Library Collections

Bailey Library has a variety of book and other material collections. Descriptions are below.

Bound Journals and Periodicals

About this collection: Any print journal or other periodical the library possesses is eventually bound and moved to the Bailey Library's Bound Journal collection. This material cannot be browsed by SRU students and other members of the SRU Community, but the collection's materials can still be requested and viewed. Firrst, search the Library's Catalog and Discovery Search to see if the library has the issue of the journal you want. To retrieve a journal, go to the library's Circulation Desk with the name of the journal, and any other bibliographic information (volume, issue number, year, month, etc.) related to the issue you need to retrieve. Library staff will retrieve the journal for you to view.

Location: 1st Floor Research Services, Bailey Library (Current Print materials dating back to last year) - Library Basement (All other print periodicals - note that access is restricted to library employees only.)

Can items from this collection be loaned?: No. Items can be requested and viewed in the library, however. Copies of sections can be scanned or otherwise digitized as long as their use complies with copyright law.

Questions? Contact:

The subject librarian for the journal or periodical you're interested in. A list of librarians and their specialties, as well as how to contact them, is available via the Ask A Librarian Portal.

Heather Getsay
Acquisitions Librarian
724.738.2665
heather.getsay@sru.edu

Kathy Manning
Library Staff
724.738.4458
kathleen.manning@sru.edu

Government Documents

About this collection: This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law (Title 44, United States Code). The United States Government is committed to providing information on its programs and services to the American public; one way in which it does this is through the Federal Depository Library Program. Bailey Library is one of nearly 1,400 libraries throughout the United States to be designated a depository library and receive regular shipments of select federal documents.

Bailey Library is also a selective depository for documents from the Pennsylvania State Government. This collection, which contains such items as the state budget and various agency reports and statistics, is much smaller than the federal collection. Records for this collection are also found in the library catalog.

Bailey Library patrons will find government information linked from the library's catalog or on the Government Documents and Information LibGuide.

Location: Library Basement - Must be accompanied by a library staff member to browse collection.

Can items from this collection be loaned?: Yes

Heather Getsay
Acquisitions Librarian
724.738.2665
heather.getsay@sru.edu

Instructional Materials Center (IMC)

About this collection: The Instructional Materials Center (IMC) provides resources and materials to support the education and training of students enrolled in the College of Education. Over 10,000 audiovisual materials and approximately 30,000 children's books can be used for curriculum planning, the preparation and presentation of lessons, and the assessment of pupils. Our collection also contains hundreds of classroom activity kits for lesson planning and teaching. Consult the library staff or in particular the IMC's student worker for assistance. Unlike the bulk of the library's collections, the Dewey Decimal System is used to classify and locate items in this collection. Audiovisual materials and kits and games are located according to a number retrievable via the Library Catalog and Discovery Search.

Location: 2nd Floor, Bailey Library

Can items from this collection be loaned?: Yes. Materials from the IMC can be checked out in the same way that materials from the library's Main Collection may be checked out.

Questions? Contact:

Jessica Jordan
Education and Assessment Librarian
724.738.2663
jessica.jordan@sru.edu

Main Collection

About this collection: Bailey Library holds hundreds of thousands of books in its main collection - organized by the Library of Congress classification system. This collection is continually developed with a focus on the academic disciplines and fields of study needed by the SRU Community, with a particular focus on meeting the library and research needs of the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty populations at SRU. Collection development and management in each subject falls to the Library Faculty members responsible for each subject. They work in collaboration with the academic department faculty to continue to develop the collection. This collection is organized by the Library of Congress classification system - titles with call numbers beginning with A-C are on the 2nd floor, while all other titles are on the 3rd floor.

Location: 2nd and 3rd Floors, Bailey Library

Can items from this collection be loaned?: Yes. All items in the main collection are available for loan.

Questions? Contact:

The subject librarian for the materials that you're interested in via the Ask A Librarian Portal,

Kathy Manning
Library Technician
724.738.4458
Kathleen.manning@sru.edu

Reading Room

About this collection: The Reading Room, located on the third floor lobby of the library, is a quiet place to read or browse a small collection of popular books in a comfortable setting. The books in the Reading Room are selected based on currency and appeal to both the academic community as well as the general public. So selection goes beyond just the most popular best sellers to newer books on diverse topics.Current audiobooks are also maintained here. Approximately 150 books are added to the collection throughout the year and users are encouraged to browse the collection frequently. This collection is organized by author last name.

Location: 3rd Floor Lobby, Bailey Library

Can items from this collection be loaned?: Yes.

Questions? Contact:

Charlynn Seidel
Library Technician
724.738.2640
charlynn.seidel@sru.edu

Reference Collection

About this collection: Bailey Library's reference collection is located on the 1st floor of Bailey Library in the Research Services Room. It consists primarily of current dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, handbooks, style guides, writing manuals, and other materials valuable for quickly acquiring some knowledge about a matter or topic. Like the library's main collection, it is organized by the Library of Congress classification system.

Location: 1st Floor, Bailey Library

Can items from this collection be loaned?: No - items in the reference collection do not circulate. However, copiers and scanners are available so that users can record some of the information they may be consulting the reference materials for - provided it falls within current copyright laws and restrictions.

Questions? Contact:

Heather Getsay
Acquisitions Librarian
724.738.2665
heather.getsay@sru.edu

Special Collections

About this collection: The Special Collections unit of Bailey Library collects, preserves, describes, and makes available library material whose condition requires special handling. Such conditions may include rarity, age, historical value, monetary value, delicate condition, and unusual format.

Special Collections materials are primarily paper-based, but other media are also included if they meet collecting or service objectives. Materials in Special Collections are included in the library's online catalog and are subject to the Special Collections Usage Policy.

Special Collections contains several distinct collections. For additional details, visit the Special Collections page.

Location: 3rd Floor, Bailey Library

Can items from this collection be loaned?: No. Because of their rarity, value, or condition, Special Collections materials are, with rare exceptions, used only in the library under staff supervision. These resources ares not available for inter-library loan. Materials might be loaned to other institutions for display purposes only, by special arrangement with the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Integrated Learning. Special Collections material is available on site to all researchers.

For additional details about Special Collections, visit the Archives and Special Collections web site.

Questions about this collection? Contact:

Judy Silva
Fine and Performing Arts Librarian / Archivist
310 Bailey Library
724.738.2658
judith.silva@sru.edu

Kevin McLatchy
Library Staff
316 Bailey Library
724.738.2635
kevin.mclatchy@sru.edu

Jared Negley
Library Staff
317 Bailey Library
724.738.4295
jared.negley@sru.edu

Welcome to the Slippery Rock University Website

Accessibility Navigation:

About Us

Library Collections

About Us

Contact Information