General policies and principles for the Library's collections are stated in the General Collection Development Policy.
Purpose of the Collection
The German Studies area of UCSB’s Department of German and Slavic Studies teaches the German language and provides research and curricular programs that focus on the study of German literature, history, and culture in interdisciplinary and transnational contexts. The diverse interdisciplinary approaches represented by the German faculty and emphasized in the undergraduate and graduate programs include philosophy, history of science, media technology, critical theory, trauma studies, psychoanalysis, Holocaust studies, Enlightenment, Romanticism, and contemporary art and visual culture. The undergraduate (B.A.) program in German Studies offers three years of language instruction and courses in German literature and culture. The graduate programs offer an M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature with specialization in German Literary Studies, emphasizing the intersections of literature with diverse intellectual discourses. In support of the faculty and students in German Studies, the library’s collecting activity centers on German literature and cultural studies, with emphasis in the areas of faculty specialization and curricular focus listed above.
Scope
Subjects
Priority in collecting activity is given to (1) German-language literature, especially by authors from the eighteenth century to the present who are of the greatest research interest to the faculty; and (2) critical literary and scholarly studies of German literature and culture, with emphasis on the interdisciplinary discourses listed above.
Geographical Coverage
Literary and scholarly works concerning historically German speaking areas of Europe are the principle interest, especially the area that comprises modern Germany. Literary authors from Austria and Switzerland are collected selectively, as are works concerning Germans or German culture in other parts of the world.
Language
Primarily German and English. Literature collected includes works in the original German and in English translation.
Chronological Limits/Period Coverage
Eighteenth century to the present.
Publication Dates
Emphasis is on current publications.
Types of Materials Collected
The primary emphases are (1) literary works, especially critical editions, and (2) scholarly monographs and journals. Edited collections of scholarly articles are acquired very selectively.
Systemwide Resources
UCSB collections serving German Studies benefit heavily from the library’s participation in serials and research databases that are licensed by UC’s California Digital Library and funded by the UC campuses
Related Collection Development Policies
Because of the strongly interdisciplinary nature of German Studies at UCSB, the program is served by the library’s collecting across multiple subject areas. See especially the following collection development policies:
Author: Eunice Schroeder
Policy Last Updated: March 2015
