Collection Development Policy
Catholic Studies

The Catholic Studies Collection, interdisciplinary in nature, consists of books, journals, newspapers, pamphlets, parish histories, and non-print materials which document the history of the Roman Catholic Church in America from colonial times to the present day. The collection manifests the historical, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual traditions of the Roman Catholic Church in America. Studies pertaining to Roman Catholic institutions, such as Catholic universities and colleges, secondary schools, diocesan histories, parish histories, and histories of religious congregations of men and women exemplify works common to the collection.

The Catholic Studies Collection covers a broad spectrum of subjects primarily in the humanities, including history, theology, liturgy, philosophy, literature, sociology, art, and architecture.

PROGRAMS AND CLIENTELE SUPPORTED:

The Catholic Studies Collection directly supports the research activity of the Charles and Margaret Hall Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism. The collection also supports graduate and undergraduate course work in American Catholicism and related fields, including "Catholics in the United States"; "American Intellectual History"; "American Cultural and Religious History"; "American Catholic History"; and "American Urban and Immigration History." At the graduate level, the Catholic Studies Collection supports the History Department's concentration in religious history which requires completion of graduate-level courses in two distinct fields of religious history, e.g., medieval and modern European history. The collection also serves the research requirements of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students in theology, liturgical studies, literature, philosophy, sociology, Irish studies, American studies, gender studies, political science, art, architecture, and music.

SUBJECT LIBRARIAN:

Charlotte Ames
Collection Development Department
Room 217, Hesburgh Library
(574) 631-5176
Ames.5@nd.edu
FAX: (574) 631-6772

GENERAL COLLECTION GUIDELINES:

Languages: Works are collected primarily in English. Works in other languages are collected when they are of a scholarly nature and relevant to the study of American Catholicism.

Chronological: All chronological periods in American Catholicism are included from its origins to the present time.

Geographical: The majority of works in Catholic Studies have been published in the United States. Works written and published elsewhere are acquired whenever they relate to American Catholicism. Proceedings of national and international conferences are collected regardless of geographical areas when they pertain to some aspect of American Catholicism.

Treatment of Subject: Scholarly works in American Catholicism, including monographs and serials, and reference materials which treat both broad and more specific areas of American Catholicism are collected extensively. Contemporary catechetical works are collected selectively. While no level of treatment is excluded per se, only representative juvenile works, popular works, and works of a devotional and/or inspirational nature are purchased. When received as gifts, inspirational and juvenile works may be retained at the discretion of the subject librarian.

Types of Material: Books, journals, dissertations, newsletters, pamphlets, parish histories, Catholic newspapers, microforms, sound recordings, audio cassettes, videos, CD ROM products and other electronic texts are acquired. With few exceptions, parish bulletins, parish newsletters, self-help books, resource packets, educational materials which can usually be found in educational media centers elsewhere, and artifacts are excluded from the Catholic Studies Collection.

COORDINATION:

The subject librarian for Catholic Studies works with other subject librarians, liaisons, systems personnel, and cataloging personnel to coordinate collection development and access. The subject librarian maintains a working relationship with the University Archives, the Charles and Margaret Hall Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, the Institute for Church Life, and the Medieval Institute.

COLLECTING LEVELS:

Subject	LC Class	Collecting Level
General Reference Works	BX 1406.2; BX 845; Z 7837	4
History of American Catholicism	BX 841; BX 1406; BX 1406.2; E 184	4
American Catholic Education	BX 1406.2; LB 175; LC 493; LC 501; LD 4112.7; BX 905	4

Works related to the history and development of Catholic education are collected at the research level. Classical and contemporary works which treat the Catholic character of the university are collected comprehensively.

Subject	LC Class	Collecting Level
Autobiographies, Correspondence,   Memoirs, and Biographies	BX 4700; BX 4705	4
American Catholic Music	M 2119; Audio Center: cassettes and videos	3
Religious Communities of Women and   Men in the United States	BX 3059; BX 4278.U35	4
Groups Within the Catholic Church	BX 819.O68; BV 672.5;	4
	BX 1407.W65; BX 2347.8	4
	BT 695.5; BX 2350.65; BL 435	3

Works by and about fundamentalist, traditional, and liberal movements within the Catholic Church are collected at the research level. Works on groups concerned with the religious aspects of ecology are collected at the instructional support level.

Subject	LC Class	Collecting Level
American Catholic Liturgical   Movement	BV 1979; BX 4705; BX 1977 University Archives	4
Spirituality	BX 4700; BL80.2; BX 1920; BX 2438	4
Catholic Ethnic Communities	BX 1406; BX 1407.I45; E 184; PN 4885	4
Catholic Health Care	RA 395.A3; RA 418.5; BX l795	3
Catholic Charismatic Renewal	BX 2350.57 Audio center: cassettes	4
American Catholic Poetry,Prose   and Fiction	PS 508.C3; PS 591.C3; PS 3565.C57	4
Social Justice and Social Concerns	JX 1953; BT 83 University Archives	4

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

The Catholic Studies Collection constitutes one of the oldest and strongest collections in the University Libraries. A highly diffused and interdisciplinary collection, it does not lend itself easily to any particular range of Library of Congress classification numbers. The bulk of the collection is located in the research tower; however, important segments of the collection are located in the Renner Audio Learning Center (tapes of Catholic Charismatic Renewal conferences; tapes of Thomas Merton; and videos on various aspects of American Catholicism.) The Microtext Reading Room contains an extensive collection of more than three hundred Catholic newspapers in microform, and more than one thousand pamphlets. The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections holds rare Catholic Studies, several thousand pamphlets, and over two thousand parish histories.

Standing Orders:

United States Catholic Conference.

In October, 1993, the Library initiated the Comprehensive Resource Service from the USCC which ensures that all subscribers automatically receive every new English and bilingual release published by USCC Publishing Services.

Internet:

Access to full texts in electronic form of encyclicals and other texts pertinent to the study of American Catholicism are available on the Internet and on the American Catholic Studies Subject Home Page.

 

 

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