Astronomy

The collection’s primary function is to support research and teaching of the Department of Astronomy. The collection also supports the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, which draws researchers from the Department of Physics.

The Department of Astronomy administers its own small departmental collection, which focuses on collecting print monographs and serials across astronomy and astrophysics and also acquires online journals. The Astronomy Library collection does not circulate, and it is available to the Yale community by request during administrative staff hours. The Yale University Library collection complements this collection, with a greater focus on overlap areas with physics and first- or second-year undergraduate studies. 

Departments and Programs

• Department of Astronomy
• Department of Physics
• Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Department of Geology & Geophysics

Disciplines

• Cosmology
• Exoplanets and planetary science
• Extragalactic astronomy
• Galactic astronomy
• Instrumentation
• High-energy astrophysics
• ISM (interstellar medium) and star formation
• Solar and stellar astrophysics

The departments offer graduate and undergraduate degrees and have active faculty researchers.

A complete listing of astronomy research areas may be viewed here: http://astronomy.yale.edu/research

Formats and materials acquired generally

• Government documents (NASA and NOAA only)
• Journals (online preferred)
• Monographs (academic and trade press preferred; print and online)
• Non-journal serial publications
• Reference data, handbooks, dictionaries, and other materials (print acquired or maintained in reference when an online version is unavailable)

Formats and materials collected selectively or by request

• Conference proceedings
• Audiovisual materials
• Textbooks
• Microform
• Non-reference data (collected in conjunction with the Data Librarian at Marx Library and other selectors as appropriate; includes online databases and data that may be housed on a local server)
• Non-Yale theses and dissertations (gifts evaluated and acquired occasionally)

Materials not collected

• Ephemera
• Hardware and software manuals
• Instructor’s materials
• Juvenile works
• Manuscripts
• Pamphlets
• Preprints (non-arXiv)

English and Western European languages are preferred. Other languages are collected in collaboration with the Astronomy Department and International Collections librarians.

Most acquisitions focus on current publications.

No geographic areas are excluded.

• Data Librarian and Subject Specialists at Marx Science and Social Science Library
• Astronomy Department Collection Faculty Representatives and Library Contact
• International Collections and Research Services
• Bass Library
• Medical Historical Library