Priority is given to materials which support the School's present curriculum as well as the research interests of the faculty and doctoral students. Resources are concentrated in periodical titles, and theory and research level monographs. Textbooks are purchased on a selective basis, and chiefly when requested for their reference and research value. Social Work Library patrons often use the O'Neill Library for multidisciplinary study. Reference books, indexes and abstracts are chosen for their timeliness.
Masters theses and doctoral dissertations from the GSSW students are available in print form.
Government documents are purchased minimally since the O'Neill Library is the selective depository collection for Boston College. Videocassettes are purchased selectively based on curriculum requirements. Languages English is the primary language of the collection. A course is offered in comparative social policy which includes a visit to either Cuba or China. In order to support this course, a few books in Spanish and Chinese are purchased at the specific request of the faculty member in charge.