The collection has been pruned from time to time to maximize its effectiveness for a clientele largely interested in contemporary issues. Publications of historical interest have, to a great extent, been transferred to the Social Sciences and Humanities Library, with the exception of accounting and company history. The collection policy continues to attempt to accomodate faculty teaching and research interests which have expanded along with those of the discipline. Management studies today is a multidisciplinary field encompassing subject areas such as business, commerce, finance, industrial and labour relations, operations management, management of organizations and management science. As a field, it is primarily concerned with applications but there is a considerable body of theoretical literature as well.
Management education deals with issues in economics, politics, psychology, sociology, etc.
The extension of the Faculty's geographical horizons beyond North America, and the expansion of the discipline itself, have made periodic reviews of the collection policy essential. Management, both as a discipline and as a professional activity, is one in which periodical publications are the primary vehicle for the transmission of knowledge and information. The multidisciplinary nature of the field means that the subjects collected by the Howard Ross Library of Management are very wide and overlap with those collected by other McGill libraries, especially the social sciences, law, physical sciences, agriculture, etc. The overlap is more apparent than real since the distinction lies in the viewpoint of the author and the intended audience rather than in the main topics dealt with in the resources. Selection activities are shared with the professional staff.