Cambridge University Library Welcome to the University Library Emma Coonan Research Skills Librarian, Cambridge University Library

Orientation This presentation should help you: Find your way around the UL building Learn about the catalogues and classmark system for our printed resources Find out about our other facilities and services

About us Major research collection: c.8m items National, Legal Deposit collection and academic library Single-copy collection Part of Cambridge library network: college, departmental, faculty libraries Some idiosyncrasies!

Catalogues Newton online catalogue: 5 million items – all academic material, plus everything from 1977 onwards Supplementary catalogues: non-academic material – ongoing re-cataloguing project Specialist Reading Room catalogues Start with

Finding your way around Morison Room

Open shelf and closed access material Open Access: over 2m items depends on physical format and content arranged by size Closed Stacks: about 5.5m items specialist, rare, fragile or valuable holdings security and conservation

Open shelf material Broadly classified by subject Distributed across 23 floors of the Library

Criminology classmarks Criminology (general): 236 – South Wing 6 Psychology: 196 – South Wing 4 Law: 250 onwards – South Front 2 Our major holdings in Law are housed in the Squire Law Library (Sidgwick Site)

Floor layout Looking for a Periodical in the Book section (or vice versa) is the most common reason for not finding what you want!

Size matters We arrange open shelf material according to size to make as much as possible open- access Books on each floor are grouped in blocks according to their ‘size letter’: a (very big), b (big), c (standard), or d (small) So a precedes b, which is followed by c, and d comes at the end

Mind the gap The catalogue showed ‘Available’ but the book is not on the shelf! It might be: In process of being reshelved Being read, or reserved, in any of 900 seats in 7 reading rooms, 23 open floors, 2 photocopying rooms …

Solutions Find a different edition in the UL’s collection Search for another copy in a Cambridge library Check to see if there’s an eBook version Keep an eye on the catalogue and recall the book if borrowed

Ordering closed-stack items Items in the closed stacks have to be ordered Fetch time is mins – sometimes less All reading rooms have order slips (not interchangeable between rooms) West Room and Reading Room material can also be ordered via the Newton catalogue: save time by ordering before you come in

Ordering closed-stack items Books fetched to the West Room must be read there - books fetched to the Reading Room may be borrowed!

Borrowing Open-shelf material (including bound periodicals) and items fetched to the Reading Room may be borrowed Take your books to the Entrance Hall to borrow You can have 10 items for 8 weeks Renew online (via Newton) once You can return books by post (best to register them)

IT services Digital Resources Area: 64 online PCs with Word, Access, Excel etc. Registration required (one-off) Printing in the 10p/sheet Wireless available in Reading Rooms and Tea Room (with Raven password)

IT services

Other services Photocopying: Self-service (requires DRA account and credit) Imaging Services: advice and staffed service Inter-Library Loans (Commonwealth Room): £3 charge to university members - pay in advance in person Tea Room: Meals, snacks, hot and cold drinks No books!

Regulations Please leave bags in locker room (£1 coin) Please keep food or drink, including bottled water, for the Tea Room or courtyards Mobile phones OK on silent mode. Please don’t talk! (except in Tea Room and courtyards) Please don’t use scanners, cameras, MP3 players Never mark a book: fine + replacement cost Overdue charges - no upper limit

Research Skills Programme At you can … Find our timetable of subject-based sessions Book for hands-on information skills classes Request one-to-one training Download these slides and other handouts us at

Thanks for coming! Please let us know what you think … Hand in your completed evaluation forms at the Tea Room to receive a free cup of tea or coffee