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Portuguese Language & Literature Collection

I. Collection Description

Purpose:

To support teaching and research in the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, through the master level in the language, literatures, and culture of all Portuguese-speaking people exclusive of Brazil. The field is of interest also to faculty and students in the Comparative Literature Program, and the Western European, the African, and the Latin American area studies.

History of Collection:

The development of the Portuguese collection can be traced to the beginning of the century. The collection seems to have grown concurrently with and in relation to the organization of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. The establishment of a separate Portuguese fund dates back to the 1950's and Portuguese was added to the Farmington Plan in the 1960's. During the last two decades, the small amount of funding earmarked for Portuguese materials, coupled with the lack of a notable growth in the Portuguese language and literature teaching and research programs, has limited the growth of the collection.

Estimate of Holdings:

24,000 volumes.

State, Regional and National Importance:

Estimated to be the second most comprehensive collection at the state level (the Newberry Library being first). Uncertain about regional and national importance. A good representative collection of cameos

Unit Responsible for Collecting:

Modern Languages and Linguistics Library.

Location of Materials:

The majority are in the Bookstacks. The Modern Languages and Linguistics Library has a reference and core collection in the Reference Library. Other materials are located in the Undergraduate Library and the Rare Book and Special Collections Library.

Citations of Works Describing the Collection:

None known.

II. General Collection Guidelines

Languages:

Portuguese and Galician (Gallegan), English, and Western European Languages. Also any other language and regional variations if the work is significant.

Chronological Guidelines:

No restrictions. Current emphasis on 20th century.

Geographical Guidelines:

Primarily Portugal, but including Galicia, Cape Verde Islands, Angola, and Mozambique.

Treatment of Subject:

Standard statement. Materials focusing on any aspect of the Portuguese and Gallegan languages and literatures. In addition, juvenile literature is acquired very selectively and usually only when the author is an important literary figure.

Types of Materials:

Standard statement.

Date of Publication:

Standard statement.

Place of Publication:

No restrictions.

Ph.D. program has been temporarily suspended. Latin American Division deals with Brazilian acquisitions.

III. Collection Responsibility by Subject Subdivisions with Qualifications, Levels of Collecting Intensity, and Assignments

Below is a table that lists specific subject subdivisions within the collection. Each row in the table lists a specific subject subdivision, followed by three columns noting: Collection Strength, Primary Assignments and Secondary Assignments. The Existing Collecting Strength column notes how well the existing collection covers that topic on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 being very strong. The Primary Assignments column lists departmental libraries that have the greatest collection intensity of subject materials, respectively. In the case of 2 or more libraries listed, the collection intensity is comparable. The Secondary Assignments column list departmental libraries where additional materials may be found.

Version Date: November 2005

For comments on this page contact: Collections Webmaster

Last modified by: David Vess on 10/13/08