Subject Librarian: Kalina Grewal
Policy written by: Judith Hardy
Description of Current Collection and Programmes Supported The Libraries' collections support teaching and research in Anthropology up to and including the Ph. D.level. The focus of the department is on social anthropology. Almost all the undergraduate courses concentrate on the study of peoples - urban, peasant, tribal - involved in the process of change in the contemporary world. Most of these peoples are part of the Third World. Honours (Double Major) programmes are of two kinds: "unlinked" concerning two independent subjects such as Psychology and Anthropology and "linked" concerned with certain interdisciplinary programmes such as: African Studies; Canadian Studies; Health and Society, Labour Studies; Latin American and Caribbean Studies; Law and Society; Mass Communications; Science, Technology; Culture and Society; Social and Political Thought; Urban Studies and Women's Studies. The principle focus of teaching and research in the graduate programme is the Social Anthropology of Complex Societies in Third World and Western countries. Major specializations within this topic are: Agrarian Studies; Ethnicity and Stratification; Conflict: Political and Legal Anthropology; Culture, Technology and Development; Gender Studies; Medical and Psychiatric Anthropology; Symbolic Anthropology and Urban Anthropology.
The Institute for Social Research; the Centre for Health Studies; the Centre for Refugee Studies; the Joint Centre for Asia Pacific Studies and the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean are the research units most closely connected to Anthropology.
Anthropology covers an enormous historical and geographical range and it is fortunate that the library has a strong social science collection from which students may draw. Areas that are emphasized in the graduate programme receive extra attention but the collection has no particular strengths. Prehistory, archaeology and physical anthropology have limited holdings.
Related Collections at York Many social science and humanities subjects are closely related to anthropology. Sociology is the closest and it is often difficult to distinguish which fund is applicable. If it can be readily ascertained, the focus of the work is the criterion for deciding the funding in overlapping areas. Art, economics, environmental studies, health, history, law, political science, psychology, religion, urban studies, women's studies and area studies are all subjects that have anthropological aspects. The independent disciplines have collections policies. The Government Documents Library has a good collection of documents in anthropology and a collection policy. Religious ritual and symbolism, folklore and witchcraft are selected by the English Humanities bibliographer. Selection of Native Studies material, as it pertains to their areas, is the responsibility of the bibliographers. General responsibility for the subject lies with the History bibliographer.
Languages The collection is almost exclusively English language. French material is relevant and faculty suggestions are relied on for these selections.
Geographical Coverage Publications are acquired from all available sources. However, most anthropology material is published in the United States and Great Britain. The most comprehensive buying is from Canada. The geographical interests of the department range from a concentration on Canada and Africa, to the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Western Europe.
Chronological Coverage There are no limits.
Date of Publications Current publications predominate. Retrospective material is selected if funds and sources permit. All classic works and works by major anthropologists have been acquired, if available .
Duplication Additional copies are selected if circulation analysis shows a need or if the subject is one of high interest.
Gifts Along with hardbacks, paperback gifts are also accepted in order to expand a collection that has to cover a very broad area of study.
Relegation and Weeding There is no relegation or weeding.
Types of Materials
- Books -- Paperback and hardback monographs are selected, with the emphasis on paper. Decisions may be made to send the paper items to the bindery before or after receipt. Classic works all have hardback copies. Text books are purchased if the author is well known in the field or if the publication is a standard text.
- Journals -- Subscriptions are maintained for all significant periodicals, and backruns are acquired in paper form if available. Many of the journals used by Anthropology students are interdisciplinary. Few newsletters and annual reports are selected.
- Microforms -- Backruns may be selected in microform if new subscriptions are initiated and extensive backruns are needed.
- Theses and Dissertations -- A few dissertations are selected, if the contents are of primary interest. They are bought in paper form.
- Electronic Data Files, CD-ROM, Microcomputer Software -- Electronic data files, CD-ROMs and Microcomputer software have been acquired in some areas relevant to Anthropology and will continue to be purchased as resources allow.
- Ephemera -- Ephemera are seldom selected.
- Films, Videos, Recordings -- These items are ususally selected by the librarians in SMIL.
- Exclusion -- Items pertaining to physical anthropology are selected sparingly, usually at the behest of faculty. Annual reports, newsletters and items under thirty pages are usually excluded. Slides are not acquired.
Resources Elsewhere in the Toronto Region Within the University, the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean has a small library. In the Toronto region, the University of Toronto and the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library have extensive holdings . The Royal Ontario Museum has a good specialized collection.
Collecting Levels
| Description | Current Level | Desired Level |
| Anthropology | ||
| Periodicals | 3b | 4 |
| General Works | 3b | 4 |
| Methodology | 3b | 4 |
| Physical Anthropology | 2 | 3 |
| Human Evolution | 3b | 4- |
| Medical Anthropology | 3a | 4- |
| Ethnology. Social and Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Cultural and Cultural Processes (incl. social change, structuralism, culture diffusion, etc.) | 3b | 4 |
| Collected Ethnographies (including urban) | 3a | 4 |
| Applied Anthropology | 3a | 4 |
| Cultural Traits, Customs and Institution | ||
| Technology, Material Culture (incl. food, shelter, hunting, arts, crafts, clothing) | 3b | 4 |
| Economic Organization. Economic Anthropology | 3a | 4 |
| Intellectual Life (incl. communication, religion) | 3b | 4 |
| Social Organization (incl. family, kinship) | 3b | 4 |
| Political Organization. Political Anthropology | 3a | 4 |
| Societal Groups, Ethnic Groups and Races | 3b | 4 |
| Psychological Anthropology | 3b | 4 |
| Prehistoric Archaeology | 3 | 3b |
| Anthropogeography. Human Ecology | 3 | 4 |
| Canada - Emigration and Immigration | 3b | 4 |
| Folklore | 3 | 4 |
| History of Civilization. Comparative Civilizations | 3 | 4 |
| Indians | 3 | 4 |
| Social History and Conditions. Problems. Reforms. | 3b | 4 |
| Social Psychology (including interaction, networks) | 4- | 4 |
| Sociology - Civilization. Culture. Social Change | 4- | 4 |
| Sociology - Family. Marriage. Women | 4- | 4+ |
| Sociology - Communities. Classes. Races. | 4- | 4 |
Last updated 1995