General policies and principles for the Library's collections are stated in the General Collection Development Policy.
Purpose of the Collection
The primary purpose of the Military Science collection is to support the faculty and students of the Department of Military Science. The secondary purpose of the collection is to support research in fields which might study the military such as military history, public policy, sociology, global studies, etc.
Academic Department/Program Description
The Department of Military Science is the home of the UCSB Army ROTC Surfrider Battalion. This program provides leadership training for students and trains future Officers for the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and U.S. Army National Guard.
Subject Parameters
Subject parameters for the entire military science collection cover the history and technology of all branches of the military and for all nations. However, the collecting scope for current acquisitions emphasizes the 21st-century United States Army and is detailed below.
Scope
Subject coverage for current collecting emphasizes the experience of the 21st-century military including leadership, the role of technology, contemporary conflicts, the war on terrorism, and counter-insurgency.
Subjects
Subject coverage for this collection encompasses the Library of Congress call number class U-V, Military Science and Naval Science.
Geographical Coverage
Emphasis of the Military Science collection is on the United States military, and the U.S. Army in particular.
Language
Materials for military science are collected in English only.
Chronological Limits/Period Coverage
Collecting emphasis for the military science collection is on contemporary conflicts and military leadership. On occasion materials are collected that deal with earlier conflicts or historical figures.
Publication Dates
Emphasis in on recent publications.
Types of Materials Collected
Most materials purchased are books. There is also a small number of subscriptions to magazine and journal titles.
Formats
Whenever possible, materials are purchased in electronic format rather than in print. This makes the materials accessible from outside the library by multiple users.
Systemwide and Other Resources
Research databases which are useful for research in military science are purchased through our UC California Digital Library consortium. For more information on which databases are available, see the Military Science research guide.
Related Collection Development Policies
Because the military science fund is relatively small, many materials are collected on other funds. For more information, see the collection development policies for the following subjects:
Subject librarian: Annie Platoff
Policy Last Updated: April 2015
