The Popular Culture Collection Quandary

Abstract

Although interest in the study of popular culture on the university and college level has increased greatly since the 1960s, there has been little written to date about collection development in this field. What has been written has typically described the collection development activities in particular academic libraries instead of attempting to address the topic generally. The lack of general guidelines for collection building in this area of study is not surprising. In the first place, popular culture is a relative newcomer to the academic scene with most programs and courses instituted in the last decade. Secondly, popular culture is a broad, diverse field of study with its researchers typically scattered throughout many of the more traditional departments of the university. As a result, the demands on the library have been less focused than if they had been coming from one clearly defined academic department.