UF LIBRARIES

The libraries of the University of Florida (UF Libraries) form the largest information resource system in the state of Florida and include seven libraries. Six are in the system known as the George A. Smathers Libraries, and one (the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center) is part of the College of Law. The University of Florida Gator1 card provides access to library services at all libraries.

All of the libraries serve the entire community, but each has a special mission to be the primary support of specific colleges, degree programs and research initiatives. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of research, scholars may find collections held in one library to serve a specific discipline or constituency to be of great importance to their own research in a different field.

The Smathers Libraries home page offers a wealth of information about the libraries and links to a vast array of resources. Print and electronic collections can be accessed through the library catalog as well as through general and subject-specific databases. Library Guides are available by subject and topic to assist with the location and use of appropriate resources. Many online resources can be accessed both on and off campus. Print materials not available locally can be quickly located and borrowed through Interlibrary Loan. Reference service is available in each library as well as via phone, email and chat. All of the libraries provide special services to help students and faculty with disabilities.

The Libraries participate in UBorrow which allows users to request materials through the online library catalog directly from participating libraries in the State University System (SUS) and the Florida College System (FCS). If a book is unavailable in the University of Florida collection but is available elsewhere in the SUS or FCS, the UBorrow icon will appear on the library catalog search page. Clicking this link will take users to the statewide catalog, where they can provide their library credentials, and specify a pickup site. UBorrow loans usually arrive within a few days. This unmediated borrowing service creates a virtual statewide library of over 16 million items.

The Smathers Libraries’ hours are at the top of the homepage. Hours differ for each library building.

Lactation Rooms are located in Library West (second floor), Marston Science Library (third floor) and the Education Library (first floor). The key can be requested at the Information Desk in each of these libraries. Gender Neutral/Family Restrooms are located in Library West (second floor), Marston Science Library (first floor) Smathers Library (second floor) and the Education Library (first floor).

Workstations in UF libraries provide access to the whole array of electronic resources and services, most of which can be accessed from a classroom, office, lab or any other on-campus location with access to the UF network as well. Licensing for library databases, e-journals and e-books restricts off-campus access to staff, students, and faculty. Instructions for remote access are available.

Library orientation programs are offered at the beginning of each term. In addition, instruction and liasion librarians will work with faculty and teaching assistants to develop and present course-specific library instruction sessions for their students. Subject specialists, who work closely with faculty and graduate students to select materials for the collections, also advise graduate students and other researchers who need specialized bibliographic knowledge to define local and global information resources available to support specific research. The Academic Research & Consulting Services, known as ARCS, is comprised of functional specialists who offer unique expertise and services to support research activities in all disciplines, through data collection to dissemination of results to evaluation of outputs to archiving.

Library West houses most of the humanities and social science collections; professional collections in support of business, health and human performance, journalism and public relations; as well as the circulating collections for African Studies, Asian Studies, and the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica. Library West offers 200 public computers, a KIC Bookeye high speed scanner, 18 group study rooms and 39 individual graduate study carrels that are assigned for the academic year. Priority is given to those graduate students completing doctoral dissertations in the humanities or social sciences. An online application form is available. In addition, the sixth floor of Library West is a study area reserved for graduate students. Access is provided after students register at the Circulation Desk.

Marston Science Library houses collections in agriculture, life sciences, engineering and physical sciences. The first floor Collaboration Commons includes a multipurpose conference room with a multi-touch visualization wall. It is also the location for the MADE@UF lab, a collaboration space created by the Libraries and Academic Technology to be used for creative activities such as mobile app development, and other “maker” initiatives including virtual and augmented reality. Marston offers more than 130 public computers, 24 study rooms, a KIC Bookeye high speed scanner, 3D printing services (including printers you can borrow), and both quiet and collaborative study spaces.

Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) serve the academic, research and clinical information needs of the Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, Health Professions and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the affiliated research institutes, hospitals and clinics. The library in Gainesville is located in the Communicore. The Veterinary Medicine Education Center in the College of Veterinary Medicine Building, while not a branch library, is supported by the HSCL. The Gainesville location has 160 public computers, including 26 big screen monitors, 18 individual study and 14 group study rooms. A 24/7 space is available with preapproved Gator 1 card access. The Borland Library serves UF Health Jacksonville. The library has 24 public computers, a practice/large group study room and 24 individual carrels. The HSCL was an early leader among health sciences libraries in providing liaison librarian services, is integrated into the curricula of the health science colleges and collaborates with faculty in the provision of instruction and on other projects. Librarians at the HSCL also provide clinical rounding, basic bioinformatics, data management support and systematic review services.

Smathers Library (formerly known as Library East) holds the Latin American and Caribbean Collection, the Map & Imagery Library and Special and Area Studies Collections, including rare books and manuscripts, the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, P. K. Yonge Library of Florida History, and the University Archives (custodian of the University’s historically significant public records including the administrative files of its past presidents). It also is the location of the Grand Reading Room (the original library), the Judaica Suite (a beautiful multipurpose space that houses about 8,000 rare and non-circulating books from the Price Library of Judaica), and the Panama Canal Gallery.

Architecture & Fine Arts Library, located on the second floor in Fine Arts Building A, holds research materials in architecture, art, art history, historic preservation, interior design, landscape architecture, museum studies and music, with key resources for building construction and urban & regional planning. In addition to bound volumes (books, journals, musical scores), the library holds over 12,000 sound and video recordings. Special equipment available to users includes multi-format audio listening equipment, scanners for documents up to 18x24” and a 3D scanner. Tripods, small video cameras and digital projectors are available for checkout. The library’s mid-century interior, with its 20-ft high ceiling reading room and double-decker carrels is a popular destination for quiet study.

The Education Library, located in Norman Hall, holds education, child development, higher education, school psychology and school counseling collections. In addition to electronic and print research materials, there are other specialized collections such as the Children’s and Young Adult Literature Collection and the K-12 Textbook Collection. The library has 44 public computers, seven group study rooms, 3D printing and a KIC Bookeye high speed scanner. A makerspace includes die cuts for students to create visual learning aids for K-12 education.

Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center holds resources for law and related social sciences with over 595,000 volumes and equivalents. It is named in honor of the former governor and senator and housed in a completely renovated facility. The Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center occupies the bottom three floors of Holland Hall with computer support on the top floor. The facility includes 13 student study rooms, a lactation/meditation room, lounge seating, open reserve area, and carrels, as well as a beautiful rare book room.

UF Digital Collections (UFDC) comprise a constantly growing collection of digital resources from the University of Florida’s library collections, as well as partner institutions. The collection hosts more than 300 outstanding digital collections, containing nearly 14 million pages, covering over 78,000 subjects in rare books, manuscripts, antique maps, children’s literature, newspapers, theses and dissertations, data sets, photographs, oral histories and more, for permanent access and preservation. Among the preeminent collections in UFDC are the Florida Digital Newspaper Library and the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC).

Offsite Storage Facilities near the Gainesville Regional Airport offer an extensive collection of federal government documents as well as other low use books and journals. The 2.2 million items located in the facilities can be requested through the catalog.

UF RESOURCES

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