Collection Guidelines: Political Science: Subject Info

These are the guidelines by which materials are purchased for the polticial science collections of the UW Libraries (Seattle Campus).  For questions or more information, please contact the Political Science Librarian.

Photo: Timeless Books by Lin Kristensen

The UW Libraries is committed to providing convenient and timely access to collections and information resources that are outstanding with respect to their quality, depth, diversity, format and currency to support the research and teaching missions of the University of Washington.

Political science is the study of governments, public policies and political processes, systems, and political behavior.  Political science subfields include political theory, political philosophy, political ideology,  political economy, policy studies and analysis, comparative politics, international relations, and a host of related fields (APSA). 

Public policy and governance, or public administration, prepares students for careers in the public sector, including all levels of government and non-profit organizations.     

Collections supporting Political science and public policy range widely and can be found among many Library of Congress (LC) classes. The primary LC classes are:

• J: Political science 
• JF-JN: Political institutions and public administration

Additional LC classes with substantial related materials include:

• D: World history
• E:  History of the Americas
• F:  History of the Americas
• H: Social sciences 
• K: Law 
• U: Military Science