplinary nature of Sustainability Studies, materials are also occasionally selected in the areas of agriculture, business, engineering, and public affairs.

Location

Sustainability materials are housed in the Schurz Library. Works specifically about the discipline of Sustainability – because of its highly cross-disciplinary nature – are classified in the GE, HC, HD, HT, S, & TH schedule of Library of Congress system.