Brief Descriptions of Collections

Knight Library Collections

Current Periodicals & Newspapers

Current Periodicals contains unbound issues of both popular magazines and academic periodicals and journals. Current newspapers from Oregon and major cities in the United States and abroad are also available in this area, located on the second floor.

Curriculum Collection

Located on the third floor, the Curriculum Collection is a research collection which houses textbooks used in elementary and secondary classrooms.

Asian Collection

This collection of more than 164,000 books and 800 current periodicals, written in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese, covers many aspects of culture and life in Asia. The major emphasis is on language and literature from ancient to modern times, history, government, and art. Material is listed in the library catalog, with titles in roman alphabet and vernacular scripts.  

Government Documents

The Documents Collection, located on the first floor, includes over 331,000 publications of government agencies of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the state of Oregon, and cities and counties of Oregon. It also contains official records of international organizations such as the United Nations and European Communities.

Media Services

Located on the ground floor, Media Services offers a diverse selection of production and consultation services for classroom projects and instruction. Faculty and students can check out equipment, can access professional equipment and software, as well as receive instruction and consultation from experienced staff.

McKnight Juvenile Collection

Maintained for research on children's literature, the McKnight Juvenile Collection contains books written for the preschool to young adult reader. This collection is located on the Library's third floor.

Microforms Collection

Most of the Library's 1.2 million microfiche and microfilm are housed in the Microforms Department on the first floor. The collection includes microfilmed newspapers and periodicals, college catalogs, corporation annual reports, and government archival materials.

Music Services

Located on the third floor, Music Services contains music reference materials, scores, books, current and bound periodicals, and composer's collected editions. The Douglas Listening Room houses most of the recordings (LPs, compact discs, cassettes, and reel-to-reels) held by the Knight Library.

Special Collections

Housed separately from the general collection in the Knight Library, Special Collections includes the following departments:

Oregon Collection: The Oregon Collection brings together a wealth of material about Oregon and its peoples. In addition to highlighting regional and local histories, the Oregon Collection also contains the works of Oregon authors.

Rare Book Collection: The Rare Book Collection contains medieval manuscripts, early printed books, fine press books, and important works through the twentieth century.

Manuscripts Collection: Along with the personal papers of prominent Oregonians such as the late Senator Wayne Morse, this collection includes the archives of individuals, organizations, and businesses active both within and beyond the state's borders. Major areas of significant collection strength include the conservative and libertarian movement, 20th century U.S. authors and illustrators for children, Christian missionaries in China, Esperanto, Oriental art and literature, Zeppelins, and western writers. Special finding aids to the collection can help you locate items.

Photograph Collection: The Library has a significant collection of historic photographs and negatives depicting views and subjects ranging from Appalachia to the Arctic, but with the emphasis on the Pacific Northwest.

Archives: Located in Fenton Hall, the University Archives contains records of the University of Oregon dating from 1872, several thousand photographs and negatives, audio tapes and other memorabilia reflecting history and events connected to the University.

Video Collection

The UO Library has about 7,500 items in video format (videotapes and and videodiscs) which cover all disciplines. Most of these materials are located in the Reserve and Video Room of the Knight Library. The 16mm film collection is housed in Media Services.

 

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Subject Libraries

 

Architecture and Allied Arts (AAA) Library

200 Lawrence Hall - 541/346-3637

The Architecture & Allied Arts Library holds more than 70,000 volumes documenting art and architecture of all time periods and all cultures, addressing the history, theory, technology, practice, and criticism of architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, arts and administration, art history, fine and applied arts, historic preservation, and urban planning.

Law Library

Law Center, 15th St. & Agate - 541/346-3088

The Law Library contains primary materials for research in U.S. federal and state law, including records and briefs of the U.S. Supreme Court, current statutes for all 50 states, and extensive holdings of law journals. The collection of 132,000 books supports research in international law and interdisciplinary studies in a number of areas, including psychology and medicine. The Law Library is also a U.S. document depository.

Map and Aerial Photography (MAP) Library

Document Center, Knight Library, First Floor - 541/346-3051

The MAP Library holds collections of 370,000 maps, 2,000 atlases, and geographic reference books. It also has a collection of over one half million aerial photographs for the State of Oregon. The MAP Library ranked as one of the top 10 map collections in the United States based on collection size.

Mathematics Library

210 Fenton Hall - 541/346-3023

The Mathematics Library contains over 25,000 books and journals in mathematics.

Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) Library

OIMB, Charleston, OR 97420 - 541/888-2581

The OIMB Library contains books and journals in marine biology and marine ecology.

Science Library

Onyx Bridge, Lower Level, between Pacific Hall and Klamath Hall - 541/346-3075

The Science Library contains 160,000 books and journals in the sciences, including astronomy, biochemistry, biology, botany, chemistry, computer science, neuroscience, geology, paleontology, physics, physiology, zoology, and some areas of materials science engineering and technology.

Visual Resources Collection

300 Lawrence Hall - 541/346-3052

The Visual Resources Collection houses 258,000 images (mainly in slide and photograph format) used for instructional purposes.

Maintained by: Betsy Kelly, libweavr@uoregon.edu