Penn State University Libraries - Finance

Collection Development Statement
Finance

Principal Selector
Gary White
Head, Schreyer Business Library
309 Paterno Library

Secondary Selectors

Kevin Harwell
Business Librarian
309 Paterno Library

Daniel Hickey
Business/IST Librarian
309 Paterno Library

Diane Zabel
Benzak Business Librarian
309 Paterno Library

Fund

FIN

General Statement

Finance focuses on how individuals and business organizations raise money and capital, and how those resources are allocated among competing investment and consumption opportunities. The field focuses on domestic and international financial economies and the role of financial markets and institutions key in the movement of savings and investment capital from lenders to borrowers. It also deals with how individuals and corporate managers evaluate alternative investment and savings opportunities and how they choose among various financial instruments. (Smeal College Web Site: http://www.smeal.psu.edu/uprog/majors/finance)


Program Information

Collections in this area support finance programs in the Smeal College of Business and other campuses of Penn State. Smeal College offers undergraduate and doctoral programs in finance, and finance is one of the most popular functional concentrations in the MBA program, where students can select either corporate finance or investments/financial services. All business students are required to take finance courses at all Penn State campuses. The Finance Department currently has 28 full-time faculty members, 10 full time doctoral students, and is one of the most popular undergraduate business majors. The undergraduate finance program consistently ranks in the top 15 programs among public colleges and universities in the United States. Among Smeal honors students, finance is the most popular major.


Areas of Focus/Strengths

The collections focus on the areas of investment analysis, securities prices, management of banks and other financial institutions, the financial management of corporations, investment valuations, portfolio management, futures and options markets, and capital budgeting. There is a heavy emphasis on financial data, including electronic resources offering historical time series of company financial information and securities price data.


Description of Materials Covered

Finance collections consist of resources supporting advanced research in the areas outlined above. In addition to monographs and serials supporting areas of focus, a significant portion of the collections are electronic databases providing company financial information; stock and other securities prices; and specialized financial databases covering such areas as earnings estimates and executive compensation. Finance collections also include career-related materials, materials related to financial literacy, and audio visual materials.


Overlap with Other Collections

Finance courses are taught in a number of other disciplines in addition to business administration. Related courses and departments include:
• Agricultural Economics
• Economics
• Health Care Administration
• Hospitality Management
• International Affairs
• Mineral Economics
• Public Administration
• Leisure Reading
The selector works closely with selectors in these areas to accomplish collection objectives to meet the research needs in these areas.


Subject & Language Modifiers

Finance collections focus primarily on English-language materials published in the United States. Currency of information is vital, requiring constant updating of collections to address changing
economic and market conditions. Because international financial markets are intertwined, geographical coverage is not limited to the United States.





Exclusions

Finance collections generally exclude materials that are categorized as popular (non-academic) personal financial resources. Examples include popular books related to retirement planning or purchasing a home. In this category but not excluded are materials related to financial literacy and materials selected by the Business Book Club for their monthly meetings.


Special Considerations

Finance at Smeal focuses on real world experience. The Nittany Lion Fund, a multi-million dollar student investment fund is one of the first of its kind in the country. The Nittany Lion Fund provides students the chance to make investment fund decisions while exploring the intricacies of the financial world. Specialized financial databases offered through the library are a key component to this program. Specialized resources are also needed to support undergraduate honor student research as well as doctoral research projects.


Future Directions

Smeal College aims to move its finance program into the top 5 in the United States over the next several years. Building collections, especially electronic resources, is critical to supporting this effort.


March 2009