Navigating the Vast Resources of the University of Virginia Library
The University of Virginia Library stands as a central hub for knowledge, offering a diverse array of resources to support the academic pursuits of the UVA community and beyond. Its collections span formats, time periods, and disciplines, providing access to a wealth of information. This article explores the key resources and services available through the library, highlighting its commitment to fostering research, learning, and engagement.
General Collections and Resources
The University of Virginia Library’s collections span formats, time, and disciplines. This page highlights resources, data, and materials in the “regular” collections.
Databases and Online Resources
The library provides access to a wide range of databases and online resources, catering to various academic disciplines. These resources offer access to scholarly articles, primary sources, and other valuable materials.
EBSCO: EBSCO is a collection of databases that goes across the disciplines and is considered one the best database resources. It includes natural and social science databases, primarily: CINAHL, ERIC, Medline, and PsycINFO.
JSTOR: JSTOR allows searching of articles from its archival collection of journals in a wide range of subject areas by author and/or keywords taken from the titles, abstracts and/or full-text.
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NewspaperARCHIVE.com: NewspaperARCHIVE.com, the largest historical newspaper database online, contains tens of millions of newspaper pages from 1607 to the present. Every newspaper in the archive is fully searchable by keyword and date, making it easy to you to quickly explore historical content.
O’Reilly for Higher Education: The O’Reilly for Higher Education digital platform includes more than 38,000 book titles and more than 30,000 hours of video. Topics range from programming to IT networking to project management to graphic design to business strategy. The content includes code snippets, certification preparation materials, practice exercises, training videos, and much more.
HathiTrust: HathiTrust is the largest digitized collection of knowledge allowable by copyright law.
Hyku Commons: Hyku Commons is a shared repository, where you'll find scholarly research, cultural heritage items, educational materials, and more from libraries across PALNI, PALCI, and other Hyku for Consortia partners.
Specialized Collections
Beyond the general collections, the University of Virginia Library boasts several specialized collections that cater to specific research interests.
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Queer Pasts: Queer Pasts is a collection of primary source exhibits for students and scholars of queer history and culture. The database uses “queer” in its broadest and most inclusive sense, to embrace topics that are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender and to include work on sexual and gender formations that are queer but not necessarily LGBT. Each of the document collections in the database will include a critical introductory essay that helps explain the significance of the primary sources in historical terms and in relationship to previous scholarship. This database seeks to broaden the field of queer history, including projects that focus on the experiences and perspectives of under-represented historical groups, including people of color, trans people, and people with disabilities.
Gale Archives of Sexuality & Gender: Gale Archives of Sexuality & Gender 1: LGBTQ History Since 1940 I and Gale Archives of Sexuality & Gender 2: LGBTQ History Since 1940 II. Provides material drawn from hundreds of institutions and organizations, including both major international activist organizations and local, grassroots groups, the documents in the Archives of Sexuality & Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940 present important aspects of LGBTQ life in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond. The archive illuminates the experiences not just of the LGBTQ community as a whole, but of individuals of different races, ethnicities, ages, religions, political orientations, and geographical locations that constitute this community. Historical records of political and social organizations founded by LGBTQ individuals are featured, as well as publications by and for lesbians and gays, and extensive coverage of governmental responses to the AIDS crisis.
Latino Social and Political Culture and History: Perspectives on the Chicano Movement: Part of Gale Primary Sources, Latino Social and Political Culture and History: Perspectives on the Chicano Movement highlights the Chicano/a experience in the United States and a rich history and diversity of the community. The archive focuses on activists such as César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, and other leaders of the Chicano Movement, aka El Movimiento.
Criminal Justice Collection: This collection supports research on crime, its causes and impacts, legal and social implications, as well as law enforcement and security services. It includes the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Abstracts Database, with further index and full-text coverage of scholarly journals.
Library Services and Engagement
Beyond its extensive collections, the University of Virginia Library offers a range of services and engagement opportunities to support its users.
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Events and Workshops
Join us at the Library this spring for craft workshops, writing and editing support, AI discussions, zine tutorials, and live music. An exhibition to showcase our rich and assorted collections, highlighting the staff who make those materials discoverable and accessible.
Fine Arts Library
Campbell Hall, which houses the Fine Arts Library, will be closed for repair during the week of spring break. We expect to reopen on Sunday, March 8.
The Evolving Landscape of Library Resources
For years libraries have wrestled with the Big Deal value proposition: access to all of the journal articles controlled by a corporate vendor in exchange for one large, steadily-growing lump payment. That proposition breaking down. This shift underscores the library's commitment to adapting to the changing information landscape and ensuring access to a diverse range of resources in a sustainable manner.
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