National Library of Australia


University of Melbourne collection assessment
Political Science

Pat Knight, Divisional Collection Management Librarian - Arts & Humanities, with the assistance of Margaret Black, Assistant Divisional Collection Management Librarian - Arts & Humanities

September 1997

  1. Aims
  2. Methodologies
  3. Political Science: The Nature of the Discipline
  4. Department of Political Science
  5. Political Science Research in Other Departments in the University
  6. The Library's Collections
  7. List Checking
  8. Shelf Scanning
  9. Evaulation by Academic Staff
  10. Assessment of the Political Science Collection
  11. Areas of Collection Strength
  12. Areas Needing to be Enriched
  13. Acknowledgements


1. AIMS

1.1 To evaluate the Political Science collections throughout the University of Melbourne Library.

1.2 To identify areas of the collections which need improvement in currency and scope.

1.3 To lay the foundation for a collection management policy for Political Science.

2. METHODOLOGIES

The collections were assessed using criteria set out in the Australian Conspectus Manual.[1]

Note: Low use materials are housed in the Kidd’s Warehouse. Items held in Kidd’s have not been included in this Conspectus evaluation.

3. POLITICAL SCIENCE: THE NATURE OF THE DISCIPLINE

Although the study of political science has been a subject of inquiry since Plato’s time, it was only from the mid 19th century that political science began to emerge as a distinct discipline. Even so, it is acknowledged that

“Political science as such has no collective corpus of knowledge, or even commonly agreed methodology, but is somewhat of a ‘holding company’ for a series of sub-disciplines, the workers in which do not necessarily accept others as really sharing a common discipline except in terms of subject matter." [2]

This contributes to the problem of the Political Science Conspectus Division being limited to Dewey 320s and 350s. Political scientists’ interests are often cross-disciplinary and include material from fields such as economics, law, sociology, history and area studies which fall outside these ranges of Dewey. A proper evaluation of the library’s political science material has to take into account some of the material classified at other Dewey numbers within the social sciences.

The main types of sources used by the political scientist are probably no different from those used by any other researcher in the social sciences; monographs and journals. As well as scholarly treatises (in the original language and in translation), critical works, journal articles, and conference papers, the political scientist also utilises current affairs sources (in both print and electronic form) and government publications (international, national and local).

4. DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

“Established nearly fifty years ago, the Department of Political Science offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate courses from first year to fourth year honours and a range of postgraduate courses ranging for Graduate Diplomas to Master of Arts by Thesis or Coursework to Doctorate degrees.

“The Department of Political Science is one of the larger departments of the Faculty of Arts with twenty-four full-time teaching staff, a full tutorial program, over 1000 students studying undergraduate subjects and over 200 studying post-graduate courses. The Department's courses focus not merely on current Australian issues but also on areas such as Europe, the United States, the post-communist societies, the Middle East and China. There are also subjects dealing with broad issues of social and economic change, as well as subjects which concentrate on providing a variety of research skills used in political analysis–: including an Internship Program to gain practical experience of working as a researcher in the Victorian Parliament.” [3]

The Department’s teaching and research focuses on six main subdisciplines: comparative politics, international relations, Australian politics, political theory, psychosocial politics and public policy.

“The Department also co-ordinates the Arts Faculty Sociology Program and is host to The Centre for Public Policy.” [4]

4.1 Research in the Department

The Department undertakes research across a number of areas of political science. These include:

5. POLITICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY

In addition to the work focussed within the Department of Political Science, research and teaching is also being conducted on Indonesian politics within the Department of Language Studies. The newly appointed Professor of Indonesian Studies has strong research and teaching interests in Indonesian Politics and these programs will be developed over the next few years.

There has also been a strong interest in the politics of China and Japan from the Department of Japanese and Chinese.

The Faculty of Arts is host to the Contemporary Europe Research Centre. This Centre is made up of two research units; the Research Unit on Russian and Euro-Asian Studies and the Research Unit for European Union Studies

6. THE LIBRARY’S COLLECTIONS

The Library’s collections are housed in a total of 25 libraries, some of which are small branch libraries and others which are quite sizeable. There is also an Archives Collection housed separately. The collections relating to the subjects covered by the Political Science Conspectus Division are housed in three main collections in the University Library; the main collection of the Baillieu Library, the Research Collections (the B and AB collections) in the Education Resource Centre (the ERC), and the ERC’s main collection.

The Library also has a large collection of government publications, particularly Commonwealth and State Government and British Government material. These publications are dispersed throughout the branch libraries, the Baillieu Library and the research collections, as well as in the Government Documents Collection in the Baillieu, the AX and BX Special Collections, and the Law Library.

The Library has a microform collection of some 1,347,000 items which is housed in the Baillieu Library. The collection covers both serials and monographs, many of which are of importance for scholars doing historical research. Material is arranged in accession number order so cannot be browsed by subject. Material in this collection has not been included in the total volumes recorded in the Conspectus database.

The Library also has a number of special collections, collectively housed in the Special Collections Section of the Baillieu Library. These collections include an extensive range of material, much of which is rare and/or of historical value.

The Baillieu Library has a separate East Asian Collection. of Chinese and Japanese language material which is classified according to the Harvard-Yenching Classification. A separate Conspectus evaluation of this material has been completed.

6.1 Microform Collection

There are a number of items of value to political scientists in microform. Examples include: Congressional Hearings, 25th Congress- (1839-); the Australian National University’s Department of Political Science’s Commonwealth Government of Australia (and its former title, Government & Politics of Australia); AFPTI (American Foreign Policy and Treaty Index); Djakarta Press Summary; Archives of the British Conservative Party; Archives of the British Labour Party; Archives of the British Liberal Party; The Library is also a depository library for documentation, in microform, from the Commission of the European Communities.

6.2 Government Documents

The Baillieu Library has a separate Government Documents Collection mainly consisting of Australian and British parliamentary publications and state and Commonwealth government gazettes. The collection takes up approximately 690 metres of shelving.

6.3 Special Collections

The information recorded on the Conspectus database does not include a count of material in these Special Collections.

6.3.1 AX Collection
This historical collection of Australian material contains approximately 2,000 volumes of material falling within Dewey 320s and 350s.

6.3.2 BX Collection
This historical collection of non-Australian works contains about 625 volumes falling within Dewey 320s and 350s.

6.3.3 McLaren Collection
The historical collection includes approximately 1,035 books and 330 pamphlet boxes on Australian politics. Titles include The Official Report of the National Australian Convention Debates: Sydney, 2nd March to 9th April 1891, published in Sydney by George Stephen Chapman in 1891, and Thirty Years of Colonial Government: From the Official Papers of the Rt. Hon. Sir G.F. Bowen, edited by S. Lane-Poole and published in London by Longman in 1889. In addition there are approximately 11 pamphlet boxes of material on communism from 1914 to the 1970s.

6.3.4 Rare Books Collection
The Rare Books Collection includes a collection of about 100 anti-Vietnam War broadsides.

6.3.5 Communist Party of Australia Collection
This substantial collection of pamphlets, serials, monographs and newspapers came mainly from the Victorian Branch of the Communist Party of Australia when it was disbanded in 1990. It contains not only material about the CPA, but also on communist theory and communist regimes around the world. The collection takes up about 160 metres of shelf space.

6.3.6 Goodwin Collection of Political Ephemera
This collection contains archival material relating to the Communist Party of Australia and to left-wing political groups in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. It was collected by Joan Goodwin who was actively involved in a wide range of political groups over five decades, from the 1940s to 1990s. It is housed in seven archive boxes, two pamphlet boxes and one newspaper case.

6.3.7 The Murray-Smith Collection
This collection consists of material dealing with Australian politics, and the peace movement in particular, for the late 1940s and the 1950s. During that period Dr Stephen Murray-Smith was the National Organising Secretary for the Australian Peace Council. Material includes books, pamphlets, periodicals, correspondence and presscuttings. Although Murray-Smith was the founding editor of Overland, the collection does not contain any material relating to Overland. The collection takes up six metres of shelving.

6.3.8 Bellinghausen-Natouralis Papers
This collection of papers of Vladimir and Rostislav Bellinghausen-Natouralis, great-grandsons of Captain F.F. Bellinhausen, the Antarctic explorer, consists of correspondence, photographs, prints and ephemera relating to Russians in Australia. It amounts to four archive boxes and two flat boxes.

6.3.9 Reginald Byrne Papers
This archival collection of materials relating to the Australian Labor Party of New South Wales, between c.1914 and 1940, includes family correspondence, minute books and proceedings, pamphlets and handbills. Apart from personal correspondence, the collection relates to the Stanmore and Darlinghurst branches of the ALP, with an emphasis on the conscription issue of 1914-18. It includes correspondence with W.A. Holman, Curtin, Chifley, Hughes, Calwell and others.

6.3.10 Ratzer Papers
This collection of correspondence, diaries, notebooks, travel documents, cards and photographs is all in Russian. The bulk of it is made up of the diaries of Anna Ratzer, from 1919 to 1926, during the Russian Civil War and exile in Persia. She and her husband emigrated to Australia in 1939. The material is housed in two archive boxes.

6.3.11 Richard Samuel Collection
Consisting of books (in German), research notes, manuscripts and correspondence, this collection documents the work of Richard Samuel, a former Professor of Germanic Studies at the University, in the areas of Nazi documents, German literature and German studies in Australia. In 1947 Samuel came to Australia from England where he had held academic posts in the UK and translated Nazi documents for the British Foreign Office. The papers in this collection, written mainly in German, are housed in 53 archive boxes. The books, which take up 12 shelving bays, are all literary works.

6.3.12 A.F. Howells Papers
This collection of consists of correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, political handbills and ephemera and amounts to two archive boxes of material. Arthur ‘Bluey’ Howells (1907-1986) was a labour and peace movement activist in Melbourne and Sydney in the 1920s and 30s. He visited Spain in 1938 and served in the RAAF from 1941-45. The material reflects these activities and includes an unpublished memoir of his time spent in the RAAF in Darwin.

6.4 Archives
The University of Melbourne Archives Collection contains a number of collections of value to Political Science. These include papers of individuals such as David McKenzie Dow, a former journalist and diplomat, and of political figures including George Swinburne and Sir Phillip Lynch. Records of organisations held include those of various branches of the Australian Labor Party, the Trades Hall Council and associated unions, the Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), and the Victorian Branch of the Communist Party of Australia. Some 100 trade unions are now represented in the collections as well as professional, community, women’s, peace and political organisations. Further information and a full list of the collections is available on the Internet - http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/collections/archives/archgen.html.

7. LIST CHECKING

The following bibliographies were used to check how representative the Library’s collections are:

7.1 Results of the List Checking

7.1.1 Monographs
Overall the Library holds 62.3% of monographs listed in the three sources checked. Results show some consistency between the bibliographies used, particularly between the International Bibliography of Political Science and International Current Awareness Services. The similarity in results from the two Routledge publications may be due, in part, to their common source, The British Library of Political and Economic Science.

Bibliography.

Number Checked

Number Held

% Held

Internat Bibl. 1991

324

195

60.2%

Internat. Curr. Awaren. Services

315

188

59.7%

York

194*

130

67%

Total

833

513

62.3%

* As well as monographs this number includes a small number of journal titles

7.1.2 Serials
The Library subscribes overall to 43.3% of journals listed in the two sources checked, with a greater proportion of titles listed in International Political Science Abstracts being held by the Library. The difference that exists between results for the two sources may be due, to some extent, to the differences in numbers (and hence, breadth) of titles indexed by each. International Bibliography of Political Science indexed about 2,900 journals and International Political Science Abstracts about 820 in the editions checked.

Bibliography

Number Checked

Number Held

% Held

Internat. Bibl. 1995

287

117

40.8%

Internat. Pol. Sci. Abs.

115

57

49.6%

Total

402

174

43.3%

8. SHELF SCANNING

In addition to list checking, shelves were also scanned to count the number of volumes at each subject line, the date ranges, the languages, and any titles worth noting.

9. EVALUATION BY ACADEMIC STAFF

Academic staff from the Departments of Political Science, Language Studies and History were invited to participate in the evaluation of the collection, by identifying the areas of collection needing to be developed to meet teaching and/or research needs.

10. ASSESSMENT OF THE POLITICAL SCIENCE COLLECTION

10.1 Monographs

The total collection of monographs in political science amounts to approximately 46,000 volumes. A wide range of publication dates is represented (from the 17th century onwards) and the collection includes a wealth of materials in languages other than English. Current acquisition of titles from the mainstream, English language publishers is very good, but more patchy for foreign language material and for titles from the smaller publishers. A high proportion of the Library’s funding allocation to the Department of Political Science is taken up by serial subscriptions, leaving most monograph purchases to come from approval plans which are funded separately. Political Science. Academic staff have raised the issue of the need for more multiple copies of books for undergraduates. Overall the political science monograph collection is rated a level 3a with a goal level of 3b

10.2 Serials

The Library has approximately 230 political science serial titles which are classified within the Dewey 320s and 350s. Of these approximately 187 are current subscriptions. In addition serials which are of interest to political scientists are also to be found in Dewey 300s, 330s and 900s. The serials which fall within the range of Dewey numbers covered by the Political Science Conspectus Division are rated as being at level 3a with a goal level of 3b.

10.3 Reference Works

The Library has a wide range of general reference material in political science including dictionaries, handbooks, directories, encyclopaedias, biographical sources and bibliographies. The collection level of level 3b meets the goal level, but new material needs to continue to be acquired if the collection is to retain this collection level in the future.

10.4 Indexing & Abstracting Resources

The University Library holds or provides access to a wide range of indexing and abstracting tools of relevance to Political Science in both print and electronic form. The collection is judged to be at a level 4. Titles include:

11. AREAS OF COLLECTION STRENGTH

11.1 Australian Government Publications

The Library has a separate collection of government publications mainly Australian and British parliamentary papers (see section 6.2), as well as non-parliamentary material integrated into the main collection and into the microform and special collections. Like many Australian university libraries, the University of Melbourne Library is a participant in the Australian Government Publishing Service’s (AGPS) free issue scheme. Since 1974 the Library has been receiving copies of all AGPS publications which are not subject to security restrictions. With fewer Commonwealth Government publications being published by AGPS, the Library has to ensure that this scheme is augmented by local selection if the collection is to retain its current level. Victorian government publications are also collected comprehensively. The collection level for Australian government and Victorian state government publications is level 4 (research).

11.2 Political Ideologies

The Department of Political Science’s research interest in political ideologies is well-supported by the Library’s main collections, and special and research collections. Particular strengths are in political ideology in general, socialism, communism, liberalism and nationalism. The collection overall is at a research level (level 4).

11.3 Politics of South Africa

The Library has a strong collection of material on South African politics, particularly twentieth century politics. Until recently this was an area of teaching as well as research interest in the Department of Political Science. The collection also supports research being carried out within other departments in the Faculty of Arts. Since 1987 the Library has received considerable financial support from the Drakensberg Trust. As well as providing funds for material in all areas of relevance to political scientists, the Trust has targeted South African Politics. This has enabled the purchase of books, serials and microforms (including archival material on microform) which brings the collection to level 4 (research level).

11.4 Politics of the USA

The Library has an extensive collection of material on United States politics and government at the federal level covering both domestic and foreign policy. This material includes an wide range of Congressional Information Service (CIS) publications such as The CIS Annual, The CIS Serial Set, Committee Hearings, Congressional Masterfile 1 and 2 on CD ROM, and AFPTI (American Foreign Policy and Treaty Index). The collection is judged to be at a level 4 (research) level.

12. AREAS NEEDING TO BE ENRICHED

12.1 Australian Politics

Although the Library has a strong collection of Australian government publications, it has not been comprehensively collecting materials needed to support all teaching and research in Australian politics. An examination of monographs classified at the Dewey number 320.994 by The Australian National Bibliography from 1987 to 1996 shows that the Library held 70.6% of titles. While some of the material not held does include some titles for children, other titles not held tend to be from the less mainstream publishers. Obviously Australian politics is classified at a wider range of numbers than the 320.994s, but this sample is indicative of the broader pattern. It is a situation borne out by evaluations by academic staff. As well as needing to acquire material from the less mainstream publishers, academic staff also recommended that the collection needs to be developed in breadth, diversity and numbers to meet the demands large undergraduate classes. The collection is currently at a level 3a (intermediate: introductory) and it needs to be developed to level 4 (research).

12.2 Democratization

The subject of democratization has been, and continues to be, of enormous interest to political scientists around the world for much of the past decade, particularly since the onset of dramatic changes to the former communist countries in Europe. Current research interests are in political theory and comparative politics particularly as these relate to Europe. Material on democratization is classified at a number of Dewey numbers, not just in the 320s and 350s. While some areas of the collection are already at a level 4 (research) others need to be developed to a goal level of 4, or at least 3b (intermediate: augmented). Although the Library has a reasonable amount of material in English, French, German and Italian this needs to be augmented by material in Russian and Slav languages if research activities are to supported fully.

12.3 Globalisation

This is an expanding area of research, as is evidenced by the volume of material being published. The collections will need to continue to be developed if they are to meet teaching and research needs. This will be covered in greater detail in the Business and Economics Conspectus report.

12.4 Indonesian Politics

Indonesian politics is an expanding research area within the University. Researchers are interested in all aspects of Indonesian politics. This includes the following:

The collection of English language material is quite strong, but Indonesian and Dutch language material needs to be strengthened. Overall the collection, currently assessed at level 3b (intermediate: augmented), needs to be developed to level 4 (research).

12.5 International and Australian Political Economy

This area is one that should be noted as needing improvement. It will be covered in detail by the Business and Economics Conspectus Report.

12.6 International Politics - Particularly of the Asia-Pacific Region

Evaluation by academic staff indicates that while material on Australian foreign policy is reasonable, the collection needs to be developed in the area of international politics relating to the Asia-Pacific region. The Library, in particular, needs to extend its collection by acquiring material published in Asia in English and Asian languages. The current collection level of 3a (intermediate: introductory) needs to be developed to a level 4 (research).

12.7 Local Government

The Department of Political Science has recently developed research interests in local government; particularly in comparative studies between Australia, Britain, North America and Europe. There is relatively little material published on local government compared with publications on other tiers of government. The Library’s collection is currently at a level 2 (basic) while the goal level is 3b (intermediate: augmented).

12.8 Political Psychology

Although political psychology is not on the University’s teaching program, the Department of Political Science has an international reputation for research in this area. The political psychology collection is one that needs to be extended and updated. A criticism received from a researcher is that the Library does not subscribe to many of the newer journal titles published within the past 10 to 15 years. While the majority of publications would fall within Dewey number 320.01, there are other numbers outside the 320s and 350s covered by the Political Science Conspectus Division which also need to be considered. These areas are generally within the early 300s and are covered by the Sociology Conspectus Division. Overall the collection in political psychology is rated at 3a (intermediate: introductory). The goal level is at least level 3b (intermediate: augmented) or 4 (research).

12.9 Public Policy

Public policy is an area of growing interest to the University as evidenced by the recently established Centre for Public Policy. An assessment of the Library’s collection needs to take into account not just material classified in the Dewey 320s and 350s (particularly 320.6, 350 and 351), but also that classified under specific subjects classified elsewhere such as health, welfare, education, migrants, women, and housing. Overall the collection is at level 3a (intermediate: introductory) and it needs to be developed to a level 4 (research) if it is to be able to meet the University’s research and teaching needs adequately.

12.10 Sexual Politics

This broad, interdisciplinary area is of teaching and research interest to the University. Although the Library’s collection of women’s studies material is at a research level (level 4), the growing areas of gay and lesbian studies and men’s studies need to be further developed if they are to attain this level. This will be covered in greater detail in the Sociology Conspectus Report.

13. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the academic staff from the Departments of Political Science, Language Studies and History who generously gave their time in assisting with this assessment.

REFERENCES

  1. Henty, Margaret. Australian Conspectus Manual: A Collection Assessment Guide. Rev. ed. Canberra: Australian Council of Libraries and Information Services, 1992.
  2. Robertson, David. A Dictionary of Modern Politics. London: Europa Publications, 1985. p. 265.
  3. http://www.politics.unimelb.edu.au/ - the Department of Political Science’s home page
  4. ibid

Last modified: August 18 2004.