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Sociology

Collection Policy Statement Index

(Classes HM, HN, HQ, HS, HT, HV, HX and Z7161-Z7166)

I. Scope
II. Research strengths and comparisons
III. General policy
IV. Collections levels for sociology

I. Scope

Sociology, the study of human social behavior, is defined by classes HM through HX in the Library of Congress classification system. In broad terms, these classes cover:
HM (general and theoretical sociology)
HN (social history and conditions)
HQ (sexual life, marriage and the family, women and feminism)
HS (societies, associations and clubs)
HT (urban and rural sociology, communities, classes, and races)
HV (social welfare and services, social problems, and criminology)
HX (socialism, communism and utopianism)
parts of Z161-7166: subject bibliography of political and social sciences.

The applications and relationships of sociology to a specific subject are generally classed with that subject, e.g., the sociology of religion classes in BL and the sociology of medicine is found in class RA. Much sociological research, writing and publishing is interdisciplinary and may class in H (general social sciences), or elsewhere in the schedules. Closely related material is also found in BF (psychology), GN (anthropology), HB (demography), P (communication) and other classes.

Given the structure of the LC classification system, this CPS considers only sociology as treated in classes HM-HX and relevant parts of Z7161- 7166. Although important to sociologists, sociological materials in classes other than HM-HX are out of scope for purposes of this CPS.

II. Research strengths and comparisons

The sheer size of LC's collections has ensured the development of great strength in all areas of sociology, with respect to both general and theoretical sociology and their specific subfields; to both academic and popular sociology; and to both current and historical materials. The collections are particularly strong for titles published within and about the United States. In class HV, the collections of U.S. government documents is notable. The strength of the historical materials provides good documentation of early social research programs both in the U.S. and abroad. The Library's very extensive collection of U.S. doctoral research includes thousands of sociology dissertations spanning a long period and reflecting all aspects of sociological research. In addition to the general collections, important collections relating to social movements and social history are found in the Manuscript Division, the Microform Reading Room, and the Prints and Photographs Division.

In general, the Library's holdings of foreign titles in sociology are not as extensive as its U.S. holdings; this is especially true of foreign serial titles. The Library does not collect or provide research access to machine-readable data files (for example, survey and sample data) which are often of interest to sociologists.

Although the Library of Congress ranks first in terms of the size of its sociology collections, there are also strong collections of sociology at other major research and academic libraries. Libraries at universities with strong sociology departments and faculty support can be more successful in identifying and acquiring elusive titles, such as conference papers. For specific subfields of sociology, there are also libraries which collect more extensively than the Library of Congress in a given subfield, such as gerontology or criminology.

III. General policy

The Library collects all works of various scholarship, both monographs and serials in all languages, on sociology and its subfields ( as defined by classes HM-HX). It acquires all substantial subject bibliographies and other reference works on sociology, particularly those published in or related to the United States. Sociological materials are acquired in all formats, including but not limited to print, microformats, CD-ROMS, etc.

The Library selectively acquires American and foreign textbooks on sociology written at the college level. Textbooks below this level are rarely acquired; however, a strong representative selection of juvenile titles on specific social issues and problems is collected.

IV. Collecting levels for sociology

The following list is arranged according to the major subclasses of HM, HN, HQ, HS, HT, HV, HX and Z7161-7166 of the Library of Congress Classification. The collecting levels are numbered to conform with the RLG Conspectus. For a complete definition of these levels, see "Collecting Levels".

A. Sociology (General and Theoretical)
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HM1-HM13	Periodicals, societies, serials, congresses	4
HM17	Dictionaries and encyclopedias	4
HM19-HM22	History	4
HM24-HM37	Theory, method, relation to other subjects	4
HM45-HM47	Study and teaching	3
HM48	Research	3
HM51-HM63	General works, treatises and advanced textbooks	4	Textbooks 3
HM101-HM121	Civilization, culture, progress	4
HM201-HM221	Social elements, forces, laws	4
HM251-HM291	Social psychology	4
B.Social history, conditions, and reform
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HN1-HN3	Periodicals, societies, serials, 4 congresses
HN8-HN19	History (includes social reform literature)	4
HN29	Study and teaching. Research	3
HN30-HN39	The church and social problems	4
HN41-HN46	Community centers	4
HN49	Special topics	4
HN50-HN980	By region or country	4/3	U.S. 4, others 3
C. Sexual life
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HQ12-HQ18	History of sex customs	4
HQ19-HQ130.7	Sexual behavior and attitudes,sexuality	4
HQ31-HQ64	Sex education and sexual ethics	4	Textbooks and instructional materials 3
HQ71-HQ72	Sexual deviations, sex crimes	4
HQ75-HQ76.8	Homosexuality and lesbianism	4
HQ101-HN440.7	Prostitution	4
HQ450-HM471	Erotica	4
	Erotic literature, popular works	3
D.Marriage and the family
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HQ503-HQ727	History	4
HQ745	Wedding ceremonies, forms, etc.	3
HQ750-HQ755.5	Eugenics	4
HQ755.7-759.9	Parenthood	4
HQ760-767.7	Family size, family planning and birth control; abortion	4	Popular works 3
HQ767.8-HQ792.2	Children	4
HQ793-HQ799.2	Adolescents	4
HQ800	Single men and women	4
HQ801	Courtship and dating	3
HQ809	Family violence	4
HQ811-HQ960.7	Divorce	4
HQ961-HQ997	Free love, polygamy and polyandry	4
HQ998-HQ999	Illegitimacy and unwed mothers	4
HQ1001-HQ1043	The state of marriage	4
HQ1051-HQ1057	The church and marriage	4	Catechisms 1
HQ1058	Widows and Widowers	4
HQ1060-HQ1064	The elderly (gerontology)	4
HQ1073	Death and dying	4
HQ1090	Men	4
NOTE: The Library acquires at the research level (collecting level 4) current materials on birth control, abortion, the elderly, and death and dying written or produced from a sociological perspective. Since the National Library of Medicine comprehensively acquires current materials on these subjects written or produced from a medical perspective, the Library limits its acquisition of such materials to the basic current reference works, monographs and serials (intensity level 3). For more information on the Library's policies concerning the acquisition of medical materials consult the CPS Medicine.
E. Women, Feminism, and Women's Studies
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HQ1101-HQ1106	Periodicals, societies, serials, yearbooks, congresses	4
HQ1115	Dictionaries and encyclopedias	4
HQ1121-HQ1154	History of women	4
HQ1161-HQ1172	Occidental and oriental women	4
HQ1180-HQ1181	Study and teaching, Women's studies	4	Collect at the highest level of level 4
HQ1201-HQ1229	General works	4
HQ1236	Women and the state	4
HQ1381	Women and economics	4
HW1389	Women and art	4
HQ1390-HQ1391	Women in public service	4
HQ1393-HQ1395	Women and religion	4
HQ1397	Women in science and the arts	4
HQ1399	Women in civilization	4
HQ1402-HQ1870.9	Women by region or country	4 /3	U.S. 4, others 3
HQ1871-HQ1030.7	Women's clubs	3
F. Societies, associations and clubs (Class HS)
The Library seeks to maintain a research-level collection (collecting level 4) of current materials about the sociology of societies, associations and clubs. In general, the Library acquires published materials of and about specific political, cultural, philanthropic, benevolent, professional, scientific, business, labor, religious, racial, ethnic, fraternal and secret societies and associations at the national level only. For more information about the Library's acquisitions policies concerning these materials, consult the CPS on Societies and Associations. NOTE: The Library does not normally acquire the unpublished records or papers of organizations, including those of the types of bodies just listed. Cf. Manuscripts Section VI.
G. Communities, classes, and races
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HT51-HT65	Communities (periodicals, serials, societies, general works, etc.)	4
HT101-HT395	Urban sociology	4 /3	National level 4, local level 3
HT111-HT150	History	4	U.S. high level 4
HT165.5-HT169.9	City planning	4	U.S. high level 4
HT170-HT178	Urban planning	4	U.S. high level 4
HT390-HT395	Regional planning	4	U.S. high level 4
HT401-HT485	Rural sociology	4
HT601-HT1445	Classes (includes slavery in general and by region or country)	4
HT1501-HT1595	Races	4
H. Social and Public Welfare
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HV1-HV8	Periodicals, serials, yearbooks, societies, directories, congresses	4
HV16-HV25	History of philanthropy	4
HV40-HV69	Charity organization and practice	4
HV70-HV75	State regulation of charities, publicwelfare laws	4
HV85-HV520.5	By region or country	4/3	U.S. 4, others 3
HV553-HV639	Relief in case of disasters	4
HV640-HV645	Refugee problems	4
HV650-HV670	Life-saving	4
HV675-HV677	Prevention of accidents	4
HV680-HV696	Free professional services	4
HV697-HV4959	Protection, assistance and relief (by special classes): women, children, the elderly the handicapped, immigrants, etc. Includes also the protection of animals	4
I. Social pathology and criminology
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HV4961-HV4995	Degeneration	3
HV5001-HV5720.5	Alcoholism and temperance reform	4	Temperance tracts, care and rehabilitation of alcoholics, 3
HV5725-HV5770	Tobacco habit	4	Treatment, 3
HV5800-HV5840	Drug habit, drug abuse	4
Care and rehabilitation of addicts	3
HV6001-HV6773	Criminology	4	Includes general topics, criminal anthropology, victims of crime, and crimes and offenses
HV7231-HV7431	Penology (general)	4
HV7551-HV8290	Police, detectives, constables, guards	4	Reports, manuals, directories of city police 3, private detectives 3
HV8301-HV9025	Prisons, penitentiaries, punishment and reform	4
HV9051-HV9230.7	Juvenile delinquency	4
HV9261-HV9430.7	Reformation and reclamation of adult prisoners	4
HV9441-HV9920.5	Penology by region or country	4 /3	U.S. 4, others 3
NOTE: Since the National Library of Medicine comprehensively acquires current materials on the medical treatment of alcoholism and tobacco and drug addiction, the Library of Congress restricts its acquisitions in these areas to the basic current reference works, monographs and serials (intensity level 3).
J. Socialism, communism, utopianism, and anarchism
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
HX1-HX970.7	Includes general works, history, and works dealing specifically with socialism, communism, Utopianism and anarchism	4
K. Subject bibliography: political and social sciences
Class	Subject	Intensity	Comments
Z7161-Z7166	General sociology and specific sociological topics or subfields not covered elsewhere	4

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