Yale's online catalog Orbis contains records for virtually all of the Beinecke Library's cataloged collection of printed materials, as well as records for many of the Library's manuscripts and many collection-level records for large archival collections. For help on searching Orbis, refer to the Index of the Guide to Orbis, and for a list of non-standard tracings for Beinecke records, refer to Local Subject Tracings.

What is not represented in Orbis? Books in non-Roman alphabets, manuscripts cataloged but not yet converted to machine-readable format, and all uncataloged printed materials, manuscripts, and archival collections can be located using files or published catalogs located in the Beinecke Library. For a complete list of non-machine readable catalogs, refer to Yale University Library Special Catalogs.

The Yale Library Finding Aid Database. Finding aids for large archival and manuscript collections and catalog records for some manuscripts (including cataloged Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts) in the Beinecke Library can be found by searching the Yale Library Finding Aid Database using your web browser (e.g. Netscape). Some of the finding aids are also encoded in SGML using the EAD-DTD (Encoded Archival Description Document Type Definition) but are accessable only to those who have SGML browsers (e.g. Panorama). SGML-encoded files allows for more complex formatting and navigation. For more information about using the SGML-encoded files, refer to the Yale Finding Aid Project. When accessing online finding aids, please be aware that some files are quite large and require several minutes to load -- please be patient.

For direct access to finding aids files (if you know the name of an archive or a Medieval/Renaissance call number), please use the list of Webtext Finding Aids .

About the Beinecke Library's Finding Aids. Finding aids for large archival and manuscript collections usually consist of a biographical or historical note, a description of the papers, and a list of box and folder titles. Some finding aids include appendices with ancillary information, while others only list manuscripts with an item by item description. When corresponding with the Library about holdings in archival collections, include the complete call number, box number, and folder number; e.g. YCAL MSS 48, Box 8, folder 208.

Finding aids may also be purchased from the Beinecke Library by mailing a ten dollar handling fee to the Public Services Librarian, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, P.O. Box 208240 Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520-8240.

Searching for Manuscripts on Orbis. Orbis -- Yale Library's online catalog -- contains records for many individual manuscripts as well as archival collections that are NOT represented in the listings of Beinecke holdings on the Yale Library Finding Aids database. Use any of the Orbis indexes -- author, title, subject, keyword -- to retrieve records for manuscripts. The Help files in Orbis will guide you on how to use each of these search strategies.

Hint: You may restrict your search to manuscripts and archival collections in the Beinecke Library: use MORE LIMITS to limit to COLLECTION: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and ITEM TYPE: Archives and Manuscripts.

Digital Images Database: The Beinecke Digital Images Database contains approximately 60,000 images of a wide range of materials from throughout the Beinecke Collections: photographs, manuscripts, correspondence, artwork, objects, and illustrations and selected pages from printed works. About 20,000 of these images were scanned from the Photonegative File, a file containing negatives and color transparencies of images selected for reproduction or study by patrons over the last twenty years. Data describing these images in most cases is very brief, but generally includes call number and subject or author. For a complete description of the data fields, refer to Photonegative Descriptive Data. All other images in the Beinecke Digital Images database are scans of the original material in full 24-bit color. Approximately 1200 images are added every two weeks.

The Digital Library Database includes two save features: one which allows researchers to email a selection, another that allows researchers to save to disk. Researchers may also order copies of images from the database via email. The Library's Photoduplication Service offers black and white prints, slides, and high resolution digital scans (TIFF) delivered via CD. Sorry, the files sizes are too large to send by email. For more information about our other Photoduplication Services refer to the Research and Reference Services page in the Programs and Services section of the Library's website.

Additional images from the Library's Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts are available directly from the catalog record which appears in The Finding Aid Database .

Images of the Papyrus Collection can be searched directly from the Papyrus Database.

Papyrus Collection: The Papyrus Database describes papryi held in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and includes many images. Images for all of the conserved papyri held in the Beinecke Library are available. Information concerning the organization of the catalog of Yale Papyrus can be found in About Yale Papyrus. For other information about holdings, contact the Public Services Librarian or the curator.