Tour of Knight Library - UO students, faculty & staff

General Information

Largest library facility in Oregon
2.7 million volumes – lots of stuff to help you ace your courses
Great staff to help you find things you need
Includes books, government information, sound recordings, videos, unique collections
Lots of great electronic information – can access from off-campus too
Also have fun books such as fiction, hot topics
Named for the Knight family (Phil Knight of Nike)
Six other libraries: Architecture and Allied Arts, Science, Math, Law, Oregon Institute for Marine Biology on the south coast, & the Portland branch

Much of the artwork funded by Oregon law which requires that 1% of the money for state construction projects to be used for artwork
Glass stair lights in stairwell. The stair step lights represent portraits of literary figures, library patrons and characters from literature and history.

Materials placed on reserve for your course by your professor
Reserve items have short loan periods, which are indicated in the catalog
Electronic reserves through the library's web site
6,000 videos – many documentaries, foreign films, etc
Viewing stations are available in the reading room or can take out. Also group rooms

Lots of computers with word processing, desktop publishing, etc. (UO email address required)
Expert research help in person, via email, phone, or IM
Major area for humanities & social sciences research
Largest concentration of computers for library research & many software programs
Reference books can also help you find facts and background for research papers
Handouts & maps for basic introduction: At a Glance & Find it Fast

Designed for group work
Computers with word processing, desktop publishing, etc. (UO email address required)
Some scanners
Laptop checkout (four hours)
Presentation practice room (get key from checkout desk)

Library Catalog (most of the books, journals, and other types of materials that the library owns)
Order books from Summit (33 academic libraries in NW) which arrive in two days
Academic databases – important for your research (use these instead of the free Web)
Electronic reserves
Reserve a study room
Guides to doing research in your subject

U.S. government is the largest publisher in the world, many topics covered
Other agencies: State of Oregon, United Nations, European Union, & World Trade Organization
Business reference collection
Maps and atlases
Biggest aerial photography collection in Oregon
Useful for majors in business, economics, journalism, political science, and public policy
Much of this collection is not in the library catalog. Get help at the Document Center reference desk

Oregon newspapers from 1800s - present
Some national and international newspapers (more available electronically – see reference librarian)
Primary sources: Black Abolitionist Papers, American Women's Diaries, Underground Newspapers
Microfilm lasts 250 years, computer storage devices last 10-15 years at most
Staff can assist with finding and viewing the microfilm

Current print journals, magazines and newspapers (increasingly there is electronic access to current journals & newspapers) - Arranged by subject (call number order)
Older issues are in the main bookshelves under the same call number
100 current Oregon newspapers, major US newspapers, some international
Periodicals and newspapers cannot be checked out of the library
Photocopiers on each floor of the library: $.08/page with Campus Cash, or $.10/page with coin

Knight Library has the equivalent of over 27 miles of books
Most of the books that you can check out begin on 2nd floor and continue through the 4th floor
Arranged by subject (in call number order)
Each range has signs on the ends to help you find the book you're looking for
Research libraries use a different system for organizing the books than the public library's dewey decimal system. Research libraries use the Library of Congress system which has a different letter for each different subject area

Books and journals written in Chinese, Japanese and Korean on all topics, including literature

Word processing, desktop publishing, multimedia, and graphics production
21-station classroom and about 60 networked PCs, printers, scanners, and some printed resources.
Sign up for computers in advance (there is a sign-up sheet next to each one), or take your chances and just show up. Be forewarned: it can get very busy here
Open when the library is open, including breaks & 24/7 during finals

Last Modified: 09/25/2007