SFU Library History collections policy

The SFU History program features a variety of approaches and themes.  It highlights Indigenous Peoples; Empire, Colonialism, and Migration; Politics, Economy, and Law; War, Resistance, and Revolution; Cities and Nature; Religion; Society and Culture; Gender and Sexuality; and Race and Ethnicity.  Students engage with these themes in a variety of time periods and geographical contexts.  They can specialize in the study of The World, Canada, the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

In addition to the undergraduate level, there is a master's degree and a doctoral programme.

SFU Resources

The W.A.C. Bennett Library is the major location for the University's History collection. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the field, there is a wide overlap with other SFU Library collections such as english literature, sociology, political science, philosophy, and many other social sciences.

Regional Resources

The University of British Columbia also carries a significant History Collection..

Consortia and Document Delivery

SFU belongs to three consortia (Electronic Library Network; Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries; and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries). Document delivery agreements exist with all three of these consortia which allow delivery of journal articles and books from these libraries in a timely manner. Holdings and direct requesting from over 40 libraries are accessible through the Interlibrary Loan Web page and from many databases.

The Department’s course and research areas are:

A listing of the research interests of faculty is available from the History Department web site: (http://www.sfu.ca/history/faculty-and-staff/faculty-by-area.html).

Collection development is the responsibility of the History Liaison Librarian. Liaison with the History Department is maintained through the Departmental Representative as well as with other faculty members when required. Regular contact with other liaison librarians and teaching departments is nurtured through the sharing of relevant review material.

General Collection Guideline

Languages: the emphasis is on the acquisition of materials in English and French. Materials of major importance in other Western European languages will also be collected.
Chronological guidelines: not applicable.
Geographical guidelines: not applicable.
Treatment of subject: selection will be primarily from - biographies, bibliographies, reference works, etc.
Types of materials: collecting is split between books and journals. There will also be a future emphasis on e-journals and web resources.
Date of Publication: emphasis is on current publications but retrospective acquisitions will be made where funds are available and faculty interests need to be met.
Coordination and cooperation with other campus resources: the requirements of History students are often met by the collections developed by the English and Political Science Departments.
Other factors for consideration: none at this time.

Subjects and Levels of Collecting

The following table lists the main subjects collected by the SFU Library in support of the History Department's teaching areas and research interests. Subjects listed are collected to varying depths. The method in which the library selects books on each subject is listed in the second column of the table. A designation of “Books” in this column means that items which fit the General Guidelines (above) for the subject in question are sent on an approval basis to the library. In such cases, a significant portion of the books on that topic will be acquired for the collection. A designation of “Forms,” on the other hand, means that only brief descriptions of the books on the subject in question are sent to the library. The liaison librarian, often with the assistance of the department or faculty representative or other faculty members, then selects the relevant items for acquisition by the library.