Collection Development Statement
Insurance & Real Estate
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
INS
General Statement
Program Information
Collections in insurance and real estate support faculty teaching in the areas of insurance, real estate, actuarial science, risk management, business law, business economics and international business. The Smeal College of Business offers a major in Actuarial Science and a doctoral program in real estate. A new Integrative Studies Major (beginning in 2009) will allow students to pursue an interdisciplinary, integrative approach to business by allowing them to concentrate their studies in areas not currently covered extensively in other majors, such as business law, global business, and risk management. The Insurance and Real Estate Department has 23 full-time faculty members, and there are typically 5-10 doctoral students.
Areas of Focus/Strengths
Description of Materials Covered
Insurance, real estate, economics, actuarial science, and other collections serving this department 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 access to scholarly research in these areas. These collections also include career-related materials, some popular materials related to insurance and real estate, actuarial science standardized testing materials, and audio visual materials.
Overlap with Other Collections
This department offers courses that are among the most interdisciplinary of the majors available in Smeal College. The interdisciplinary nature of the new Integrative Studies Major will require Smeal students to use collections in a number of other subject areas. These courses are also 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
• Information Sciences and Technology
• International Affairs
• Law
• 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
Insurance, real estate, actuarial science, and other collections serving this department 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, market, legal, and international business and economic conditions. The primary focus is on materials published in the United States although geographical coverage in not limited to the U.S.
Exclusions
Insurance, real estate, actuarial science, and other collections serving this department generally exclude materials that are categorized as popular (non-academic) personal real estate or insurance resources. Examples include some popular books related to purchasing a home or buying insurance. In this category but not excluded are materials related to educational materials in these areas and materials selected by the Business Book Club for their monthly meetings.
Future Directions
Smeal College aims to move its academic programs into the top 5 in the United States over the next several years. Building collections, especially electronic resources, is critical to supporting this effort.
April 2009
