The library seeks to support the interdisciplinary research and curricular needs of faculty and students interested in this part of the world. Students can receive an MA or Ph.D. degree from the School of International and Public affairs with a Southeast Area Studies Regional Specialization certificate. The Business School and The Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures Department also provide opportunities to focus on these countries.

Areas of established specialization: History, Anthropology, Economics, and Political Science.

Overall, the library's existing collection and its current acquisitions commitment, based on available resources, are at the study and teaching level. Its collecting goal, however, is at the research level.

1. Formats collected: We collect monographs, reference works, and series extensively, periodicals, CD-Roms, and newspapers selectively and internet resources, maps, dissertations, video and textbooks are excluded.
2. Imprint Dates Collected: We collect current publications extensively and earlier centuries selectively.
3. Chronological Focus: We collect materials focusing on current and twentieth century topics extensively while all others are collected selectively.
4. Languages Collected: We collect English, Dutch and French extensively, Bahasa Indonesia, Malaysian, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Russian selectively, and Tagalog, Thai, Burmese, Lao, and Vietnamese are excluded.
5. Place of Publication: We collect materials published in Italy, North American, and The United Kingdom extensively, other Western European Countries’ materials selectively.