Graduate Student Guide to Columbia's Libraries

Columbia University Libraries is one of the top ten academic library systems in the nation, with 9.3 million volumes, 80,000 print and electronic journal titles, 700 databases, and extensive collections of manuscripts, rare books, microforms and other non-print material.Your Columbia photo ID provides access to and borrowing from 25 libraries at Columbia and its affiliated institutions.

Many of our services, as well as our electronic resources, are accessible both on and off campus through the Libraries' Website, using your network ID (UNI) and password. Keeping the following tips in mind will greatly enhance your use of these resources.

Mine the Rich Resources Accessible on the Libraries' Website.

The Libraries have assembled a set of electronic resources of considerable breadth and depth, with near comprehensive coverage of the literature in some key areas, well over 50,000 electronic journal titles, and growing collections of digital images, statistics, and music. Move beyond the resources with which you are already familiar and you will likely make some exciting new discoveries. Start your exploration at:

www.columbia.edu/library

Ask a Librarian.

You don't need to go it alone with our rich but complex collections. Reference librarians and subject specialists across the libraries are waiting to receive your questions (and suggestions) at reference desks, over the phone, through email, or in an online chat session. Use Ask Us menu on the Libraries' Website or the two links below to reach a reference librarian or retrieve our list of subject specialists.

www.columbia.edu/library/ask
www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/services/colldev/liaisons.html

Expand Your Skills with a Library Workshop.

At first glance, the array of online sources can seem bewilderingly diverse, but if you learn a few basic principles, all databases quickly become easier to use. Master these and more advanced software skills painlessly by taking advantage of an ongoing series of library classes and workshops.See the full list at:

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/services/workshops/index.html

Schedule a Consultation.

A number of libraries offer in-depth, individual research consultations for scholars engaged in major projects. See the Ask Us menu for detail, or go to the online form at:

http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve/lweb0094

Start with CLIO, but Don’t Stop There.

Beyond our primary online catalog, CLIO, specialized or older material may also be found by searching Pegasus (Law School), EDUCAT (Teachers College), Aleph (Jewish Theological Seminary), and the main card catalog in Butler 310. For all but the card catalog, see the Catalogs menu or go to:

www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/catalogs/

Become Acquainted with Our Special Collections.

The Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Oral History Research Office, and special collections at the Starr East Asian Library, the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, and the Columbia University Archives contain countless unique treasures. You may well find many of the primary source materials you need for advanced research right here on campus.

www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/libraries.html

Use Document Delivery to Reach Beyond Our Collections.

When Columbia doesn't have what you need, Borrow Direct allows you to search and request items online from six other IIvy League schools (with a turnaround of just about four days), Interlibrary Loan offers an even broader range of online borrowing services for articles, books, and more, and Science Fast Track can help you get articles from science journals not held locally.

www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/requestit/

Visit Our Neighbors.

New York City is home to a host of world-class research institutions, whose collections are open to the public or accessible through the Metro Program. Your Columbia ID also enables you to visit the libraries and browse the collections of most of our Ivy League neighbors.

Manage Your Access to Library Materials Online.

Use CLIO’s My Library Account to check your circulation records, renew books, place requests for searches, holds, recalls, processing of uncataloged items, and much more. Use Request It to recommend books for purchase, to report difficulties in connecting to a resource, or to access other services.

http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AMS3996
www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/requestit/

Use the Special-Format Services of the EDS, ETS, Butler Media, the Music Library, and Microforms.

The Electronic Data Service (EDS, 201 International Affairs) offers a broad range of electronic numerical data and tools for statistical analysis and GIS (Geographical Information Systems). The Electronic Text Service (ETS, 305 Butler) has extensive holdings of electronic source texts, scanning facilities, and software tools for text creation and analysis. The Butler Media Center (208b Butler) has an expansive collection of U.S. and foreign films in VHS and DVD formats with equipment for viewing and editing. The Music Library (701 Dodge) includes extensive holdings of recorded music with facilities for listening, study, and editing And a wealth of published and primary-source material can be accessed in the Libraries’ extensive microfilm collections, divided among the various libraries. See:

www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/libraries.html

Let EndNote and RefWorks Help You Manage Your Citations.

These powerful software packages for downloading bibliographic citations, managing them in a personal database, and inserting citations in your writing or producing bibliographies in a variety of styles are available to you free of charge. You can download or link to them at:

www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/help/howto/endnote/

Consider an Extended CUIT Account.

To take fuller advantage of campus computing resources, you may want to upgrade your basic CUIT account to an extended one. A fee of $35 per semester expands your network storage space from 20MB to 40MB and your weekly printing allotment on the University’s networked printers from 20 to 100 sheets.

http://uni.columbia.edu/

Your Comments Are Extremely Valuable To Us.

We encourage your input about services and collections to help us improve our ability to meet your library and information needs. Please contact us by using the online suggestion form at:

www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/help/suggestions.html

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