Literature (800)

General Comments

This collection provides quick access to information about literature and, in selected cases, to works of literature. The collection's emphasis is on American and British literature. It includes a broad array of standard sources providing general subject overview, reading guides, terminology, imageries and quotations, indexes, examination of periods and genres, English-language style manuals, and criticism. The focus is on poetry, fiction, and drama, with less attention on letters, essays, humor, and speeches.

Works of literature in this collection are limited to the complete works of Shakespeare and to a few poetry anthologies.

Development Plan

High school and community college students place a particular demand on this collection. Though not an academic library, CCPL provides reference literature sources (both texts and criticism) to meet the needs of students at these levels of education. Since literary criticism is often a need of community college students, this collection also provides judicious criticism sources that augment the circulating collection.

• R 800 Literature (belles-lettres) and rhetoric. A wide-ranging collection of world literature (British, American, international - all in English) overview sources, genre sources, character sources, allusion sources, indexes to forms of literature, reading guides, quotations, and criticism is maintained. A collection of style manuals is also maintained. Some reference sources about children's literature are purchased.
• R 810 American literature in English. A collection of overview sources, periods sources, genre sources, and reading guides is maintained.
• R 820 English and Old English (Anglo-Saxon) literature. A collection of overview sources, periods sources, genre sources, and reading guides is maintained. Old English sources are purchased in modern English translations.
• R 830 Literature of Germanic (Teutonic) languages. An overview coverage of German literature is minimally developed.
• R 840 Literature of Romance languages. An overview coverage of French literature is minimally developed.
• R 850 Literatures of Italian, Romanian, Rhaeto-Romanic languages. Not developed.
• R 860 Literature of Spanish and Portuguese languages. Overview coverage of Spanish and Portuguese literature is minimally developed.
• R 870 Literature of Italic languages. Overview coverage of Roman (republic and empire) literature is minimally developed.
• R 880 Literature of Hellenic languages. Overview coverage of classical and Hellenic Greek literature is minimally developed.
• R 890 Literature of other languages. Overview coverage of Russian literature is minimally developed.

Influencing Factors

Purchases and buying patterns are determined in large part by:

• electronic/Internet sources availability.
• new works.
• budget constraints.
• use.
• patron requests.
• present and potential relevance to the community.
• shelf space.

Retention/Weeding

• Not all 800 Reference materials need to be updated each time an update becomes available. The use and subject materials are evaluated to determine the frequency of updates.