Justice Studies Collection Development Guidelines
General Department Information
The Department of Justice Studies’ web page is found here.
Departmental Goals
At the undergraduate level the Department of Justice Studies seeks to provide all students with a broad understanding of the functions, roles and critical issues within all the components of criminal justice.Graduate goals include building a firm theoretical and methodological foundation on the causation, treatment, and control of crime and delinquency, and the process of law and justice, to develop professional skills through experience in situations where knowledge gained in the classroom can be tested in applied settings, and to develop a behavioral and attitudinal orientation appropriate for the criminal justice profession.
More information is available here.
Departmental areas of concentration
- Criminology.
- Corrections.
- Court function.
- Racial/ethnic minorities and women in crime and justice.
- Law and society.
- Police role.
Degrees offered:
- Doctor of Philosophy jointly offered with Political Science (concentration in Justice Politics and Policy)
- Master of Arts in Justice Studies
- Bachelor of Arts (majors in Justice Studies and Paralegal Studies)
Special programs within the school
Qualified students are able to work on completion of their B.A. and M.A. degrees simultaneously, and can apply up to 12 hours of graduate hours toward the completion of their undergraduate degree requirements.Information on the graduate course curriculum and the M.A. program are available here.
Scope of Coverage
The following subject areas are collected at the research study level:
- Criminology
- Criminal psychology
- Criminal justice administration
- Penology
- Legal studies
- Criminal law
The following subject areas are collected at the advanced study level:
- Drug abuse
- Private security services
Apply the Following Parameters to the Above Scope of Coverage Areas
Language
Primary emphasis is on the English language.
Date of publication
Emphasis on current materials.
Geographical guidelines
No restrictions
Multiple copies
Only when warranted by high demand.
Material Types
Monographs
Books
Advanced study level and research level scholarly materials are emphasized.
Audiovisual material
Purchased upon request from the departmental faculty in support of classroom instruction.
Theses and dissertations
Selectively acquired in support of graduate and faculty research.
Microform reproductions
Selectively acquired in support of graduate and faculty research.
Serials
Serials for Justice Studies and Paralegal Studies are assigned to Justice Studies.Any decisions regarding serials subscriptions must be made jointly.
Current list of department subscriptions
Recent volumes of a select number of scholarly journals in the discipline are also available online through the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center (EJC).
Back issues and full runs of selected scholarly journals focusing on Justice Studies are also available online through Kent StateUniversity’s subscription to JSTOR.
Government Documents
The collection is strong from 1962-present, with earlier collections obtained from purchases and donations.All materials are cataloged and accessible via Kentlink.
Methods of acquisition
As a member of the Federal Depository Library Program, Kent State University receives federal documents at no cost. Kent State University is also a State of Ohio Depository Library, and acquires many free state documents and publications as a result.
Federal publications
Many agencies, including the the United States Department of Justice, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Government’s Official Web Portal, publish and distribute information in support of the research and instructional interests of the Department of Justice Studies.
Federal Depository, Documents Data Miner
Government Information Databases
Online Services and Electronic Resources
Access to articles and databases, including full-text, is available here.
- Criminal Justice Abstracts
- Criminal Justice Periodical Index
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service
