The decision to select library materials is the responsibility of the Liaison Librarian, Christine Jewell, in consultation with the Faculty Library Representative, Judy Wubnig.
Materials are collected to serve the teaching and research needs of students and faculty in the Department of Philosophy from the undergraduate to the PhD level.
At the level of graduate instruction and faculty research the Department is active in a diverse range of subject areas including: Ethics, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Education, Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology, American Philosophy, Philosophical and Mathematical Logic, Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Language, Analytical Metaphysics, Phenomenology and Existentialism, Ancient Philosophy, History of Logic, Renaissance Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy and Theology. The emerging areas of interest to the Department influencing current collecting include Cognitive Science and Ethics in International Affairs.
Languages
For core materials, the emphasis is on the English language and translations into English. Materials in French, German, and Latin are collected. There are no specific language restrictions.
Geographical Areas
There are no specific limits.
Chronological Periods
There are no specific chronological limitations. Coverage is generally from 500 BC to the present, including ancient, medieval, renaissance, modern and contemporary philosophy.
Places of Publication
Priority is given to materials published in North America and Europe.
Dates of Publication
Retrospective as well as currently published materials are collected.
In general, the Library does not acquire materials in a format for which access cannot be provided in the Library.
Included
The following types of materials are generally included: books, periodicals, manuscripts and unpublished materials, reprints and facsimiles, dissertations and theses, reference works, symposia, conference proceedings, and festschrifts.
The following formats of materials are generally included: print, and electronic.
Collected Selectively
The following types of materials are collected selectively: textbooks, government documents, and pamphlets.
The following formats of materials are collected selectively: films, videos, computer software, and microforms.
| Aesthetics | 2 |
| American Philosophy | 4 |
| Analytic Philosophy | 3 |
| History of Analytic Philosophy | 4 |
| Cognitive Science | 4 |
| Contemporary European Philosophy | 4 |
| Epistemology | 4 |
| Ethics | 3 |
| Applied Ethics | 4 |
| Bioethics | 3 |
| Moral Philosophy | 4 |
| Feminist Philosophy | 3 |
| History of Philosophy | 3 |
| Alexandrian and Early Christian Philosophy | 4 |
| Ancient Philosophy | 4 |
| Empiricism | 4 |
| Medieval Philosophy and Theology | 4 |
| Modern Philosophy (17th and 18th centuries) | 4 |
| Rationalism | 4 |
| Renaissance Philosophy | 4 |
| Logic | 3 |
| History of Logic | 4 |
| Mathematical and Philosophical Logic | 4 |
| Medieval Logic | 4 |
| Paradox of Knowability | 4 |
| Philosophy of Mathematics | 4 |
| Metaphysics | 3 |
| Analytical Metaphysics | 4 |
| Anti-realism | 4 |
| Necessity | 4 |
| Phenomenology and Existentialism | 4 |
| Philosophy of Education | 4 |
| Philosophy of Language | 3 |
| Externalism | 4 |
| Theories of Meaning | 4 |
| Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| Philosophy of Mind | 3 |
| Philosophy of Religion | 3 |
| Philosophy of Science | 4 |
| Political Philosophy and Theory | 4 |
Levels of Collecting
0. Out of Scope
The library does not collect in this subject.
1. Minimal Information Level
The collection supports minimal inquiries about this subject with a limited selection of monographs and reference works.
2. Basic Information Level
The collection serves to introduce and define the subject. Only the most important reference works, general surveys, the most significant works of major authors, and a limited selection of representative general periodicals are collected.
3. Instructional Support Level
The collection supports all courses of undergraduate study and master’s degree programmes. Materials collected include a wide range of reference works, fundamental bibliographic tools, and an extensive collection of monographs and periodicals. Access to owned or remotely-accessed electronic resources, including texts, journals, data sets, etc. is provided.
4. Research Level
The collection includes major published source materials required for doctoral study and independent research in the subject. All formats, including appropriate foreign-language titles, are acquired. Historically important monographs, archival materials, and back-runs of serials are acquired as necessary.
5. Comprehensive Level
The collection is exhaustive in its depth and scope. All relevant materials, in all formats and applicable languages, are retained and preserved. The collection may be recognised as a national resource.
| B | Philosophy |
| BC | Logic |
| BD | Speculative philosophy |
| BF 41 | Psychology – relation to speculative philosophy |
| BF 44 | Psychology -- relation to logic |
| BH | Aesthetics |
| BJ | Ethics |
| BL 51 | Philosophy of religion |
| JC | Political theory |
| K 201-487 | Philosophy and theory of law |
| LB 125-875 | Education – philosophy |
| P 85-106 | Philosophy of language |
| PN 49 | Philosophy and literature |
| Q 174-177 | Philosophy and science |
| QA 8-10.3 | Mathematical logic |
| QH 332 | Bioethics |
| R 723 | Medicine – philosophy |
| R 724-726 | Medical ethics |
All collections should be systematically reviewed for currency of information and to ensure that essential and important resources are retained. Superseded editions and titles containing outdated information should be withdrawn as necessary. Classic retrospective materials should be retained and preserved to serve the needs of historical research.
The Library continues to explore various initiatives from a TriUniversity Group and Ontario Council of University Libraries perspective.
The following departments collect in areas of interest to Philosophy:
Web resources relevant to Philosophy are located on the Philosophy Electronic Library page:
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/discipline/philosophy/
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