The Price Library of Judaica aims to be a comprehensive research collection (Library of Congress Collecting Level 4), meeting both current needs and anticipating future growth in the Jewish Studies program, including graduate-level research. The following considerations will guide collection development decisions:
- Print: the Price Library of Judaica actively collects all print materials focusing on the global history, culture and religion of the Jewish people, including materials relating to ancient and modern-day Israel.
- Electronic resources: the library purchases unlimited or multiple user e-book licenses when possible and cost-effective; otherwise, e-book acquisitions are based on faculty and student requests.
- Digital collections: the library seeks to build digital collections from materials in our own collections, largely those within the public domain, as well as original creations (such as memoirs), born digital items, and digital scans acquired through collaborative partnerships.
- AV Media: the library collects Jewish films and documentaries on DVD or through streaming platforms to support teaching when relevant to courses offered. The collection also includes some VHS recordings and a limited number of audio CDs and LPs featuring works by Jewish, Yiddish, and Israeli composers.
- Languages: the library mostly collects original works in English, Hebrew, Yiddish and Spanish. Works in other languages appropriate to the subject matter are routinely added. The Price Library currently holds materials in over 40 languages.
- Chronology: the library reflects the varied interests of faculty and students at UF through its broad chronological scope. No chronological limits are placed on our collecting, which spans from the ancient period to the present day.
- Geography: the materials in the Price Library cover most regions of the world, specifically any country that has had a Jewish presence. However, the bulk of the collection focuses on Jewish life in the major population centers in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Americas, Israel and Palestine, North Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia.
- Translations: translations of Hebrew and Yiddish creative writing and non-fiction are comprehensively acquired within the subject scope of this policy. Translations into Hebrew or Yiddish from other languages are typically not acquired, except in cases where the work is a classic or part of world literature, or when the translation is notable due to the translator’s significance or the inclusion of new prefatory or critical material.
- Dissertations: the library selectively acquires American doctoral dissertations when they focus on a subject area not extensively covered by published literature or when specifically requested by a faculty member or graduate student. The Center for Research Libraries will be relied upon to supply access to all other dissertations.
- Ephemera: special efforts are made to identify and retain ephemeral materials such as pamphlets, institutional reports, research reports, newsletters, lecture series, eulogies, keepsakes, calendars, broadsides, and similar items. While some titles may only be available for purchase, preference will be given to acquisitions through gifts.
- Special Collections: the Price Library is actively seeking archives and manuscripts relating to the Jewish experience in Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean.