The general purpose of the University Libraries' collection is intended to support curriculum and research needs for the Department of Communication. The department offers a B.A. in rhetoric, a B.A. in communication, and an M.A. in communication. The Ph.D. is offered jointly with the Sociology Department. Communication is a primary field within the Doctor of Arts in the Humanities program. Both levels, undergraduate and graduate, focus upon the social scientific, primarily qualitative, study of communication through analysis of communication systems, processes and effects.
Material is collected in both printed format and on microform.
Dissertations and handbooks are acquired upon request from faculty. Every effort is made to work cooperatively with subject bibliographers in those respective disciplines. These levels are clearly defined by the RLG Conspectus. Excluding foreign language definitions the ascribed levels reflect current acquisition decisions at SUNY-Albany. The Interactive Media Center houses interactive media of interest to communication students.