The combined reference collections of Olin and Uris Libraries are a strong resource supporting research and instruction in the humanities and social sciences at Cornell. The collections contain almanacs, catalogs, general and subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, periodical indexes, subject and national bibliographies, manuals, yearbooks, and biographical and statistical sources. As of fall semester 2008, the printed volumes on the shelves in both reference areas number over 20,000 (about 16,000 volumes in Olin and 4000 volumes in Uris). The collections are arranged according to the Library of Congress Classification system, and are located on the main floors of Olin and Uris Libraries.

In addition to the print collection, Olin Library has an Electronic Text Center which houses over 300 CD-ROMs and DVDs such as The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Geolytics Census CDs, World Development Indicators, and more. It is housed adjacent to the Reference & Information desk in Olin Library. The Text Center's holdings are available through the library catalog. A browsable title list is also available from the Electronic Text Center's website.

Finally, a large number of subscription online reference titles are funded by the Reference Department and available through Database Search/Database Names from the Library's home page. As a result, classic reference works like the Dictionary of National Biography and the Oxford English Dictionary as well as the extensive International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences are available to the Cornell community, not to mention a host of online periodical indexes.

For more information, contact the selector for the collections, Michael Engle, Reference Librarian.
Telephone: 255-1884
E-mail: moe1[at]cornell.edu