University Library

 

University Libraries — Knowledge Unbound!

 

Web site:  library.oakland.edu
General Information:  (248) 370-2471
Send an e-mail message to a librarian:  ref@oakland.edu

Dean:
Adriene Lim

Associate dean:
Shawn Lombardo

Assistant dean:
Linda Kreger

Director, Oakland University William Beaumont
School of Medicine Library:
Nancy Bulgarelli

Library facilities

Located in the center of campus, the Kresge Library houses collections of books, journals, reference works, government documents, musical scores and recordings, as well as a wireless network and computer workstations to access an array of digital resources. The library features seating for individual study, rooms for group work, meeting rooms, audiovisual rooms, and rooms with adaptive equipment for students with disabilities. The Café features a full range of coffee drinks, teas, and tasty and nutritious foods for on-the-go students.

The Information Commons offers a combination of PC and Mac desktop workstations, areas for wireless laptop use, breakout rooms with presentation computers and equipment, and areas with modular furniture to facilitate a flexible learning environment for research, and sharing, and creation of knowledge by students. In addition, for instructional purposes there are also two networked computers labs with 25 workstations in each. Laptop computers are available for checkout to students at the Circulation Desk.

Library collections

The Kresge Library’s collections include more than 747,000 books, electronic and print journals totaling over 40,000 titles, more than 240,000 federal and state documents, and more than 1.1 million microfilms.

The Library’s Web site and online catalog serve as gateways to well over 100 specialized and general research databases, and tens of thousands of full-text electronic journals and e-books, covering a wide range of disciplines and research areas. OneSearch, a discovery tool covering all library collections including electronic journals and books, allows for more extensive searching.

In addition to electronic reference resources, the Matilda R. Wilson Reference Collection includes atlases, bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, yearbooks, and other print reference materials.

Special collections include the Hicks Collection of Early Books By and About Women, the Springer Collection of Lincolniana, the James Collection of Books on Folklore and Witchcraft, the Gaylor Collection of GLBT Literature, and the Bingham Collection of Historical Children’s Literature.

The University Archives is a repository of materials relating to the history of Oakland University, and includes copies of all dissertations written at Oakland University, as well as a substantial number of faculty authored monographs.

Library services

Research assistance and consultations

Librarians provide research assistance in-person at the Research Help Desk, by telephone, by e-mail, and by instant messaging. Librarians also offer individualized and customized research consultation sessions by appointment. These in-depth, one-to-one sessions are designed to help students identify and use resources pertinent to their research projects and academic assignments.

Library instruction

As information literacy specialists, library faculty members provide extensive instruction for students on using information resources, constructing effective research strategies, and evaluating information. Librarians also provide customized, course-related sessions in the disciplines, as well as workshops on special topics. Two networked computer labs with computing resources are available for library instructional purposes.

Technology help 

The Libraries’ User Support Services team offers technical assistance to students at Technology Help desks located in the Learning Commons.  Student technology mentors offer assistance with public computing resources, including over 130 workstations and 30 laptop computers available for in-building checkout. Mentors provide students with support for use of productivity software, printing, scanning, assistive technology, and for network connectivity of students’ laptops and mobile devices. Technology help is also provided for students using the Libraries’ nine media-collaboration spaces, each equipped with computers and large-screen monitors.

Access services

At the circulation desk, graduate students may borrow books for a period of eight weeks with unlimited renewals, unless another borrower has requested the materials. Students may also borrow course materials that have been placed on reserve by their professors. Increasing numbers of items on reserve are available in electronic format. Students may request books and articles not owned by Oakland University through the Libraries’ interlibrary loan service and through MelCat, a statewide resource-sharing system. Requests can be made in person or through forms available on the Web.

University archives

Administered by the Libraries, the University Archives gathers, organizes, and preserves materials related to the history of Oakland University, and includes copies of all dissertations written at OU, as well as a substantial number of faculty-authored monographs.