The communication collection primarily supports the curricular and research needs of students and faculty within the Elliott School of Communication. The School presently offers programs leading to a bachelor’s degree in Communication in five concentration areas in addition to an open emphasis degree which is tailored to the students needs under the guidance of the School. A Masters of Arts in Communication may be earned by students in the Elliott School or by students focusing on Theatre/Drama, and may be completed employing either a thesis or a non-thesis option. A Certificate in Applied Communication, requiring eighteen hours of course work, is also offered by the School for professionals interested in improving their understanding of the various aspects of communication.

The collection may most easily be considered through an understanding of the five undergraduate concentration areas:

Strategic Communication.

A generalist approach is taken in this concentration which focuses on interpersonal communication, organizational communication, and Public Affairs.

Broadcast Journalism.

Core Courses for this concentration:

COMM 401 - Beat Reporting

COMM 422 - Broadcast News

COMM 622 - Studio B: Practicum in Broadcast Journalism

Electronic Media.

Core Courses for this concentration:

COMM 303 - Audio Production

COMM 304 - Studio Video Production

COMM 332 - Writing for Electronic Media

COMM 604 - Field Video Production

COMM 609 - Interactive Media Production

Integrated Marketing Communications.

Core Courses for this concentration:

COMM 324 - Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communication

COMM 502 - Public Information Writing

COMM 510 - Editing for Print

COMM 525 - Advertising Copywriting

COMM 626 - Integrated Marketing Communications Campaigns

Print Journalism.

Core Courses for this concentration:

COMM 310 - Introductory Photojournalism

COMM 401 - Beat Reporting

COMM 500 - Advanced Reporting

COMM 510 - Editing for Print

Collection Description

The communications collection currently includes roughly 5,000 monographic and serial volumes. The Libraries subscribes to thirty-four communications journals, and has holdings in an additional forty titles. The reference collection is relatively small, composed of less than fifty volumes. Indexes to the journal literature makes up the most significant portion of the reference collection. ComIndex, an online index to about ninety titles specific to communication, is limited as it does not contain abstracts or provide indexing through a controlled vocabulary. Indexes useful in communication research also include the education database ERIC for research in communication theory, and the business databases ABI/INFORM for theoretical articles on organizational communication and marketing, and Business and Company Resource Center for articles dealing with specific marketing campaigns. The database LEXIS Academic includes the full text of major newspapers published in the United States but unfortunately does not provide the layout. LEXIS Academic also provides transcripts from most television news programs.

Anticipated Trends

Increasing globalization’s effect on the media is perhaps the major trend which will effect the content focus of collection development in communication in the future. An increased attention will be given to international media and the media in a greater number of nations in the collection. The trend toward electronic media and away from print media will also greatly impact the character of works collected. And as is true of all social science disciplines, the continuing importance of interdisciplinary approaches to communication research will result in the purchasing of material which does not fall strictly into the communication collection’s parameters.

B. Scope of Coverage

1. Chronological Focus

   As Communication as a discipline is a fairly recent phenomenon, works specific to the communication collection will thus be writings deriving primary from the twentieth and twenty first centuries. The focus of the works collected will not be specifically limited by time period, but will fall in large part into the eighteenth century forward.

2. Geographic Focus

   No geographical limitations will be placed on works to be added to the communications collection. However, works dealing with the media added to the collection will tend to be primarily those which concentrate predominately with the United States media as it is the world leader. The collection of theoretical works in communication will be not be governed by any geographic limitation.

3. Formats and Materials Collected

   The collecting emphasis is on current monographs and journals. Monographs with CD-ROM’s may be added. Reference works (including online sources), technical reports, government document, and professional association publication are also collected. Bibliographies and conference proceedings are added on a selective basis.

   Textbooks are not routinely added to the collection except for the highly selective acquisition of current titles which provide a broad overview of subject areas.

   Microforms, audio, and video recordings will be acquired selectively or when requested by faculty.

   Any change in the format in which journal literature is collected, e.g. from paper to electronic access, will be governed by the Libraries’ policy.

4. Formats and Materials Not Collected

   The only limitation on formats and materials collected is that the devices and software necessary for their use be available in the Libraries.

5. Publication/Imprint Dates

   Emphasis is on the acquisition of works currently available in print, with retrospective materials purchased very selectively.

6. Place of Publication

   No limitation on items to be added to the collection will be made strictly based on place of publication.

7. Languages Collected

Material is collected only in the English Language. Translations into English are considered based on the other parameters put forth in this policy.

C. Summary of Subjects Collected and Collecting Levels

(See Appendix A and Appendix B for Details)

D. Subjects Excluded

No subjects will be specifically excluded from the communications collection.

E. Related Collections and Cooperative Efforts

Research in communication may be facilitated through the use of statistical data files available from the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). These files are available for direct downloading through the Libraries’ Home Page.

F. Related Collection Development Policies

The collection development policies in Marketing and Theatre will be of special interest to users of this policy.

G. Related Collection Evaluations - none

APPENDIX B—Explanation of Collecting Levels and Codes