E-mail this pageHistory Collections Policy
Clientele:
The History collection serves the needs of undergraduates in the History Department and in the liberal arts program, and faculty in support of instruction. The history MA option was recently discontinued, and the faculty is supporting liberal arts and education majors more than in prior years. There are about 11 faculty members directly involved in teaching history. The following areas are also related to the collection: LAS, Canadian Studies, political science, sociology, gender studies, Native American studies, and African American studies.
Existing Collections:
Plattsburgh's History collection mainly reflects critical historical interpretations of the 18th and 19th centuries and covers U.S., Latin American, Asian, European, African and British history. The collection includes a large number of books purchased during the 1960's and 1970's, most of which reflect a political-historical perspective. More recently purchased materials focus on social historical aspects and multidisciplinary socio-cultural considerations. The collection is strongest in coverage of U.S. history from colonial times to the present, with some pockets of strength in European (primarily British and Irish) medieval history and pre-colonial Andean civilizations. Ancient Greek and Roman history has not been emphasized in the collection.
Current Collecting:
We currently collect materials to support specific course offerings by the department. The History Department has been in a state of flux. The department expects/anticipates the hiring of three new professors over the next two years to replace retirements and resignations. New hires will not represent particular time periods, such as the U.S. Civil War. Instead, hires will be expected to teach in a much broader socio-historical context. For example, an African-American historian would be expected to teach about the African diaspora as it affected peoples both in Africa and the United States. Currently hiring in the fields of African-American history and Native-American history is under discussion. Growth in the collection must also include materials to support these new emphases and also a new course in the history of migration with the expected arrival of a historian in this field.
Subjects Covered:
- LC classes C through F
Geographical and Publisher Information:
The collection's major geographical focus is on materials published in the U.S., with some collecting from Latin America, Europe, Britain/Ireland, Africa, China/Japan, and Canada, and a minor focus on Russian materials.
Noted publishers include:
- Oxford U. Press,
- Cambridge U. Press,
- Stanford U. Press,
- Marcus Wiener,
- U. of Texas Press,
- Lynne Rienner,
- Longman Press.
Formats:
Materials in all formats are collected. Paper is preferred over cloth.
Notes:
The easy access to the governmental collections of New York State, the United States and Canada through the regional depository programs is of great benefit to our undergraduates. The New York State collection is further enhanced by the student's access to regional material in Special Collections. All of these collections give the students access to materials necessary to conduct historical research using primary source materials.
The History collection is further enhanced through materials acquired from three CCD collections: women's studies, Latin American studies, and Canadian studies. The history department curriculum has included courses in all three of these fields. A significant portion of Latin American history purchases is made through the LAS CCD fund.