Collection Development Policy: Archaeology and the Ancient World
  • Subject Librarian(s):
    Norine Duncan

  • Departmental Library Representative (DLR):
    Susan Alcock

  • Description of the Academic Program | Home Page
    The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, formerly known as the Center for Old World Archaeology and Art, has offered a Ph.D. program since 1986 and an undergraduate concentration since 1990. Its courses are cross-listed with the departments of Classics, History of Art & Architecture, and Anthropology. Other related departments and programs include Egyptology & Ancient Western Asian Studies, History of Mathematics, Religious Studies, Judaic Studies, and Ancient Studies. The Institute's core areas of interest include Italy, Greece, the Aegean Islands, and the Middle East during the time period dating from the Bronze Age to the 5th century C.E. (recently extended to include early medieval and Islamic). The goal of the concentration is to provide students with as strong a background in archaeology as possible, while taking advantage of the many resources available through interdepartmental affiliations. In consultation with the concentration advisor, students are required not only to pursue archaeological and art historical methods, but also to incorporate approaches in anthropological, historical, and literary disciplines. The interdepartmental nature of the Institute and its activities gives graduate students a breadth of social and professional contacts complementing the small size and individual focus of the program. Archaeological fieldwork is required; graduate students are encouraged to participate in a season of excavation, survey, or study, preferably in the Mediterranean area.



  • Overview of the Collection
    Because of the overlap with related disciplines and the fact that holdings are scattered in various classes of the Library of Congress system, it is difficult to quantify the Library's support for the Joukowsky Institute. In general, collections in almost all areas of ancient history and archaeology are strong, building upon the long history of the Classics department, which has existed since the founding of the University. The Classics core collection has been supplemented by systematic purchasing over the years, particularly in the field of Mediterranean archaeology. According to the collection development criteria established in 1983, the desired level of coverage in nearly all areas of the discipline is Research, i.e. Brown intends to build a collection that includes the major source materials required for dissertations and independent research as well as all important reference works and a wide selection of specialized monographs. In 2007, the Library subscribes to approximately 200 serial publications of interest to the broad community of the Joukowsky Institute. Brown also subscribes to various relevant electronic resources, including L'Année Philologique, DYABOLA, and Perseus. The Art Slide Library's collection includes approximately 35,000 slides of ancient art, archaeological sites, and related subjects, useful for teaching courses offered by the Joukowsky Institute.



  • General Collecting Guidelines
    Most of the funds budgeted by the Library for ancient archaeology are expended to maintain serial subscriptions. Very few monographic titles can be supplied by the Library's major approval vendor. Acquisitions of monographs for the Joukowsky Institute include a large number of titles in foreign languages, which must be firm ordered from various vendors worldwide. Catalogs and slips from vendors are circulated to faculty. In addition to serials and e-resources, the Library collects a range of archaeological publications—presentations of primary data, synthetic works, and reference books. Efforts are made to coordinate acquisition with other cognate units, such as the departments of Anthropology, Classics, Egyptology & Ancient Western Asian Studies, History of Art & Architecture, etc. The hiring of new archaeological faculty in Egyptology & Ancient Western Asian Studies may necessitate some retrospective buying in that area.

  • Detailed Subject Breakdown

  • Specific Collecting Guidelines
    The Parker Visiting Scholar is encouraged to provide guidance in assessing the Library's needs for publications in his or her area of expertise. Videos, DVDs, CD-ROMS, and online electronic resources are ordered only as specifically requested by faculty of the Joukowsky Institute.

    • Language: Most holdings are in English, French, German or Italian. Other languages represented include Arabic, Modern Greek, Turkish, and Slavic languages.
    • Chronological Span: Pre-historic through Early Medieval/Islamic.
    • Imprint Date: Both current and retrospective titles are acquired.
    • Geographical Range: Circum-Mediterranean region; western Europe; Egypt; Ancient Western Asia; and the Caucasus.
    • Types of Material Included: Journals, monographs, annuals, proceedings, field reports, dissertations, electronic resources, reference tools, digital and satellite imagery, and audio-visual works.
    • Excluded: Introductory general texts. Note that Egyptian subject matter is usually covered by Egyptology & Ancient Western Asian Studies. As noted above, efforts are made to coordinate collection development with related departments.


  • Areas of Distinction
    Archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean world. Antiquities of ancient Greece and Italy.

  • Special Collections
    Rare books relevant to the study of the Ancient World are to be found in the following named collections, accessible from Library Collections – A-Z: Annmary Brown, Chapin Personal Library, Dated Books, History of Science, Lownes Science, Rare Books Collection, Starred Book Collection, and the Williams Table Collection.

  • Related Collections