Mar 19, 2024  
2016-2017 Graduate Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Libraries


The University of Houston libraries include

These libraries constitute a premier research facility with large collections in both print and electronic formats. These collections consist of more than 2,000,000 volumes, 15,000 journal and other serial subscriptions, as well as large quantities of microforms, manuscripts, maps, and other library materials.

The M.D. Anderson Library is open more than 100 hours a week. Reference service, available more than 70 hours a week, provides users with assistance in locating information and resources. Subject librarians in all major disciplines offer specialized reference and research assistance, lecture regularly to classes, and develop the library collections in their subject areas.

In the Academic Research Center on the first floor of the M.D. Anderson Library, faculty and students can use over 260 networked databases. These databases contain the full text of millions of articles, indexes to help users identify articles and reports, statistics, directories, and many other types of information. Most of the databases are available to UH students, faculty, and staff from their homes or offices. A wireless network within the M.D. Anderson Library provides access to the Internet and online library resources. Students may use their own laptop or borrow a wireless-enabled laptop to use within the library building.

The Learning Commons, also located on the first floor of the M.D. Anderson library, offers students flexible and inviting spaces for both collaborative and individual work, new opportunities for developing presentation projects, enhanced access to sophisticated computing technology and advanced applications, improved options for reserving equipment, and greater responsiveness to technical questions. This facility provides both high-end PCs and Macs. These computers feature either dual or large-screen monitors. A wide variety of software is available, e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Apple iLife Suite, Camtasia Studio, Captivate, Visual Studio, Endnote, Mathematica, Matlab, SPSS, and SAS. The Learning Commons also offers a professional-quality recording studio, large screen monitors for group work, and small group study rooms.

In addition to course-related research methods classes, librarians offer several basic classes on topics such as introductory research methods and effective Internet searching. Online tutorials and subject guides are also available through the Libraries’ Web site (info.lib.uh.edu). Other resources and services available in the M.D. Anderson Library include a 24-hour Study Lounge, a self-serve photocopying, and scanning access to the University’s CougarNet (with word processing and courseware capabilities), and a leisure reading collection of recent, popular fiction and non-fiction. Quiet study areas are available throughout the building, and there are many collaborative study rooms available for those working in groups.

The M.D. Anderson Library contains a balanced collection with particular strengths in science, engineering, education, psychology, and business. The library is a depository for both United States and Texas state documents. Extensive holdings of newspapers on microfilm include complete files of

  • the London Times,
  • the New York Times,
  • the Houston Post and Chronicle,
  • plus substantial runs of other significant national papers.

Several large sets of research materials are available on microform, such as the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) research reports in education, company 10-K and annual reports, and the papers of a number of United States presidents. The Special Collections Department of the library houses rare books, the University Archives, the Women’s Archives Research Center, manuscripts of several American authors, including Larry McMurtry, Beverly Lowry, and Fritz Leiber, and substantial collections of rare and historical works, especially in Texas history.  Other notable collections include the Hispanic archives and the Houston Hip Hop collection.  The Digital Library contains tens of thousands of images of unique items held by Special Collections.

An online library catalog provides information about the collections of the University of Houston libraries as well as those of the UH Law Library, the UH-Downtown Library, and the UH-Clear Lake Library. The online catalog may be searched from remote sites through the campus network or the Internet. University of Houston students may borrow materials from all University of Houston System libraries.

In addition to this large size and scope, the university libraries extends its collection by participating in a number of resource sharing networks. On the state level, the university’s membership in the TexShare cooperative program provides access to some of the most popular databases. Traditional collections of books and journals are available through the TexShare library card program. This allows students, faculty, and staff of the university to borrow items at over 130 libraries statewide. At a national and international level, the university’s membership in the Center for Research Libraries provides shared ownership of more than three million research materials. Online access to the cataloging records of more than 32 million items in 30,000 libraries worldwide is also available. Students may borrow materials from other research libraries in the United States and abroad through the Interlibrary loan program.

M. D. Anderson Library

Click the M.D. Anderson Library link for more information.

Dean of the Libraries: Lisa German
Senior Associate Dean: Linda Thompson
Associate Dean for Personnel, Planning & Systems: John Lehner
Associate Dean for Public Services: Marilyn Myers

Click here for a full list of librarians.  

William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library

Click the William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library link for more information.

Coordinator: Catherine Essinger

John M. O’Quinn Law Library

Click the John M. O’Quinn Law Library link for more information.

Director: Spencer Simons
Associate Director: Mon Yin Lung
School of Music Library

Click the School of Music Library link for more information.

Coordinator:  Stephanie Lewin-Lane

Weston A. Pettey Optometry Library

Click the Weston A. Pettey Optometry Library link for more information.

Coordinator: Suzanne Ferimer

Conrad N. Hilton Library

Click the Conrad N. Hilton Library link for more information.

Archivist: Mark Young