Overview of the Yale Library System

How many libraries are there at Yale?   Where are they?

There are twenty-two libraries and numerous special collections in the Yale library system. From the Yale University Library homepage, go to Libraries and Collections for a list of links to the websites of these libraries, or go to Library Locations for a linked map. Overviews of the Area Studies Collections and Special Collections at Yale are also available.

What should you know about how the library is organized?

Libraries gather together the tools that have been devised to identify and point to information. These tools include: Abstracts, Almanacs, Bibliographies, Catalogs, Databases, Encyclopedias, Finding aids, Guides, and Indexes.
The Yale University Library's web site Research Tools section provides access to many of these tools.

Libraries also utilize classification systems and subject headings to categorize content regardless of format. Yale libraries now use the Library of Congress Classification system and Library of Congress Subject Headings, but various other classification and subject heading systems have been used in the past. The content of catalog records, their format, and their arrangement have evolved over the years under many codes of cataloging rules.

Many scholars do not take advantage of the tools that have been created to provide access to information. They tend to rely on looking at footnotes in sources they already know, browsing the stacks, or searching catalogs in inefficient ways. Most librarians are not experts in the content of disciplines, but they are trained to understand the available systems and methods of locating the content. Talking with a Subject Librarian or consulting the Research Guides created by the Subject Librarians will help you understand what tools are available to facilitate your research.

How can you learn more?

The Library offers workshops and classes throughout each semester and the summer. These range from orientation tours to general and advanced Internet workshops. Visit the Research Education homepage for class schedules, as well as links to online tutorials and help guides. Many classes are held in the Library's Electronic Classroom in Cross Campus Library.