a. Print 

Current publications in American history and American studies are collected in substantial breadth and depth. Materials about the area currently known as the United States are prioritized. While thoroughness is aimed for in acquiring the relevant output of most American and British university presses, titles published by trade presses are collected more selectively. Materials about the region currently known as Canada are collected more selectively in general, with an emphasis on known areas of research interest (for example, the early Canadian region and “New France,” Native American Studies, indigenous rights, settler colonialism, African American studies, and U.S./Canada relations.) Works of Canadian local history that have relevance to known areas of research interest are collected along with more general works of Canadian regional or national history.

In addition to American history and American studies, the Librarian collects widely in historical, interdisciplinary, and literary texts and studies for African American studies, Asian American studies, Latino/a studies, and Native American studies. Relevant works that fall more specifically into distinct disciplinary areas are collected by a range of librarians. For example, relevant works on music are collected by the Music Librarian and works in East Asian studies are collected by the East Asian Studies Librarian.

b. Digital Collections

Massive online corpora of primary sources in full-text digital facsimile format include Readex AllSearch, which provides access to materials in a wide range of formats printed in America over a span of time extending back to the late 16th century, and Sabin Americana, 1500--1926, which provides access to works about the Americas published throughout the world. American Periodicals provides access to a large number of varied periodicals beginning with their earliest issues: special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, as well as labor, trade, scientific, and photographic periodicals. Its primary span of coverage extends from 1740 through the 1940s.

Strengthening our retrospective collections of works by underrepresented voices, we have acquired databases providing access to full-text digital facsimiles derived from relevant distinctive and special collections. Significant acquisitions in these areas have included:  American Indian Newspapers, which provides access to indigenous journalism from the United States and Canada, spanning a timeframe from 1828 to 2016; Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 1 and Series 2, which draw their content from the largest national project ever to locate, preserve, and disseminate Latino-Hispanic culture of the United States in its written form, from Colonial times to 1960; African American Periodicals, 1825--1995, a collection based upon James P. Danky's African American Newspapers and Periodicals: A National Bibliography; and the Gerritsen Collection: Women's History Online, 1543--1945. 

One noteworthy recent area of expansion in the Libraries’ digital collections has been in the area of databases that allow search, discovery, and access for extensive ranges of archival documents reproduced in digital facsimile. Colonial America, for example, allows researchers to explore a complete Colonial Office series from the National Archives, United Kingdom, containing original correspondence between the British government and the governments of the American colonies for the period 1606 to 1822. Innovative handwritten text recognition software has been incorporated to allow for word and phrase searching within these manuscript documents. More modern archival collections now accessible online include the NAACP Papers, covering the period of 1909 to 1972. The history of science and medicine in the United States may be explored through digitized archives from the New York Academy of Sciences.

c. Media

A significant collection of American feature films and television series, as well as documentaries about America, is available on DVD and VHS in the Butler Media Collection. The Librarian for Butler Media, Film Studies, & Performing Arts is primarily responsible for collecting American media in these areas. The Libraries also provide access to a varied range of streaming-video and still-image databases relevant to research in American history and American studies. For example, Meet the Press (1947--2013); or Time Inc.'s newsreel series The March of Time (1936--1967). The HistoryMakers provides access to a substantial and growing video oral-history archive compiled to document and illuminate African American history. LGBT Studies in Video provides access to documentaries, interviews, archival footage, and select feature films exploring LGBTQ history and culture. Substantial collections of still images include: ARTstor, Associated Press Images,  and Serial Set Maps, which provides easy geographic, subject, and caption access to maps published in U.S. Congressional publications from 1817 through 1994. The Gabe M. Wiener Music & Arts Library maintains impressive collections of audio recordings of works by American composers as well as scholarship about them.

d. Languages Collected

Primary source materials are collected in languages in which they were originally published (for example, Spanish, French, Russian, Yiddish) and/or in English translation. Secondary literature is not systematically collected in languages other than English.

e. Chronological Focus

Prehistoric times through the present day.

f. Geographical Focus

The United States and Canada. 

g. Imprint Dates Collected

The main focus of collecting is current and recent (+/- three years) imprints. When antiquarian acquisitions are offered via gift or purchase, no specific chronological ranges are established in advance; rare or unique materials from any period may be considered.