Collection Development Policies: Asian Studies

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Subject: ASIAN STUDIES

Program Description

There are currently two courses offered. A survey course includes traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese civilization, as well as their westernization and modernization. An additional course on the history of Religion in the East covers the Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist communities. Study is focused on the Far East, concentrating on China, Japan and Korea.

Description of Existing Collection
NCIP Code: 1a

LC classification areas are concentrated in BL 1000-2422, BP, BQ, DS, JQ 1-1852, PK 1-6996, PL 1-3207. English language predominates in the collection. Very few items are in the Chinese, Japanese or other Asian alphabet. A total of eight journals are designated as general Asian periodicals; four a currently received. Ten are designated as East Asian; nine are currently received. Journals received for specific countries are available as follows: China, fifteen listed, twelve currently received; Japan, six listed, four currently received; Korea, five listed, three currently received. The total of all journals listed is forty-four with thirty-two currently received. Twenty-seven of the currently received journals are U.S. government publications in microform.

Access to materials using hardcopy and electronic resources is available. The main access point for UTEP Library monographs is the OPAC. Marcive records added to the catalog allow for searching of government publications. All journals titles are listed in the OPAC. Major topical indexes and the FirstSearch service are available. In addition, all students have access to the Internet and World Wide Web allowing the use of bibliographic and textual resources notionally and worldwide. The Library's ILL services provide materials (monographs & periodical articles) at a small service charge from around the country. The Reference Collection consists of general English language encyclopedias, bilingual dictionaries and a number of multi-volume histories focused on Asian countries.

Current Collection Intensity
NCIP Code: 1

Currently materials are being collected for the two courses offered as well as general works concerning Far Asian culture and biography. Reference materials acquired concentrate on encyclopedic and dictionary publications

Future Collection Level
NCIP Code: 1

Collecting will continue at the current level for the foreseeable future. No major or minor program is currently planned for Asian Studies. However, the University believes as students pursue their careers in international business or otherwise need to be aware and knowledgeable of the diversity of cultures. The purpose of the collection will be to maintain a basic cross- disciplinary set of materials providing students with basic information resources regarding Asian history, culture, business practices, etc.

                                    Last updated: March 20, 2003