The scope of the collection was expanded in the mid-1970s to include contemporary and world language materials. From 1974 to 1984 the Library held its Children's Books International Conferences. The Jordan Collection also receives a research copy of all new juvenile titles added to the children's and young adult collections. Primarily book-oriented, the Jordan Collection now totals over 157,000 volumes. The goal of the Alice M. Jordan Collection is to provide for research a comprehensive worldwide selection of children's literature.
International materials emphasize the work of indigenous children's authors and illustrators.
The Collection includes not only award-winning titles but popular literature to provide an accurate reflection of publishing trends and the diversity of children's reading habits over time. The type of books collected include picture books, fairy tales, folklore, poetry, drama, toy and movable specimens, as well as fiction and non-fiction from the infant to the young adult level. The Collection offers multiple editions of children's classics such as Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio for the student, author, illustrator, or publisher to consult. The Jordan Collection is further enhanced by secondary sources in children's literature, contemporary juvenile level periodicals, and journals on the critical review of children's literature. Retrospective juvenile periodicals are available in the BPL Research Library Collection.