Guide to UC San Diego/Libraries

UC San Diego has several libraries available to students. The largest library is Geisel Library. Other libraries on campus include CLICS and the Biomedical Library.

Libraries

There are several libraries on campus. These include Geisel Library, CLICS, the Biomedical Library, as well as several others.

Geisel Library

File:Dr. Suess and the Cat in the Hat, Sculpture, UCSD.jpg

Dr. Seuss sculpture near Geisel Library entrance

The biggest library on campus is Geisel Library. It is located in the center of the campus (it was originally called the "Central Library") near the Price Center. The main entrance to this library opens to Library Walk, which is a busy walkway that extends all the way to Gilman Drive. This library is named after Theodor Geisel, the famous artist and children's author better known as Dr. Seuss. Geisel and his wife were generous benefactors to the library and his artwork and papers are currently in the possession of the library. A statue of Geisel and his famous character The Cat in the Hat are close to the entrance of the library. This library has a very distinctive design and is one of the main symbols of UC San Diego.

Geisel Library is composed of several smaller libraries. The biggest of these is the Social Science & Humanities (SSH) Library.[1] This library is housed on all the floors of Geisel Library except the basement level. To go to this library, turn left when entering Geisel Library or use the elevator or stairs located near the entrance to go to the floor you want to go to. The next largest is the Science & Engineering (S&E) Library.[2] It is located on the ground floor and in the basement level of Geisel Library. To go to this library, turn right when entering Geisel Library and continue walking until you enter this library. Geisel Library also includes the Arts Libraries.[3] The Arts Libraries are in the basement level of Geisel Library. The Mandeville Special Collections Library houses the library's rarest and oldest books.[4] It contains archives and important manuscripts. It is mainly used by researchers rather than undergraduate students. It is located on the ground floor of the library.

CLICS

CLICS (Center for Library & Instructional Computing Services) is located directly south of Revelle Plaza.[5] This library consists mostly of ACMS computers available for student use. The main level of this library consists of computer cubicles and a computer room. Printers and copiers are available here as well. The second level consists of more computer cubicles and tables students can study and do homework at. This library is open all day and night during Final Exams Week at the end of each quarter.

Biomedical Library

The Biomedical Library is located on the School of Medicine area of the main campus near Osler Lane.[6] The ground floor of this library consists mostly of computer cubicles and a computer room as well as study room students can use. The second level houses the biomedical book and journal collection. There are tables and other study areas available for student use on this level as well.

Course Reserves

Some instructors use the electronic course reserves system. Faculty can have material (typically PDF files or links to websites) uploaded to the library website so that students can access it. The material is typically organized according to which week of the quarter it is supposed to be read by. This system avoids the costs and hassles of having course readers printed for a class. To access the course reserves materials for a class, go to the San Diego Libraries Course Reserves homepage and click on "Students." Then select the department name the class is listed under (i.e. History of Science) from the drop-down menu and click on "Search." Then click on the link to the course number of the class (i.e. HISC115) and the course reserves for that class will appear.