Baillieu Library transcript
Read by Andrea Hurt
Welcome to the Baillieu library tour. Here we will provide a general guide through the various services & collections, as well as some of the unique features of this library.
More information can be found via the library homepage at: www.lib.unimelb.edu.au There are additional audio tours which expand on some of these areas, also available via this homepage.
The Baillieu library is the main library for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences and is one of around 17 branches on and off the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus. The library opening hours are different for teaching and non-teaching periods, and we are open some public holidays. For the latest information go to the library website opening hours link.
There are 5 floors housing the Baillieu’s collections. We will now guide you through each, starting with the Lower Ground floor.
On the Lower Ground floor you will find the Newspaper collection. We hold newspapers in hardcopy for around 3 months. After that time, they are usually superseded onto Microfiche or film. We have an impressive archive of newspapers, for instance we hold the Age from 1858 onwards! More recent newspapers are also available online through SuperSearch.
Journals in print are on this level. Journals are also known as Serials, Periodicals or Magazines. They are divided into two shelving areas – Bound and Unbound. The Unbound shelves house the most recent issues of a title. Usually the last 6 to 12 months, and they can’t be borrowed. The Bound volumes comprise of the older date ranges. They can be borrowed only by staff and postgraduate students for 3 days. We organise our journals by call number, as we do for our books. You may notice on the catalogue some branch libraries file their journals alphabetically by title, so this is one way in which the Baillieu is different to other branches.
Our Photocopy Centre is conveniently located on the lower ground floor, enabling you to copy journals and newspapers. However, you are able to bring items from other floors down to photocopy. There are shelves where you can leave anything you’ve copied, and library staff will reshelve items for you. To copy, you need to either purchase a photocopy card, or use your student card. You can add any amount of credit onto your card through the rechargers available in all the branch libraries. You also use this card to print from the library computers and the microforms readers. If you have any problems with your card, the staff in the Photocopy Centre can assist you. You will also notice at their service desk, that they also provide other services such as laminating, binding, colour photocopying, transparencies and even t-shirt transfers!
The Microforms Collection is also on this level. It includes microfilm, microfiche and indexes to this collection. There are reading, printing and scanning facilities available. For more information see the library homepage or listen to the Microforms audio tour.
Next we have the Ground floor. This is level where you enter the library and where you will find the Information Desk. Our motto: no question too big, too small or too silly! We are here to assist you in finding your way around the library and the campus, locating books, journals and other information on a particular subject. We can instruct you in how to use the library catalogue and accessing and using databases. We are here to assist you in making the best use of the Library’s resources and collections.
The Loans and ILL desks are also on this level. The Loans Desk is where you can borrow library books, pay fines, pick up hold items and get assistance with borrowing. The Reserve Collection is located behind the Loans Desk and it houses short term loan material, which is usually recommended reading for subjects. ILL can assist post grads and staff in getting items from other libraries outside Melbourne Uni. For more information about these areas, check out the library home-page or listen to their audio tour.
On the Ground floor you’ll also find the Reference Collection. It includes material such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, biographies, indexes and atlases. You cannot borrow Reference items, but you are welcome to photocopy them. It can be a great place to start your research and help you find key search words about your topic which can then be used to search the library catalogue and databases.
We now travel upwards to the First Floor where the Percy Baxter Collaborative Learning Centre is located. It comprises of approximately 60 computers with, not only Web & word-processing facilities, but also a variety of software and additional equipment, such as scanners. There is a separate Information Desk to assist you, as well as 2 Training rooms where classes are held. For more information see the library home-page or listen to the PBCLC audio tour.
There is also a Prayer Room located at the North end of this floor.
The Leigh Scott room is also located on this level and as well as being the main function room for the library, it also houses the Robert Menzies personal library. Adjacent is the Leigh Scott Gallery, where many exhibitions highlighting the University collections are held.
Now to the 2nd floor. This houses this library’s General book collection. As mentioned earlier, books are arranged by the Dewey Call number system. The collection begins at “001” at the South-East end of the floor and runs in a clockwise direction. Folio items, which are larger size books, can be found at the end of each 100 call number sequence. There are floorplans available to assist you with finding where the book you want is located. The books on this level are 28 day and 7 day loans. The loan period will be indicated on the catalogue, but there is nothing annotated on the book to distinguish which loan period it is. So please remember to check the due dates of your books as you borrow them!
We also have 2 Discussion rooms available on this level which can be booked via the Loans desk on the ground floor.
Lastly, we have the Third floor where many specialist collections are housed. We have our Government documents collection, which is composed primarily of Australian federal and state government publications, and British government publications. We also have our East Asian Collection. The focus is materials in Chinese and Japanese languages. However, it contains a small English reference collection. The subject coverage of the collection is mainly in the areas of arts and humanities, social sciences and architectural history. There are Librarians located within the East Asian section to assist you. For more information see the library home-page or listen to the audio tours for these areas.
The Cultural Collections reading room is also located on the third floor. This is where you can access material from the Special Collections, Rare books, Print Collections, U of M archives and the Grainger collection. This is also where you can read our university’s thesis collection, consisting of M.A. and Ph.D theses only. Again for more information see the library website or listen to the audio tours.
The Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Library is also located on this floor. Although housed within the Baillieu building it has its own opening hours separate from the Baillieu’s. The type of material held in this library comprises of books, music scores, sound recordings, videos and DVDs, journals and more. For more information go to the library home-page or have a listen to the Music library’s audio tour.
Although strictly speaking not part of the Baillieu building, its worth mentioning the Giblin Economics & Commerce library which adjoins the Baillieu. Direct access is made available to it via the Baillieu’s 3rd floor. Like the Music library, it has its own separate opening hours from Baillieu, however, unlike Music, it is still accessible after Giblin’s staff have left the building. Library users may access the collections & electronic resources after hours and still receive lending & information services from the Baillieu staff whilst the Baillieu is open.
There are services and facilities available throughout the Baillieu library. Here is a quick explanation of things useful to know.
There are computers available for research on each floor of the library. They incorporate the catalogue, electronic resources, internet access & word processing facilities. Access to these are limited to U of M staff and students, however we do provide some computers for guests (with no internet or word processing). To find out where they are located see Info desk staff.
A wireless network enables the U of M students and staff with laptops & other portable devices to connect to our university’s network. For further information and setup instructions check out the library home-page or see Information desk staff. Laptops are also available for loan from the Loans desk.
Quiet study areas are available throughout the library. If you’re having trouble finding somewhere to study, come and ask us at the Information Desk for a floorplan. There are also Study Rooms and carrels available for post graduate students which can be booked via the Loans desk on the ground floor.
One more thing before we go…
You may notice artwork throughout the Baillieu Library. We also have a program called Art in the Library, which is designed to expose the works of contemporary and emerging artists, while supporting the University's teaching and research programs. For more information about the program and exhibitions, see the library homepage.
Thank you for stopping by to listen to our tour. We hope you found the information useful. And remember, if you need any further assistance, come in and meet the Baillieu Library staff.