LibGuides: 2024 Summer Research Laboratory: Introduction to the U of I Library

Library System Overview

Tours are included in the Personalized Bibliographic Sessions visitors signed up for in the SRL application, which include a general orientation to the library building, as well as specialized highlights according to the scholar's interest. Individual and group tours will be available during the Summer Research Lab.

Library Catalog

The Summer Research Lab (SRL) provides scholars access to the resources of the University of Illinois Library, including our Library Catalog. For an introduction on how to navigate the catalog, see our Using the Library Catalog LibGuide.

Please note that while this guide instructs users to log in with a library account to request items, SRL scholars must make their requests through our Duplication Request Form.

Please also note that to Access Databases through the library, you will not need to log in with a library account (shown as "My Account" in the top right corner of the library homepage) and will instead by prompted to enter your NetID and password before being redirected to the database.

The Main Stacks

As a Summer Lab Research Lab participant, you will have full access to the Main Stacks. Below is some helpful information on how to navigate the Main Stacks. Keep in mind that you can also request Main Stacks materials to be delivered to any of the Library circulation desks via the library catalog.

Oak Street Storage Facility

Requesting items in the Classic Catalog

The University of Illinois University Library has 13 million volumes and is constantly growing. Materials that have not circulated a certain number of times within a period of time, or are deemed too fragile for conditions within the Main Stacks, are sent to the Oak Street High Density Storage Facility. This warehouse contains about 3 million volumes of the collection, providing a climate controlled environment for library materials.

Depending on what visiting scholars are researching, they may have to request items from Oak Street. This is not a problem, and the wait time is comparable to that of requests traveling from other campus libraries. Items that are held at Oak Street are indicated as such on catalog records.

The Oak Street Reading Room- 809 S. Oak Street, Champaign IL

Monday-Friday 9am-4pm (May be reduced to 1pm-4pm during breaks)

217-265-9476

While most items held at Oak Street can be requested to be sent to any library, some items can only be used at Oak Street. These items say "Oak Street [Reading Room use only]" on the record. If this is the case, they can be used at the Oak Street Reading Room. When requesting them, in the Location field, you need to select "UIUC OAK ST. DESK" from the "Choose pick-up location" menu.

Unique Archival Resources

SRS Guide to Archives at the University of Illinois
This guide created by the Slavic Reference Service covers some of the collections available at the University Archives for the study of Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The guide is not a comprehensive list, as the Archives contain much more than can be listed. However, it is an excellent introduction to the Archives for interested researchers.
The Russian Empire and Soviet Union: A guide to Manuscripts and Archival Materials in the United States
This guide lists materials in U.S. archives and manuscript repositories that relate to the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and the many distinct nationalities therein. The materials described in the guide are extremely diverse in character. They cover the broadest possible range of subjects: political, historical, social, economic, diplomatic, artistic, literary, religious, military, musical, and other matters. The combined subject and name index at the end of the volume is the key to locating desired materials in the approximately 650 different entries.