The University Library is one of the largest public university collections in the world with 11 million volumes in its 37 unit libraries. Annually, 53,000,000 people visit its online catalog.
"UGL serves as a teaching library in which students are brought into contact with a large academic library, and learn tile effective use of its resources. UGL serves not only to meet students' immediate, course-related needs but also to prepare students to use all libraries, both in future academic work, and lifelong. This teaching relationship is constructed of several elements- 1) bibliographic instruction programs; 2) reference services, in which the individual encounter results not only in obtaining specific information, but in personalized instruction in the methods of library research, and 3) a core collection of reference works, periodicals, and general monographs, with which newly imparted skills call be practiced in the context of actual course assignments. UGL's collection is large and varied enough to allow basic research, yet not so large as to overwhelm and thereby hinder the inexperienced student. It is structured to represent a research collection ill miniature, that would render library skills acquired in it readily transferable to a larger research collection. UGL serves as a bridge between the high school or public libraries, to which most entering undergraduates are accustomed, and a major research collection.
To assist quality academic preparation, the Undergraduate Library collection includes print, microform, and media materials. Physical arrangements are designed to encourage direct access to the collection, and to provide spacious and attractive study spaces. Through this arrangement, UGL seeks to encourage intellectual exploration through browsing. Long service hours are offered to maximize access."
Community Information/Statistics:
Community:
- 31,209 Undergraduates
- 10,709 Graduates/Professional Students
- 65,000 Resident Users
- 3,078 Faculty Members
- 3,967 Administrative and academic professional
- 4,609 Support staff
- 53% men
- 47% women
- 6.0% African-American
- 6.0% Latino/a
- 12.0% Asian-American
- 0.27% Native American
- 15% International
- 17 Colleges
- Over 150 majors offered
About the Collections:
"The University Library holds more than ten million volumes, more than 90,000 serial titles, and more than six million manuscripts, maps, slides, audio tapes, microforms, videotapes, laser discs, and other non-print material. Records of these collections form the bulk of the Library's Online Catalog. This catalog is part of the I-Share Online system, which links the Library to more than 80 academic libraries in Illinois. Users at these academic libraries may borrow books directly from participating libraries' collections. Nationally and internationally, the Library's collections are accessible through the OCLC online bibliographic database and the Internet."
To read more about the collection history and some of it's notable aspects, look at our history of the library page.
Selection Process:The selection development is done by each of the undergraduate librarians. Each librarian has a subject area that they must balance and maintain. The process: "Librarians select materials using a variety of sources. Choice, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, New York Review of Books, New York Times Book Review, Chronicle of Higher Education and Washington Post Book World are routed to all selectors for consultation. Librarians can request that other journals (e.g., Science, TLS etc.) be routed to them by the Periodicals Clerk for selection purposes. Publisher's announcements, catalogs, and fliers are routinely received and routed to selectors. Librarians are also encouraged to consult Forthcoming Books, ILLINET Online, and Books in Print for potential acquisitions. Selectors can also write down titles reviewed on television and radio, or recommended through personal contacts, and forward them to the Collection Development LTA for ordering."
For more information on the criteria for selection, evaluation of materials, and acquisitions, please refer to our collection description page.
