The Library has a long tradition of maximizing access to acquired materials. All materials, including ephemera, are fully cataloged and retained in the collection for their primary research value. As a result the Library abounds with rare, hard-to-find items that are readily accessible through the Library's catalogs. In addition, from its inception the Library has selectively indexed articles from journals and newsletters. Indexing is reserved for articles especially relevant to the subject strengths of the collection that are not likely to be indexed elsewhere. Records for indexed articles appear in the Library's catalogs.
MELVYL Catalog:
1983-
Author card catalog:
1918-1983
Subject card catalog:
1978-1983
Subject book catalog:
1918-1977
The Library's catalogs are a mix of online, card and book catalogs covering different time periods. The MELVYL Catalog, the University's online public access catalog, is the current catalog for all material cataloged since 1983. The table below provides more information on the coverage of the catalogs:
Off-Site Catalog Access
The Library's online catalog records and book catalog may be accessed off-site:
Subject Catalog, 1918-1977. This book catalog, published by the G.K. Hall Company, is available at several campus locations and at major research libraries around the country. It consists of a 26-volume set for the years 1918-1970 and a five-volume supplement for the years 1970-1977.
MELVYL. This public online catalog includes the holdings of the multi-campus University of California system and the State Library in Sacramento.
OCLC. The Library is a member of this national automated cataloging network. All material cataloged since early 1983 is accessible through through WorldCat (UC-only link!), a database of OCLC's FirstSearch online reference service.
Subject Headings
Since 1978 the Library has used standard Library of Congress subject headings. The 1918-1977 book catalog uses an in-house subject heading list characterized by broad headings and unusual filing arrangements. Book catalog users should not hesitate to ask for assistance.