Collection Development Policy: Sociology
  • Subject Librarian(s):
    Michael Jackson

  • Departmental Library Representative (DLR):
    John Modell

  • Description of the Academic Program | Home Page
    The undergraduate sociology concentration "provides a well-integrated exploration of the theory, research methods and statistical skills necessary for academic work in all of the social sciences and in many other areas of knowledge. Students in sociology are encouraged to develop new ways of thinking about people and social institutions. Students develop a facility for synthesizing different perspectives in order to gain a deeper understanding of society, and to learn how to apply these analytical skills to a variety of social issues." The goal of the CORE program of graduate study is "to enable students to learn the fundamentals of the discipline, to construct a challenging program of research, and to develop a basis for selecting areas of specialization in breadth and depth. The CORE provides the conceptual and methodological tools for mastering the sociological literature, assessing its strengths and weaknesses, and contributing to it in creative ways."



  • Overview of the Collection
    Sociology study and research is interdisciplinary; it is therefore not possible to quantify the number of volumes in the Library's collection. Other funds exist for Library acquisitions in: Race & Ethnicity, Gender Studies, Economics, Religious Studies, Education, Environmental Studies, Medicine and Demography. The holdings in the Rockefeller Library are augmented by the Demography Library's collection and for Medical Sociology and Environmental Sociology, by the holdings of the Sciences Library.



  • General Collecting Guidelines
    To support undergraduate and graduate instruction and research through the Ph.D. and to support University-sponsored research by faculty. Emphasis is in the areas of population, social organizations, urban studies and race & ethnic studies. The desired coverage is at the research or study level. A research level collection includes major source materials required for dissertation and independent research, including primary sources, specialized journals, important reference works, major indexing/abstracts services and a wide selection of specialized monographs. A study level collection supports undergraduate and graduate course work, but may not hold the specialized primary sources and journals necessary for graduate and faculty research.

  • Detailed Subject Breakdown

  • Specific Collecting Guidelines
    • Language: English.
    • Chronological Span: 21st Century; 20th Century; Earlier, selectively.
    • Imprint Date: Occasional purchase of retrospective materials in support of research needs.
    • Geographical Range: Global.
    • Types of Material Included: Books; periodicals; government documents; computer data files; dissertations, selectively; audiovisual, selectively. Excluded: Antiquarian material; general introductory textbooks.


  • Special Collections
    Population Studies collection located in the Demography Library. The Josiah records for holdings of the John Hay Library (Special Collections) include 196 entries for historical materials on the subject of sociology, and over 1,600 titles in the relevant Library of Congress classifications, dating from the 17th century to the present day.

    Special Collections holdings in sociology include the Lester Frank Ward Collection. Ward, recognized today as one of the founders of the field of sociology, donated his library and personal papers in 1914.These 1,200 bound volumes and pamphlets plus several thousand letters and manuscripts represent Ward's interests in botany, paleobotany, geology, philosophy and sociology.

    Special Collections also holds the Richard G. Katzoff Collection, which includes a component of history and sociology related to gays and lesbians; most are U.S. publications. Allied to the Katzoff Collection is the archive of Rhode Island Act Up, a group in the forefront of the demand for the rights of the state's lesbian/gay community. Also related are the John Preston Papers, the archive of a writer and editor who dealt with gay issues; Preston's personal and professional correspondence includes letters from friends, other writers, and groups whose focus is gay life and rights.

    While the Department of Sociology's research and teaching interests currently do not include alcohol and addiction studies (many titles classed as Sociology in the LC classification scheme), the Library does hold an extensive collection in this area, primarily in support of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies.

    The Chester H. Kirk Collection on Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous, assembled by antiquarian bookseller Charles Bishop, Jr., beginning in 1976, is named for Chester H. Kirk, by whose donation it was purchased in 1995. Its major strengths are in the history of the temperance movement, with emphasis on Alcoholics Anonymous, and aspects of the consumption of alcohol. Subjects covered include drinking customs, the rum trade, and taxation; fiction, ethnic studies, and the Twelve Step program; and groups such as MADD, the WCTU, and Al-Anon. Materials include books and pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers, prints, audio and video tapes, photographs, autographs, posters, and musical scores. Most works in the Collection are American, with some publications from England, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. It is distributed, as appropriate, taking into consideration material type, age, and rarity, throughout the Rockefeller, Sciences, and John Hay Libraries.

  • Related Collections
    Gender Studies; Race & Ethnicity; African Studies; Asian Studies; Latin American Studies; Statistics; Urban Studies; Psychology: American Civilization; Political Science; Economics; Bio-Medical Sciences.