Texas A&M University Libraries

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Texas A&M University Libraries support the teaching, research, and outreach missions of Texas A&M through leadership in acquiring, managing, and delivering information in an environment that fosters learning and inquiry. In particular, Texas A&M is nationally and internationally recognized for many research collections, including:

• Engineering & Technology
• Entomology
• Military History
• Nautical Archaeology
• Naval Science
• Oceanography & Hydrology
• Range Livestock
• Science
• Science Fiction
• Transportation

The library houses over 3.6 million print volumes, including nearly 46,000 serial titles. Holdings also include approximately 233,000 maps, over 22,000 linear feet of archival and manuscript collections, 400,000 photographs, art collections, numerous artifacts, and material in virtually all forms of audiovisual media. The library also provides extensive online resources, including more than 12,500 electronic journals and newspapers, over 700 databases, and nearly 300,000 electronic books. Most databases and electronic books are available remotely to students in their dorms, faculty in their offices, or affiliated patrons working from home. Most collections are included in LibCat, the Libraries' catalog.

The library provides a number of services to support the teaching and research needs of Texas A&M students and faculty. The Evans Library Annex and the West Campus Library are open 24/5 (around the clock from 1 p.m. Sundays through 10 p.m. Fridays) to meet the needs of students who increasingly stay late to do research and reading for their classes, as well as work on projects. Wireless access is available in every library, and laptop computers can be checked out for in-library use.

DeliverEdocs offers a campus-wide document delivery service which supplies an electronic copy of journal articles, free of charge, to all affiliated library patrons. Time-saving search tools are available through SearchNow (metasearch of most electronic resources in the collection) and SFX OpenURL linking to the most appropriate full text. AskNow, an exciting new online service that makes an experienced librarian available via computer, is a great way to start a research project. Librarians are also available to teach how to use library tools and resources to individuals or groups.

Among the Texas A&M Libraries are:

• Sterling C. Evans Library and Library Annex -- The general academic library containing the bulk of the library collections and services, including access services, interlibrary loan, consolidated reference, current periodicals and course reserves, United States and Texas government documents, audiovisual and media services, reading and study rooms, the map room, and the Administrative Offices.

• Cushing Memorial Library and Archives -- Constructed in 1930, it was the first freestanding library facility on campus and is now home to special collections, rare books, and the University Archives. The collections span recorded history, from Sumerian clay tablets dating from 2400 BCE to contemporary science fiction paperbacks. These collections comprise over 22,000 linear feet of manuscript and archival material, approximately 200,000 printed volumes, 400,000 photographs, hundreds of original works of art ranging from oil paintings to pastels to sculpture, and many individual artifacts. The collections include works on paper, film, tape, CD, and other media. Collection strengths and interests of the Cushing Library include military history, science fiction, western Americana, 19th-century American prints and illustrators, modern politics, Texana, natural history, Africana, Hispanic studies, ornithology, nautical archaeology, 18th-century French history and culture, Mexican colonial history, the history of books and printing, the history of Texas A&M, and selected literary collections. Historic images and photographs of the Texas A&M community are available from the Historic Images Collection.

• Medical Sciences Library -- Located on the West campus, the Medical Sciences Library (MSL) serves as the primary library for the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, the College of Medicine, and the School of Rural Public Health. It contains more than 120,000 print volumes and over 1,600 serials titles and has its own library catalog, Chiron. Services provided include: EdNet, an electronic learning environment for medical students, and the Clinical Veterinary Librarian program, the only such program in the nation offering specialized services by medical science librarians to clinical veterinarians in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The Medical Sciences Library also contracts with the National Library of Medicine's Regional Medical Library to perform outreach services to area hospitals, clinics and practitioners.

• Policy Sciences and Economics Library -- Located at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, the Policy Sciences & Economics Library provides library resources and services to the Department of Economics, the Department of Political Science, and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service.

• Qatar Library -- Texas A&M University has initiated a program of study in the emerging nation of Qatar. A focused and growing library supports the four engineering disciplines: chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum and the liberal arts subject areas required for these degrees. In addition to managing information resources, the library provides service and support to a multinational student body and faculty researchers as well as the local community of oil/gas industry specialists. Built on the vast collection of the home campus library system, the library integrates a small but core collection of print books, journals and audiovisual materials with a large body of electronic resources.

• TxSpace: TAMU Digital Repository -- TxSpace is the Texas A&M Institutional Repository, holding collections ranging from electronic theses and dissertations to Humanities Informatics video lectures. The repository, which stores materials born in digital format, is intended to preserve and make accessible faculty research and publications. It also houses faculty manuscripts, technical reports, collections from Cushing Library including selected colonial Mexican items, and more.

• West Campus Library – Providing library resources and services to the Mays Business School, WCL offers specialized collections of current periodicals, reference works, and monographs in business and agriculture. It houses the patent and trademark depository. In addition to its collections, the WCL is open 24/5 – from 1 p.m. Sundays through 10 p.m. Fridays – to meet the needs of students who increasingly stay late to do research and reading for their classes, as well as work on projects.