The University of Queensland

1. Purpose of the collection

The Library collects works in language, linguistics and literary criticism and literary history, as well as works of creative literature to support the teaching and research needs of the School of English, Media Studies and Art History. Resources in these areas are also used to a varying degree by other schools in the humanities.

2. Primary user groups served

• The School of English, Media Studies and Art History may be broadly grouped as linguistics, communication and cultural studies, drama, literature of any country written in English, with the allied areas literary theory and women's studies.
• The linguistics subjects cover general linguistics theory and the techniques of analysis, as well as specific treatment of English. There are units on social aspects of linguistics and psycholinguistics.
• The communications and cultural studies stream includes several subjects on screen analysis, as well as the social analysis of communication.
• Drama studies in English cover most periods of drama in English, and include practical studies on performance as well as literary studies.
• The periods and countries covered by the literary units are very wide ranging. There is less emphasis on the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries than other periods. However, Medieval studies are also an area of interest.
• In geographical spread, there are several courses on postcolonial literatures in English covering literature in English from, for example the West Indies, Canada, and Africa, as well as a strong coverage of Australia.
• Postgraduate work up to and including doctoral level and other research is done in most fields named.

Many of the general questions of literary theory of interest to the School of English, Media Studies and Art History also preoccupy other schools studying literature e.g. the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural studies shares the study of literature and linguistics; the School of English, Media Studies and Art History has a strong interest in screen studies and gay and lesbian studies.

3. Description of the collection

• Except for material on Australia, the English language and literature collection is the strongest collection for a broad subject area in the humanities.
• Linguistics study in the School is, for earlier English, principally to read Anglo-Saxon and Middle English literary works, and recent collecting reflects that orientation. Collecting academic works on the grammar of contemporary English, and more general theoretical linguistics, continues to be very strong (i.e. close to a level 4). There is also strength in the area of sociolinguistics (level 3b), such as conversation analysis.
• Film and television studies in the School of English, Media Studies and Art History intensified in 1990, and a representative collection of film classics has now been achieved, and collection on screen studies has been increased. Overall the collection on screen studies does not yet match the general literature collection in primary sources, historical material, or continuing academic periodicals.
• Primary sources in literature include Early English Books series I and II and Nineteenth century: Women Writers, all in microform and or available electronically, and many reprint series by publishers such as Garland. Early and variant editions are not collected as such, except for Australian literature. The collection of scholarly editions and of critical material is strong, especially from the mid 50s to mid 80s. There was much retrospective collecting of creative writing in that period, so that, for example many Victorian novels that were never reprinted are held. Renaissance prose and poetry, Shakespeare and nineteenth century English literature all rate at level 4.
  The purchase of Literature Online has significantly increased access to primary resources especially in relation to British/American drama and poetry, and to a lesser extent prose.
  The representation of contemporary English and American literature is deteriorating, especially compared to the 1970s and early 80s.
  For much earlier periods, the major writers of the eighteenth century are well represented in nineteenth and twentieth century editions and reprints, but the eighteenth century has been less strongly collected than those before and after.
• The Australian literature collection is close to comprehensive (a strong level 4). There are some deficiencies in the works of nineteenth century writers, and not all the best editions of such works are held, but overall the collection is extremely reliable. The very strong collection in the Fryer Library is complemented by a strong separate Social Sciences and Humanities Library collection.
• The American literature collection is stronger for authors from the 1830s onwards. Academic research interest in Herman Melville, the early writing about the Pacific and western American literature is shown in past collection patterns. There is also a research interest in environmentalism and literary studies. Collecting of recent creative literature, particularly novels, was strongest in the 1970s (level 3b), but it continues, particularly for women writers.
• Of the languages of the Southern and Central Pacific the collection on Australian aboriginal languages is very strong (level 4), particularly in publications produced in the Pacific linguistics series.
• In English, American, postcolonial English (except Australian), original texts and critical works are closely oriented to set courses: for Australian literature choice is a little more liberal.

4. Interdisciplinary relationships

Most schools in the humanities have some need of the aids to language study and translation that have been mentioned. Literary works, film classics and analyses of literary taste are used in relationship to more general historical studies. Discussions of literary and more general aesthetic theory also cross academic school boundaries.

Several schools in the social sciences call on aspects of the collection such as language learning, sociolinguistics and anthropological linguistics.

Topics of speech or other language disabilities bring parts of the linguistics collection into close relevance to therapy studies in speech and hearing and special education.

5. Scope of current collecting

1. Languages collected

The bulk of the collection is in English, though no languages are excluded.

2. Geographical areas collected

No geographical area is specifically excluded.

3. Chronological periods collected

No chronological periods are specifically excluded.

4. Types (formats) of material collected

• The Library collects English dramatic productions (particularly of Shakespeare) on videotape, and audio recordings of drama and poetry, particularly in the English language.
• Off-air recordings are also made when relevant Radio and Television programmes are broadcast.
• The art house feature film collection has been increased substantially in the last ten years in order to support Film Studies subjects. Recently the Library has started to collect DVD versions of heavily used film titles.

5. Publication dates

Most of the items collected are recent publications. However, older publications are often purchased to support teaching and research.

6. Special considerations

None

7. Conspectus

• Collecting academic works on the grammar of contemporary English, and more general theoretical linguistics, continues to be very strong (i.e. close to a level 4). There is also strength in the area of sociolinguistics (level 3b), such as conversation analysis.
• Renaissance prose and poetry, Shakespeare and nineteenth century English literature all rate at level 4.
• The Australian literature collection is close to comprehensive (a strong level 4).
• Collecting of recent creative literature, particularly novels, was strongest in the 1970s (level 3b), but it continues, particularly for women writers.
• Of the languages of the Southern and Central Pacific the collection on Australian aboriginal languages is very strong (level 4), particularly in publications produced in the Pacific linguistics series.