Library Support for Center for Language Studies
December 6, 1998

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The Library has, historically, provided extensive support for the language and literature programs of the University, and our collections in languages and literatures form a very large part of the Library’s holdings. Measuring, alone, the portion of the collections which are classed in the Library of Congress Classification, the P classes (languages and literatures) hold more than 300,000 titles. This classification includes some disciplines (such as Classics, Egyptology, linguistics) which are not covered in this report, but most of this number is relevant. It should be noted that the title counts include books and serials on or about the particular languages, whether in that language or in English (or other languages). They do not reveal how many books we may have in the specific language (as these books may be on totally unrelated subjects, and not of interest to the program in question)

As background to some of the information presented here, I should say something about how various subjects are treated by the Library. Budget allocation, and the tracking of expenditures, are generally done according to departments, programs, and centers of the University. Selection of the resources for these different programs is done by some 10 librarians, each responsible for one or more programs. It should also be said that, although the Library makes such assignments by academic unit, there is no such assignment for the Center for Language Study. Material to support the languages taught through the Center is generally purchased through the allocation for some other academic unit, such as Comparative Literature, Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences, or with the Library’s interdisciplinary fund. I have made a point of acquiring newer grammars and dictionaries in any of the world's languages, whether these are taught here or not. Ideally, collections are built and maintained according to the needs of the Library's users, and we often respond to requests for material from faculty, graduate students and undergraduates. Most of the consultation, however, is with faculty, and it is often assumed that they are the indicators of the needs of the other constituents. This again has an impact for any support we might provide for the Center for Language Study, since we have no direct relations with its programs. Since we have no librarian assigned to the Center, as we have for other programs, one might contact me in relation to any needs they may have: William S. Monroe (Box A, x2406, William_Monroe@brown.edu).

We can determine some measure our resources that might support those languages which are taught through the Center and not in particular departments. Some of this material is purchased in support of the departments, such as Dutch and Scandinavian for the German Department. Others, such as Hindi/Urdu get pick up where they may. We recently purchased some Hindi/Urdu language materials at the request of a graduate student, and through interdisciplinary funds.

Here are our title counts for some of the languages that are taught through the Center:

Class Language & literature Number of titles held

The Library tries to maintain a collection of grammars, dictionaries, and other tools to support some use of any of the world's languages. In additions, we regularly purchase important literary works in translation. At this point, however, we probably are purchasing very little material in the vernaculars except in support of an existing program: so we buy very little Dutch, Swedish, or Hindi/Urdu literature in the original language. We do, however, purchase Arabic literature in Arabic, as we now have Middle Eastern Studies Bibliographer, and have faculty teaching Arabic literature in the Comparative Literature Department. Our sense of the needs of the Center for Language Study is that they purchase whatever they need in terms of language instructional materials (tapes, basic grammars, etc.), and have little need for library resources. We should meet with them, however, and become better informed as to just what languages they are teaching, and what the Library might do to support them.