Surfing America’s Great Libraries
by Mark J. Drozdowski
America is blessed with some of the world’s great libraries. And nowadays, thanks to advances in technology, many of them have catalogued their collections on-line, giving teachers and scholars access to vast arrays of information. But just how useful are these top libraries’ Web sites?
To answer that question, I took an on-line excursion to five leading libraries. I viewed the sites from a faculty member’s perspective but also as someone who might just like to enjoy what each offers. I visited the two top public institutions and three premier academic ones and, not surprisingly, discovered varying levels of utility and visual appeal.
Here, then, is what I found. Enjoy the tour.
Library of Congress
Location: Washington, DC
Founded: 1800
Mission: To “make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.”
Distinction: The world’s largest library
Holdings: 128 million items (including 29 million books and other printed materials, 2.7 million recordings, 12 million photographs, 4.8 million maps, 57 million manuscripts)
Web Address: lcweb.loc.gov
Annual Hits: Over 2.5 billion
Navigation: Although the home page appears compressed, content is clearly organized and categorized by user (e.g. researchers, families, teachers). Secondary pages are more developed and easier to read, and multimedia presentations load quickly.
Main Electronic Database: Library of Congress Online Catalog
Restrictions: Open to all taxpayers
Fun Fact: The LOC has 530 miles of bookshelves, so don’t get lost in the stacks.
Special Features: Billing itself as “more than a library,” the LOC is home to the U.S. Copyright Office and THOMAS (named for Mr. Jefferson, an original LOC supporter), which contains transcriptions of all House and Senate proceedings.
Don’t Miss: “America’s Story,” where you can meet amazing Americans, jump back in time, explore the states, and join America at play.
Relevance to Faculty: A seemingly endless array of information, all free and clearly organized.
Visit the “Learning Page,” which contains lesson plans and syllabi on dozens of topics. History faculty will find a smorgasbord of digitized photos, videos, maps and print documents in the “American Memory” section. Resources date back to the 1400s. The “Global Gateway” offers materials on world cultures. Also see special exhibitions (e.g. “The Dream of Flight”; “Voices from the Days of Slavery”).
Interlibrary Loan: Yes, up to 60 days.
On-line Reference Services: Chat live on-line with an LOC librarian or ask reference questions via email. Librarians will provide basic research assistance on various topics.
New York Public Library
Location: Four research libraries in Manhattan and 85 branches throughout the city
Founded: 1895
Mission: “It is everyone’s university; the scholar’s and author’s haven; the statesman’s, scientist’s, and businessman’s essential resource; the nation’s memory.”
Distinction: Largest public library this side of the LOC; third largest library in America
Holdings: 42 million items, including almost 15 million books
Web Address: http://www.nypl.org (Web site includes 13,666 pages, 61,000 images and 350 electronic databases)
Annual hits: 10 million
Navigation: An unattractive, text-driven home page fronts secondary pages featuring more colorful elements. Content dominates presentation.
Main Electronic Database: CATNYP (Catalog of the New York Public Library) for the research libraries.
Restrictions: You’ll need a free ACCESS card to view special collections in-house. Many online databases are restricted to card holders.
Fun Facts: Home to vaporous apparitions before someone called the Ghostbusters. And according to its Web site, the library’s collections contributed to the splitting of the atom and to the creation of the Xerox photocopying machine.
Special Features: Offers adult instruction in computer use, stock portfolios and small business management. The branch libraries include the Andrew Heiskell Braille & Talking Book Library, a virtual reference community for the visually impaired.
Don’t Miss: “On-Lion, ” a virtual exploration of various topics geared for children.
Relevance to Faculty: The Digital Gallery provides access to thousands of images and videos on such topics as African American women writers, the American West, and the performing arts. Other electronic resources include categorized links to databases on art and architecture, business and industry, education, medicine, history, literature, media, science and technology, and social sciences.
Interlibrary Loan: Offers NYPL Express, a fee-based document delivery service.
On-line Reference Services: Chat live with a librarian on-line during business hours (in English or Spanish). You can also opt to complete an electronic reference form.
Harvard University Libraries
Location: Cambridge, MA
Main Library: Widener, the largest of Harvard’s some 90 libraries
Founded: University, 1636; Widener, 1915
Distinction: World’s biggest university library
Holdings: 14 million items
Web Address: lib.harvard.edu
Navigation: Mostly text-driven presentation, but organized well, and especially useful for researchers. Secondary pages, featuring individual libraries, are more attractive.
Main Electronic Database: HOLLIS (Harvard Online Library Information Service). Other databases include the Baker Online Catalog (business school) and OASIS (for archival and manuscript collections).
Restrictions: Some buildings are open to the public, but most services are restricted to Harvard faculty, staff, students and alumni.
Fun Facts: Widener Library was established by Eleanor Elkins Widener as a memorial to her son, Harry, Class of 1907, an “enthusiastic young bibliophile” who perished aboard the Titanic.
Special Features: Lists just about every journal available, including those in electronic format. Also, visit the online Harvard Geospatial Library for a virtual tour of the world’s geography. And if you’re into botany, check out all the free stuff at the Arnold Arboretum’s library site.
Don’t Miss: The law school library’s online tour of the War Crimes Trials at Nuremberg.
Relevance to Faculty: Anyone can search HOLLIS, one of the most comprehensive academic databases in the world, and obtain materials through interlibrary loan. You can also find bibliographic information categorized by academic discipline (see “Subject Research Guides”).
Online Reference Services: Yes, but only for Harvard affiliates.
University of California-Berkeley
Location: Berkeley, CA
Main Library: “The Library” comprises three units: Doe, Moffitt and Bancroft Libraries.
Founded: University, 1868; first library, 1911
Distinction: Rated the top public-university library in America
Holdings: Over 9 million volumes
Web Address: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu
Navigation: Very logical organization with some attractive graphics. Secondary pages can be text-heavy, but special collections are nicely presented.
Main Electronic Database: Pathfinder
Restrictions: Preferences given to UC students, faculty and staff, and to various “institutional affiliates.” California residents can purchase a card conferring borrowing privileges.
Fun Facts: Holds the country’s largest collection of Egyptian papyri: 35,000 fragments dating from 300 B.C. to 300 A.D., many of which you can view online. Also houses the personal papers of Mark Twain.
Special Features: Online exhibits on anthropology, California grizzlies, biotechnology, Asian studies and Native Americans.
Don’t Miss: The Free Speech Movement Digital Archive, a multimedia presentation of the student protests during the 1960s. If you find yourself on campus, visit the Free Speech Movement Café for organic epicurean delights.
Relevance to Faculty: Although some electronic resources, such as journals and abstracts, are restricted to UC affiliates, many are available to anyone. You can also search Pathfinder for no charge. And if you teach in California, you may qualify for special privileges.
Online Reference Services: Yes, but only for Berkeley affiliates.
Center for Research Libraries
Location: Near the University of Chicago campus
Founded: 1949
Mission: “…to support advanced research and teaching in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences by ensuring the survival and availability of the knowledge resources vital to those activities.”
Distinction: A consortium of 200 North American universities, colleges, and independent research libraries, the CRL “acquires and preserves newspapers, journals, documents, archives, and other traditional and digital resources for research and teaching and makes them available to member institutions through interlibrary loan and electronic delivery.”
Holdings: About 4 million items
Web Address: http://wwwcrl.uchicago.edu
Navigation: Logical but unattractive. Dominated by text, with plenty of Shakespearean goose-turd green.
Main Electronic Database: CRL Catalog, containing information on 600,000 titles
Restrictions: Scholars and researchers from member institutions have free and unlimited use of CRL collections through interlibrary loan. If your institution is not a member, you can pay to use the collections.
Fun Facts: None (the University of Chicago outlawed fun years ago).
Distinct Features: Contains a database of 750,000 foreign dissertations, serial titles from the states of the former Soviet Union, and microform collections on Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Don’t Miss: The Digital South Asia Library and the 1848 Project, an online exhibit of the French Revolution of that year.
Relevance to Faculty: The CRL catalog allows free online searches, and you can view some projects online. Other benefits apply mainly to faculty among the 200 member institutions.
Interlibrary Loan: Non-member libraries are allowed 10 filled requests per year. The CRL lends only to other libraries, not to individuals.
Online Reference Services: None
