The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers both minors and majors in German at the undergraduate level leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. A minor in European Studies is also offered which includes the study of German issues. German literature in translation is studied in FLET 100 (Foreign Language in Translation) offered by the Department of Foreign Language and Literatures, and also in World Literature courses offered for a B.A. in English. Students wishing to pursue graduate study in German may enroll in the program, Master of Science in Secondary Education/General offered by the Darden College of Education. Graduate courses in Foreign Languages may also be chosen as one of the necessary fields of study in obtaining a Master of Arts degree in Humanities offered by the College of Arts and Letters. M.A. and Ph.D. students in International Studies are required to demonstrate foreign language competency which may involve completing a third year of language instruction at Old Dominion University.

It is the library's goal to develop collections, which support the needs of all students pursuing the above mentioned courses and of the faculty preparing and teaching these courses. In addition the library seeks to provide materials to sustain the special research interests of faculty. This policy covers both general collection and reference materials. Another aim is to utilize strained monetary resources as wisely as possible in order to provide as useful a collection as possible.

 Language Guidelines:
German will be the primary language of the collection. Translations of classic works into English may be collected to augment the collection but should not replace seminal texts in original German. German works translated into a language other than English should not be collected. Works of criticism should be in German or English.

 Chronological Treatment of Subject Guidelines:
Current German language is emphasized. Literature has no chronological limitations.

 Geographical Guidelines:
Germany is emphasized but other German-speaking countries are not excluded.

Treatment of Subject:
A solid collection of general materials to support the undergraduate and graduate curriculum in both German language and literature and German studies will be developed and maintained. Emphasis will also be placed on building areas of the collection, which support the research needs of faculty. Self-teaching books, textbooks and readers will be selectively acquired. New editions of German language grammars and dictionaries should be collected. A representative collection of desk-sized or concise dictionaries should be available in the general collection as well as a few to accompany the major unabridged dictionaries in the reference collection.

Types of Material:
Monographs, serial publications, bibliographies and collected works should be acquired. Periodical indexes and abstracts are necessary. Formats should include print, microform and electronic resources.

Date of Publication:
Emphasis is on current books but older material may be selected as necessary to remedy weaknesses in the collection.

Other General Considerations:

1. The Center for Research Libraries with which Old Dominion University Library is affiliated has extensive foreign language holdings, particularly in newspapers and theses. Items form these collections are available on extended loan to Old Dominion University Library patrons.
2. The Library of the College of William and Mary has significant holdings, which may be of value to the student of German language and/or literature.
3. Internet Resources include:

COLLECTING CODES