The Reference Collection
The Reference Department houses the general reference collection for
the Alvin Sherman Library. The collection is located on the second floor
on the north and south sides of the reference desk. Currently numbering
13,700 print volumes and over 200 separate electronic resources, the
reference collection covers a wide range of subjects. Print and CD-ROM
reference materials may only be used in the Alvin Sherman Library. The
reference collection consists of:
- Reference books
- Ready reference materials
- Microforms
- Foundations and Grants Collection
- Electronic online resources
Reference Books
The print reference collection is arranged by the Library of Congress
classification system. The collection includes general and specialized
encyclopedias, English and foreign language dictionaries, concordances,
directories, style manuals, biographical sources, numerous current and
retrospective bibliographies, atlases, thesauri, almanacs, and indices.
Note that many of the indices have been replaced by or are now maintained
in the online databases found
in the Electronic Resources
section of our Website.
Ready Reference Materials
Ready reference includes the most frequently consulted materials in
the reference collection. Ready reference materials are located behind
the reference desk and may be used after presenting a photo ID and signing
a logbook. These materials are available during the normal reference
desk hours.
Microforms
The Reference Department oversees the microforms collection which
is located in the southwest corner (near the photocopy room) and northwest
corner (near Lab A) of the second floor of the Alvin
Sherman
Library.
The microforms collection includes the complete microfiche
collection of ERIC documents, select newspapers and journals on microfilm
or microfiche,
and Roth's Corefiche Literature Collection. In addition, there are
several special collections on microfiche. There are also
microfilm and microfiche readers/printers near the microforms
collection.
Foundations & Grants Collection
The Reference Department also houses a cooperating collection of the
national Foundation Center. This collection, known as the Foundations
and Grants Collection, includes the Foundation Directory Online database,
a core collection of Foundation Center publications, and a variety of
supplemental materials including information on scholarships. It also
houses a small circulating collection donated by the Association of
Fundraising Professionals to assist its members in becoming certified.
As part of the University's commitment to the Foundation Center, Reference
staff provides training both in groups and one-on-one for this collection.
Learn more about the Foundations
& Grants Collection.
Electronic Online Resources
Many electronic resources, including databases and citation indices,
are available on computers in the library as well as remotely. Forty
public workstations are located next to the Reference Desk where reference
librarians can assist patrons with these databases.
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