The School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University consists of the Master's in Public Policy (MPP) graduate program and the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR). Students in the MPP program are expected to master a core set of skills in policy analysis, politics, economics, research and quantitative methods. Faculty are drawn from Economics, International Studies, and Political Science. The Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) promotes interdisciplinary research, education, and dialogue on a broad range of public policy issues in Canada. In addition, the School of Public Policy is connected to the Institute for Intersectionality Research and Policy (IIRP).
Research by faculty and students covers labour markets, environment, social policy, trade policy, heath policy, drug policy, immigration, Canadian and international political economy, policy analysis, First Nations research, land use, communications, foreign policy, national and international security policy, and other Canadian public policy issues.
Collection development is the responsibility of the Public Policy Liaison Librarian. Liaison with the program is maintained through the Departmental Assistant and direct contact with faculty members when required. Regular contact with other liaison librarians and teaching departments is nurtured through the sharing of relevant review material.
Interdisciplinary Relationships
Urban Studies – another Harbour Centre graduate program which shares research interests.
Business Administration, Communication, Economics, Education, and Political Science – each of these areas contributes faculty or covers an aspect of public policy as part of their other offerings.
SFU Library Resources
The Belzberg Library, at the Harbour Centre Campus, is the main library used by students. It houses a core collection of public policy books. The WAC Bennett Library is the major location for public policy books and journals (because it is the main location for the associated programs such as Political Science and Economics). Most journals used by Public Policy are available electronically. The Maps/Data/GIS unit of the Bennett Library provides access to important data sources.
Regional Resources
The UBC Library has a large collection in all areas of Public Policy.
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 most databases.
General Collection Guidelines
Languages: the emphasis is on the acquisition of materials in English.
Chronological guidelines: the emphasis is on contemporary material
Geographical guidelines: emphasis is on Canada. Materials on International policy are also important.
Treatment of subject: all treatments except clinical and religious aspects
Types of materials: collecting is split between books and journals. There will be a future emphasis on e-journals and web resources.
Date of Publication: emphasis is on current publications. Retrospective acquisitions are normally only for replacement of important titles which have deteriorated or disappeared.
Other factors for consideration:
Because of the great overlap with the associated programs at Bennett Library, some duplication of materials at Bennett and Belzberg Libraries must take place. However, space restrictions at Belzberg Library require that only very important books be ordered as duplicates.
Subjects and Levels of Collecting
Note: subjects are noted as Coutts or Library of Congress (LCSH). Selection of books is from forms and catalogues and is primarily for Canadian material on these topics.
Broad topics:
- Public Policy (Coutts)
- Policy Sciences (Coutts, LCSH)
- Political institutions and public administration (Coutts)
- Political planning (LCSH)
- Public administration (Coutts, LCSH)
- Federal –provincial relations - Canada (LCSH)
- Representative government and representation (LCSH)
- Electoral System (Coutts)
- Form and structure of government (Coutts)
Areas of public policy:
- Broadcasting and Communications Policy
- Communications and Mass Media (Coutts – P92)
- Mass media policy (LCSH)
- Broadcasting policy (LCSH)
- Telecommunication policy (LCSH)
- Television broadcasting policy (LCSH)
- Economics/Trade Policy
- Public finance (Coutts)
- Economic policy (LCSH subdivision)
- Fiscal policy (Coutts, LCSH)
- Monetary policy (Coutts, LCSH)
- Expenditures. Government spending (Coutts)
- Public Debt (Coutts)
- Commercial policy (Coutts, LCSH)
- Land Use Policy (Coutts)
- Land Use Planning (LCSH)
- Labor policy (LCSH)
- Labor and the State (Coutts)
- Tariff policy (protection and free trade) (Coutts)
- Transportation and the state (LCSH)
- Regulation of Industry, Trade and Commerce (Coutts)
- State and industrial organization (Coutts)
- Environmental Policy
- Environmental policy (Coutts, LCSH)
- Sustainable development –government policy (LCSH)
- Energy policy (LCSH)
- Forestry Administration and policy (Coutts)
- Fishery management and policy (Coutts)
- Social and cultural policy
- Cultural policy (LCSH subdivision)
- Social policy (Coutts, LCSH)
- Art and the state (Coutts)
- Architecture and the state (Coutts)
- Education and the state (Coutts, LCSH)
- Housing policy (LCSH)
- Medicine and the state (Coutts)
- Medical policy (LCSH)
- Minority and multicultural policy (use group name - government policy)
- Multiculturalism – Canada -- government policy (LCSH)
- Race discrimination – government policy (LCSH)
- Minorities – government policy (LCSH)
- Emigration and Immigration – government policy (LCSH)
- Language policy (LCSH)
- State regulation of charities. Public welfare (Coutts)
- State and marriage (Coutts)
- Science and technology policy
- Science and the state (LCSH)
- Technology and the state (LCSH)
- National/International Security
- International security (Coutts)
- Military policy (LCSH)
- National security (LCSH)
- Government measures in a time of war, national emergency or economic crisis (Coutts)