The General Reference Collection includes reference sources in a variety of formats in all fields of the social sciences, humanities, sciences and engineering that are currently included in the curriculum of Tulane University. Information from the Tulane course catalogs, descriptions of departmental degree programs, and all of the subject-specific library collection development policies are considered in building and maintaining the reference collection. Information on the number and types of degrees offered, depth of stated faculty research interests, numbers of students, and other factors all help in determining the level of detail at which materials in various subject areas are selected for the General Reference Collection. Reference materials in subject areas that are primarily collected by any of Tulane's branch or departmental libraries are typically either excluded from, or are added to the General Reference Collection very selectively, to avoid duplication of resources. Whenever possible, however, electronic resources are purchased and made available to the Tulane community as widely as possible.
