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Sports and Recreation

Collection Policy Statement Index

(Classes GV (except GV1580-GV1799.4), and sections of SF, SH, SK and Z)

Contents
I. Introduction
II. Scope
III. Research strengths
IV. Comparisons with other major research collections
V. General policy
VI. Collection levels for Sports and Recreation

I. Introduction

The Library of Congress has outstanding research collections in the areas of sports and recreation which support research in individual sports and in the area of sport and society. These subjects include individual and team sports, physical education, leisure activities, games, amusements, and the circus. Other related topics are horse racing and fishing, as well as the interdisciplinary aspects of sports, such as sports medicine, the economics of sport, and the design and construction of venues. Subject to the provisions listed in this document, the Library of Congress collects at a research level in these areas.

II. Scope

This collections policy statement covers all works classed in GV, except GV1570-GV1799 (Dance), as well as Class S subjects on horse sports (horse racing, dressage), sport fishing, and hunting as a recreational activity. Also included are those works of an interdisciplinary nature, such as the economics of sports and the sporting goods industry, fencing, yachting, automobile racing, the design and construction of sports venues, and sports journalism.

Sports law, sports medicine and kinesiology are not covered in this collections policy statement.

III. Research Strengths

The most extensive holdings in the Library of Congress relating to all aspects of sports are located in the general collections. Of particular note are an extensive collection of Spalding guides, as well as many important early sporting periodicals including The Sporting News, Sporting Life, Spirit of the Times, Outing, The New York Clipper, National Police Gazette, and Field, the Farm, the Garden.

In addition to monographs and bound serials, the holdings on microform are considerable and include copies of several important serials, dissertations, the ERIC microfiche collection (unpublished reports on education, which includes such topics as physical education, school sports, and Title IX [the law requiring equality for women in sports at federally funded institutions], and the occasional collection, such as the Joe Louis Scrapbooks.)

The next most extensive and valuable resource at the Library for the study of sport and related topics is the newspaper collection, which, considering its geographical and chronological Scope, makes the Library's holdings unique for primary source material.

Custodial divisions with notable holdings include the American Folklife Center, Prints & Photographs, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound, and, to a lesser extent, Music, Manuscript, Rare Book, Area Studies and the Law Library.

IV. Comparison with other major research collections

It is not unusual for large public libraries to have extensive sports collections. Notable examples are found in New York, Cleveland, and Chicago. As more universities and colleges offer degrees in sport history, sport management, and sports and society, it has become necessary to develop collections to support research in these subjects as a condition of accreditation. Most sports halls- of-fame and sports museums have affiliated libraries and archives for their specific sport. Additionally, organizations such as the United States Olympic Committee, publishers of sports books and magazines, and sporting goods manufacturers frequently maintain libraries which tend to be highly specialized.

Perhaps unique is the library of the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, which houses an extensive collection of sports publications, both current and historical, in all formats print, video, microform, and digital.

Although other libraries may have extensive collections in one or more individual sports which exceed those of the Library of Congress, there is no other institution which approaches the Library's cumulative holdings. This is attributed to the extensive holdings in the general collections augmented by those in other divisions, most notably newspapers.

V. General Policy

The Library maintains research level collections in most areas of sports, recreation, and physical education. United States imprints are acquired and retained across a much broader range both by topic and intellectual level, than foreign publications, with the notable exception of international competitions. Works relating to the Olympics and the Olympic movement are collected at the comprehensive level; other games and events in which the United States participates (Goodwill Games, Pan American Games, Ryder Cup) at a research level, and games in which the United States does not participate (ASEAN Games, Commonwealth Games) are collected selectively. Particular emphasis is placed on the official reports which are the result of any international competition, while any non-U.S. publication aimed toward a juvenile audience is not acquired.

The Library acquires at a research level:
1. All scholarly serials on the topics of sports, physical education, recreation, games, and leisure, especially those published by societies and associations which are associated with one or more aspects of sport, including sport history, sport psychology, and the sociology of sport, regardless of language or country of origin.
2. All scholarly monographs on the topics of sports, physical education, recreation, and leisure.
3. Any work addressing the history, current or future state of official national sport policy of any country.
4. Scholarly and popular biographies of nationally renowned sports figures, both athletes and administrators.
5. Foreign directories of sports and recreational facilities providing coverage on the national level.
6. Works which detail the government funding of sport.
7. Statistical works which address sports participation or attendance at sports events.
8. Works on the manufacture of sporting goods, including labor practices involved in their manufacture.
9. Any works relating to national or international broadcasting of sports events.
The Library acquires selectively:
1. Works on individual sports
2. Works on individual leagues and teams which compete on the national or international level.
3. Foreign directories of sports and recreational facilities which provide coverage on a regional level.
4. Publications by or about international governing bodies for individual sports.
The Library does not acquire:
1. Non U.S. publications aimed toward a juvenile audience.

VI. Collection levels for sports and recreation

LC Classification	Subject	Collecting Level
GV1-GV191	RECREATION, LEISURE
GV1	Periodicals and serials	4
GV3	Societies	4
GV4	Congresses, Collected Works	4
GV9	Quiz Books	2
GV12	Directories, Museums, Exhibitions, History	4
GV15	General Works	4
GV17-GV35	Ancient. Classical Games, etc.	4
GV41	Medieval	4
GV45-GV158	Modern	4
GV200	Outdoor Recreation	4
GV201-GV557	Physical Education and Training	4
GV558-GV1198	Sports	4
GV1199-GV1565	Games and Amusements This includes Children's games, card playing, board and table games(chess, go) computer games, fantasy games (Dungeons and Dragons) party games, puzzles (crossword, word games),and parlor magic NOTE: games themselves are not collected unless they are in book format	3
GV1800-GV1860	Circuses, amusements, etc. Includes carnivals, side shows, rodeos, daredevils, amusement parks, and waxworks.	5
SF294-SF359	Horse Sports	3
SH401-SF691	Angling	3
SK (All)	Hunting Sports	3
Z	SUBJECT BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Z7511-Z7516	Sports, Amusements, Recreation	4
Z5349.S65	Sports for the Blind	4
Z5481	Cards and Card Playing	4
Z5541	Chess	4
Z5814.P47	Educational Play	4
Z5814.R3	Recreation Centers	4
Z5906	Fencing and Dueling	4
Z5971-Z5975	Fishing and Fisheries. Angling	4
Z6121	Gymnastics, Physical Education	4
Z6123.S65	Sports for the Handicapped	4
Z6240	Equestrianship	4
Z7631	Swimming	4
Z7963.S6	Women in Sports	4

March, 2000

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