Other items are in the Bookstacks. English is the dominant language of the collection. Materials in Western Europe languages are also collected in varying degrees of intensity. Materials in Slavic and Eastern European languages and materials in Asian and Middle Eastern languages are collected only in cooperation with the Slavic and Eastern European Library and the Asian Library, respectively. Original language texts of the writings of major sociologists will be acquired.
Emphasis is on scholarly treatment rather than popularization, textbooks, and children's literature.
The Undergraduate Library normally collects more popular treatments and the Education and Social Sciences Library collects children's literature for its School Collection. The origins and subject matter of sociology make it closely related to the other social sciences, especially to commerce, psychology, and anthropology, as well as to history. A degree of overlap between these disciplines and sociology is inevitable. In addition, the concern of sociology with social meanings causes overlap with disciplines in the sciences and the humanities. Conflicts will be settled on a case by case basis, taking into consideration the major focus of the work and the teaching and research needs of the academic departments involved.