Undergraduate Catalog
2003-2005

The University of Houston libraries include

• the M.D. Anderson Library (the main library),
• the William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library,
• the O'Quinn Law Center Library,
• the Music Library,
• the Weston A. Pettey Optometry Library,
• and the Pharmacy Library.

These libraries constitute a premier research facility with collections 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 Electronic Publications Center on the first floor, faculty and students can use over 200 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 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.

Many introductory library classes and tours of the M.D. Anderson Library are offered each semester, and printed guides are available to assist library users in conducting research. Other services include a staffed area in which 8,000 current periodicals are displayed, inexpensive photocopying and word processing facilities, and an automated book check-out system. Quiet study areas are available for approximately 800 students and private study rooms are reserved for small 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 and Archives 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.

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.

Locally, the Houston Area Research Libraries Consortium (HARLiC) functions as a cooperative network by sharing research materials and services, acquiring research materials, and building a shared awareness of available resources and services.

The HARLiC member libraries are

• Rice University,
• the Texas Medical Center,
• Texas Southern University,
• the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston,
• Houston Public Library,
• Prairie View A&M,
• Texas A&M University,
• and the University of Houston.

In cooperation with the Houston Public Library, all university libraries are affiliated with the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, which houses a large collection of manuscripts, archives, and photographs pertaining to the city of Houston.

The staff of the libraries welcomes inquiries concerning library programs, resources, and services.

M. D. Anderson Library

Dean of the Libraries: Dana Rooks

Librarians: L. Patricia Bozeman, Judy Myers

Senior Associate Librarians: Charles W. Bailey, Jr., Evelyn Brass, John E. "Jeff" Fadell, Richard Guajardo, John D. Hall, Keiko Horton, Lawrence R. Keating II, Barbara Kemp, John Lehner, Carolyn Meanley, Derral Parkin, Laura M. Snyder, Robert C. Spragg, Audrey Taylor, Linda Thompson, Mary Beth Thomson

Associate Librarians: Jeffrey Bullington, Damon Camile, Jill Emery, Clara Fowler

Assistant Librarians: Andrew Darby, Richard Dickerson, Julie Grob, Diane Gwamanda, Judith Harris, Laura Koltutsky, Nancy Linden, Anne Mitchell, Ericka Patillo, Sara Ranger, J. Michael Thompson, Robert Wright

William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library

Head: Margaret Culbertson

O'Quinn Law Library

Acting Director: Michelle Wu

Senior Associate Librarians: Rod Borlase, L. Virginia Davis, Chenglin Liu, Harriet Richman, Marek B.C.M. Waterstone

Associate Librarian: Peter Engler

Assistant Librarian: Maryellen O'Brien

School of Music Library

Head: Ericka Patillo

Assistant Librarian: Tammy Ravas

Weston A. Pettey Optometry Library

Director: Suzanne Ferimer

College of Pharmacy Library

Head: Robert Wright