Anthropology is arguably one of the most diverse fields in academe. It ranges in focus from archaeology to evolution and primate studies, to linguistics, and to observation of current cultural practices. Methodologically, it may include any combination of lab work, library and archival research, and fieldwork. The materials vary significantly, including visual records such as film and photography, sound recordings, ancient artifacts, dusty notebooks, digital records, and biological materials. In practice it is highly interdisciplinary, intersecting with biology, political science, geography, art history, literature, religion, sociology, history, and more. Collection development for any subject can be a challenging task; anthropology, with its many subfields, may exceed the typical challenge. Whether you are brand new to anthropology, or well-versed in many of its facets, Sudden Selector’s Guide to Anthropology is designed to provide you with an access point to the diverse realms of the field and the resources that will allow you to build and maintain strong collections to serve your community, no matter where their research interests lie.

The Sudden Selector’s series is designed to help library workers become acquainted with the tools, resources, individuals, and organizations that can assist in developing collections in new or unfamiliar subject areas. This guide is designed to facilitate collection development processes in two ways: it is a bibliography of resources and can be used as a mini-course in anthropology librarianship.