General Social Science
Collection Selector
General Purpose of the Collection
The General Social Science collection acquires material that does not fall within the parameters of individual social science subject collections. Items in this category include interdisciplinary core reference sources such as Statistics Sources and Who’s Who Among African Americans. Journals in the collection include such interdisciplinary titles as Research Policy and Society. In addition, the collection includes monographs on qualitative and quantitative research methodology in the social sciences.
Scope of Coverage
- Languages collected (primary and selective) or excluded
- Works are acquired primarily in English.
- Geographical areas covered by the collections in terms of intellectual content, publication sources, or both, and specific areas excluded, as appropriate
- Works are collected for all parts of the world with the exception of Africa, which is collected by the African Studies selector. The main emphasis of the collection, however, reflects the work of Western scholars and publications of North American and European publishers.
- Chronological periods covered by the collection in terms of intellectual content, movements or schools, and specific periods excluded, as appropriate
- While there are no restrictions with respect to intellectual content, movements, or schools, the primary emphasis of the book collection is contemporary social science methodology.
- Chronological periods collected in terms of publication dates, and specific periods excluded, as appropriate
- The emphasis of the collection is on current publications.
General Subject Boundaries and Library Locations
The subject scope of the General Social Science collection is primarily determined by the following call number ranges.
Collected Selectively:
- AP : Periodicals (General)
- AS : Academies and Learned Societies (General)
- E-F : History (General)
- H-HV : Social Sciences (General)
- Z : Bibliography
Related subjects and Interdisciplinary Relationships
All items are available through Mugar Memorial Library.
The General Social Science collection acquires material of an interdisciplinary nature which does not fall within the respective specific scopes of the individual social science subject collections.
Types of Materials
- Collected
- Books, periodicals, and reference materials, including dictionaries and encyclopedias, and handbooks.
- Collected Selectively
- Proceedings, government documents, and electronic sources.
- Not Collected
- Popular works, newspapers, textbooks, juvenile literature, dissertations and theses, and maps.