Theatre and Dance

Collection Development Policy: Theatre and Dance

Subject Librarian: Julie Feighery

Purpose of Policy: The collection development policy for Theatre and Dance guides the development and management of the Theatre and Dance collection.

Program Description from their website:

“From theatre history and acting techniques to stage lighting and costuming, the study of theatre and dance covers every aspect of this age-old art form…The B.A. degree gives students a broad acquaintance and experience with the various ways theatre artists study, interpret, and express the world in which we live. The B.F.A. degree is designed to prepare students for the professional theatre or additional training at the graduate level. It features an intense focus on a selected area of concentration (performance or design/technical) and extensive production experience designed to promote excellence.”

Areas of Established Specialization:

• Performance
• Design/Technical (Costume, Scenic or Lighting Design; or Costume or Scenic Technology)
• Musical Theatre
• Dance

Changes in User Population for the Most Recent Five Years:

The number of students enrolled in theater has increased. There has been particular growth in areas of theatre design.

New and Expanding Areas of Interest:

The department wishes to continue to expand the collection in all of their degree areas as well as expanding the international theatre collection. The department has also been amassing a collection of the plays that have been produced on campus and wishes to add these performance recordings to the library collection.

Degrees Offered:

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a concentration in Performance
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a concentration in Design/Technical
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a concentration in Dance
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a concentration in Musical Theatre
• Bachelor of Arts in Theatre (Performance or Design/Technical Concentration)

Clientele:

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

Number of Faculty: 4 FTE, 2 Lecturer, and 10 additional Associate Faculty

Number of Majors: 60

Collection Guidelines:

The Theatre and Dance 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, films (DVD and streaming), and electronic resources are collected.

Formats Excluded:

Pamphlets, newsletters, article reprints.

Language:

The collection is primarily in English.

Geographic Coverage:

All geographic areas are covered. For titles with a geographic focus, preference is given to materials relating to the region (Michiana, northern Indiana, and Midwest) as well as those that support area studies programs offered on campus.

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:

Acting, Theater, Improvisation, Costume Design, Scenic or Lighting Design, Costume or Scenic Technology, and Dance.

Current Collecting Priorities:

In addition to the topics listed above, filmed recordings of stage productions (in either DVD or streaming).

Subjects Collected Selectively:

Current works of drama in print are purchased by faculty request.

Reference:

Reference materials for Theatre and Dance are selected by the Theatre and Dance subject librarian following the general subject parameters of the collection policy.

Interdisciplinary Considerations:

None at this time.

Location:

Materials are housed in the Schurz Library.

In particular, holdings are heavily concentrated in: