Purpose

Degree programs supported include the B.A. in Economics, the B.S. in Business and Public Administration, the M.A. and the Ph.D. in the Graduate School of Arts and Science, and the MBA and Ph.D./Economics major at Stern.

The major program emphases for the B.A. are economic principles, theory, history, and reasoning. Those in the B.S. are analytic skills and business economic trends.

Both undergraduate degree programs are designed to offer preparation for advanced study in either professional schools, (e.g., law, business, public administration) or graduate research departments (e.g., politics, health, international affairs, economics).

Areas of interest for the M.A. are applied economic analysis, oriented toward business and government; for the Ph.D., theoretical economics and research orientation; and business economics and concepts and techniques of business decision-making and problem-solving for the M.B.A./Economics major.

Scope

1. Language

   The collection is predominately in English, with serial subscriptions to major French, German and Italian journals.

2. Geographical Areas

   Past emphasis was on so-called developed economies and their economic relationships with each other or parts of the developing world. Currently, collection efforts are directed towards all parts of the world.

3. Chronological Periods

   Periods covered are primarily 20th/21st-century along with some 19th-century material. There is no retrospective buying except upon identification of major gaps. New editions of collected works of economic theorists and significant reprint or microfiche collections are selectively acquired.

Types of Material

Scholarly serials, monographs, conference proceedings, collected works, and reports of international economic organizations predominate. Papers and research reports from non-governmental institutes, research institutes, and universities are selectively acquired. Material with a strictly local emphasis - other than the New York area - is not generally acquired. Little emphasis is placed on material related to rural or agricultural economics. Active collection development of online resources is ongoing. Whenever possible, electronic products are selected over print equivalants, all else being equal.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Our collection provides strong support for the University's instructional programs. More than eighty percent of the journals indexed by the Journal of Economic Literature are available to NYU users. Most of those not received are in foreign languages or are country-specific.

Statistical publications are a special strength of the collection. Our online statistical resources continue to grow, and include Datastream, Bloomberg, EIU Country Data, DSI Campus Solution, Source OECD,and various World Bank and other IGO statistical products. The U.S., U.N., and International Documents Collections include extensive print statistical holdings, as well as comprehensive microform collections keyed to the American Statistics Index, the Statistical Reference Index, the Index to International Statistics, and the Statistical Universe. Other statistical sources include foreign statistical abstracts in the Current National Statistical Compendia,and selected historic annual reports and periodic publications from the world's central banks.

Other Resources

The Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives contain extensive material on both New York and American labor history and New York City labor unions.

The Social Sciences, Statistics and Mapping Group at ITS maintains statistical collections on computer file from the ICPSR series, providing access to thousands of sets of social science data and documentation.

New York Public Library's Science, Industry and Business Library has an outstanding historical collection in economics.

Subjects and Collection Levels

Subject collecting is characterized by levels A-E, with Level A representing the lowest level of buying, and level E representing the most intensive buying. (A=basic level; B=study level, MA and undergraduate coursework; C=research level, supporting ongoing research or likely research leading to the Ph.D.; D=Advanced research level, supporting doctoral and post-doctoral research; E=Intensive level, which is to say that all available significant works of recorded knowledge are acquired.)