Building area studies collections

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This collection of essays by Area Studies specialists offers a practical and theoretical guide for university and college administrators, library directors, and collection development heads focused on building foreign-language collections in research libraries. It serves as an introduction for newcomers while providing experienced Area Studies librarians with valuable advice for enhancing their collecting practices. The essays cover regions including East Asia, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, South Asia, and Romance language areas of Europe, along with German, Nordic, and Netherlandic countries. Each piece explores its respective Area Studies topic from a historical perspective, detailing its current status and future prospects. Emphasis is placed on print and digital collecting techniques, as well as assessment methods to evaluate collection strengths and future needs. The contributors offer guidelines for expenditures related to collections and collateral activities, such as access and preservation. Additionally, extensive documentation on the growing array of online digital resources is included. Editors Dan C. Hazen (Harvard) and James H. Spohrer (University of California, Berkeley) provide an overarching introduction and summarize current cooperative efforts in Area Studies collecting.