Keywords obesity, eating disorders, public health
The study of obesity is a relatively new academic eld and is dramatically interdisciplinary in nature. Therefore resources about obesity are scattered throughout the library: they will include the medical texts that explore the biology of obesity, obesity as a pathology, or as a cause of pathology. Related to the eld of medicine, but not identical to it, are materials that address obesity as a public health issue, examining why some ethnicities and social classes are more prone to obesity than others. There are also approaches to obesity from the vantage point of the food sciences and nutrition studies, very much involved with the chemistry of foods. The social sciences also have an interest in the eld: whether as a psychological issue or sociology, thus there are specialists in eating disorders from several vantage points. Some of the sociological perspectives address the stigma and the politics of obesity. We also nd that obesity is addressed by the humanities: we have many studies these days on the cultural practices that create obesity, but one is just as lik
ely to nd such a study looking at the history of obesity. There are legal examinations of the issue: remember the recent and landmark case in which a child was removed from his parentΒs home because they could not bring his weight under control or questions of fast food vendors legal liability for the health effects of their products on consumers. For purposes of the community or junior college, a collection neednt provide the specialist materials within all these disciplines. But it should provide two elements, the rst being several kinds of reference materials, whether for the general studies student learning basics in order to enhance an overall knowledge base, or for the student who intends to pursue one of the disciplines that lie within obesity studies. The second element that a community college library should possess is a host of broader materials that place the discussion of obesity within a larger cultural framework. This overview is divided into two major sections, the rst is reference materials, and the second is a list of useful and current monographs that discuss the wider implications of obesity.