Brownless Biomedical Library
By Tania Celeste & Eva Di Quinzio
Welcome to the Brownless Biomedical Library library audio tour. My name is Tania and my name is Eva and we will run through the audio tour today. This tour provides a general guide about the various services & collections, as well as some of the unique features of this library.
The Brownless Biomedical library is the main library for Medicine Dentistry and Health Services. It is located to the South West side of the Campus, near Grattan Street. To find out about our opening hours please see the library opening hours link on our website.
There are 4 floors housing the Biomedical Library collection including the Basement. The central stairway provides access to these floors and there is also a lift available from Ground to 2nd floor. I will now hand you over to my colleague Eva who will now guide you through the ground floor.
Ground Floor
On entering the library on the Ground Floor you will find a Service Desk which provides information and lending services. This Service Desk provides help with all lending and information enquiries. The Counter Reserve Collection is situated behind the Service Desk and houses course materials such as recommended reading for subjects. There is also a self-checkout terminal so you can borrow your own items at anytime.
If you need help in finding information our philosophy is: ask us any questions, we are here to help you! We are here to assist you in making the best use of the Library’s resources and collections.
The Reference Collection is also housed on the Ground Floor. It includes material such as encyclopaedias, dictionaries, handbooks, indexes and atlases. You cannot borrow Reference items, but you are welcome to photocopy them. It can be a good place to begin your research on a topic or to find short answers to questions. For example, a Botany student may need to refer to the etymology of a plant name or a medical student may need to look at the treatment of vertigo.
The Ground Floor of the Biomedical Library also houses the photocopy card autoloader. You can use this machine to purchase photocopy cards or put money onto your photocopy or student card.
The Basement
Journals published prior to 1990 are housed in the Basement. They are shelved in alphabetical order from A-Z. This floor also holds the 'ST' or Stack Collection which refers to a collection of older books. These books are shelved according to Dewey Decimal Classification. This floor also has some quiet study areas and photocopiers.
1st Floor
On the first floor you will find the journals and the high use book collection. The journal collection includes journals published from 1990 to present and are shelved from A to Z. The journals are not available for loan, however they can be photocopied.
The High Use Collection which is a collection of textbooks identified as recommended or prescribed reading texts for subjects/courses. These books tend to have shorter loan periods than the rest of the collection.
This floor also provides shared spaces for quiet discussion, quiet study areas as well as a photocopy room.
2nd Floor
The Second Floor houses the General Book Collection. The books on this level can be loaned for up to 28 days. The loan period will be indicated on the catalogue, as well as on your borrowing slips. Renewals can be done either online, over the phone or at any library service desk.
There are also two adjoining rooms on this floor that houses the Medical History Collection and the rare book collection. Items in the Medical History Collection are identified in the library catalogue with a ‘H’ status. The Rare Book Collection Room is not accessible to the public. However the items are listed in the catalogue with a 'STX' status and can be requested online or at the Service Desk. They can be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room located on the 3rd floor of the Baillieu Library.
On this floor you will also find the Medical History Museum which holds the oldest and finest collection of artefacts and documents associated with the Medical School in Australia. Guided tours can be organised with the Curator.
Services and Facilities
There are services and facilities available throughout the Biomedical Library. Here is a quick explanation of useful things to know.
Interlibrary loans
Interlibrary Loans can assist post graduates and staff in getting items from other libraries outside the University of Melbourne. This service is for items that are not available from the University. For more information, check out the library home-page or listen to the interlibrary loan audio tour.
Photocopying
Photocopiers are available on all floors of the Biomedical Library as well as a printer on the ground floor. To photocopy or print, you will need to either purchase a photocopy card, or use your student card.
Computer Facilities
There are computers available for research on each floor of the library. They incorporate internet access & word processing facilities. Access to these are limited to University of Melbourne staff and students, however we do provide some computers for guests to access library resources. To find out where they are located please see the service desk staff.
Wireless Network
The Wireless Network enables the University of Melbourne 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 available from the Baillieu Library Circulation desk for use in the Baillieu Library.
Study areas
Quiet study areas are available throughout the library, and silent study is available on the 2nd floor. If you’re having trouble finding somewhere to study, come and ask us for a floor plan at the Service Desk.
Thank you for listening to our audio tour. We hope you have found the information useful. More information is available at the library homepage at www.lib.unimelb.edu.au. Here you will also find additional audio tours on other library services and collections.
On a final note, if you do need any assistance, please come in and have a chat with us, we are here to help you make the most of your learning experience.