The primary purpose of the collection is to support the teaching and research needs of the Islamic Civilizations and Societies program. With this goal in mind, the library collects materials in Political Science, History, Fine Arts, Sociology, Philosophy and Theology as it relates to the Islamic World. The biggest geographic concentration is on the Middle East, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India and Pakistan. Collection is almost exclusively in English, with some materials available in French and German. Literary works are acquired in translation. While the vast majority of materials are in print, there is a growing number of titles available in electronic format. Within the past few years the library purchased or subscribed to all major research databases covering this geographic region.
For information about how the library collections at Boston College are being developed, go to the Collections page.
Please feel free to recommend items for the library collections by e-mailing a Subject Librarian.
