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Library
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Information for Visitors
INTRODUCTION
This paper will give you brief information about:
The Gallaudet University Library, located in the Merrill Learning Center, has
approximately 200,000 books, more than 4,000 videos, and more than 1,500 current
periodical subscriptions. All of these collections are available for public use
here on campus. Students who are registered for courses lasting at least two
weeks may borrow circulating materials from the Library.
The Library has the largest collection of deaf-related materials in the
world, including books, videos and other types of media materials, periodicals,
and the University Archives. Many of these items are cataloged in the
WRLC Libraries Catalog
database of the Library's ALADIN computer system. Staff at the Reference Desk
provide training and assistance in using ALADIN, and instructional handouts are
available there. Please ask the reference staff for assistance any time.
The Library's deaf-related materials can be found in a number of different
places. ALADIN records include location and status information, which indicate
the availability of specific items.
Most deaf-related periodicals are in the Deaf Periodicals area on the
Middle Level near the Reference Area, although heavily used titles may be on
reserve at the Circulation Desk.
The Deaf Stacks (circulating books) and the Archives are on the Lower Level.
Library policy states that we will purchase at least two copies of all
deaf-related books and media. One copy of each is shelved in the Deaf Copy
One room, a locked room that only Library staff may enter. If you wish to
use an item whose only available location is Deaf Copy One, you must fill
out a request form at the Reference Desk. When staff have retrieved the
book for you, you will be permitted to use it only in the Library.
There are several ways to continue your research after leaving Gallaudet.
You may access our online catalog through the Internet. You may call or
write to us with requests for brief information. You may also find a
surprising amount of information in your local libraries, and you may
arrange to borrow books from us through your local library.
The Gallaudet University Library is a member of the Washington Research
Library Consortium (WRLC). The WRLC's shared catalog, ALADIN, includes
many databases.
You will need to use the WRLC Libraries Catalog, which lists
our books and periodical holdings. Unless you are a Gallaudet student,
you will be blocked from using Article and Other
Databases. Your local library should have periodical indexes.
(See the section Finding Deaf-Related Journal
Articles below for more information on periodical indexes and
databases.)
To search ALADIN from off campus, you need a computer account that gives
you access to the Internet. Schools, colleges and universities, and
public libraries often provide Internet service. You can also purchase
access through a commercial vendor (such as CompuServe, America Online,
AT&T ... there are many vendors).
You may access ALADIN through the World Wide Web using this address:
http://www.aladin.wrlc.org
At the next screen, click WRLC Libraries Catalog, which
lists our books and periodical holdings.
A search screen will appear. There are many different ways to search: by
author, by title, etc. If you are searching for information about a
particular topic, it will probably be best for you to do an Advanced
Search.
Read the instructions on the screens. Instructions are often updated or
changed, so read them each time you log on.
The results list for your search will show you book titles, publication
dates, and owning libraries. The symbol for items owned by the Gallaudet
University Library is GA.
You may wish to explore the Library's Home Page at this address:
http://library.gallaudet.edu
It includes links to the ALADIN Catalog and other Washington area
libraries' catalogs; schedules, policies, information about staff;
bibliographies and pathfinders about a variety of subjects, including deaf
culture; and links to many deaf-related WWW sites.
The Gallaudet University Library offers limited reference service to
off-campus persons. By phone we can give very brief information about
which books and journals we own. If you call on the voice phone, you
will probably get an answering machine, since many of our staff are deaf.
You will probably be more likely to reach a person by calling our TTY
number (to do this, you must use a TTY or a relay service). Either way,
if you do get an answering machine, please be sure to state your full
name, phone number, and a brief description of the information you need.
Our first priority is service to members of the Gallaudet community,
but we will return your call as soon as possible.
The Reference Desk phone numbers are:
- (202) 651-5217 (Voice)
- (202) 651-5216 (TTY)
Gallaudet University Library staff will attempt to answer more
in-depth questions by mail or email. Again, since our first priority is
service to members of the Gallaudet community, we cannot guarantee
that we will be able to answer questions in a particular time period.
Please be sure to include your full name, address, daytime phone
number, email address, and a specific description of the
information you are seeking.
Please address letter inquiries to:
Mr. Thomas Harrington
Reference and Instruction Librarian
Gallaudet University Library
800 Florida Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Please address email inquiries to:
library.reference@gallaudet.edu
Your local public, college, or university library can be a good source of
information on deafness and sign language. Most large libraries have
several books on deafness, including the very helpful Gallaudet
Encyclopedia of Deaf People and Deafness. If you are not formally
enrolled in college courses, you can probably still use materials in your
local community college or university library, which may be open to the
public.
ASK YOUR LIBRARIAN FOR HELP! He or she can offer the best
advice on finding information locally.
If your library does not have a book you need, ask the librarian to try to
borrow it through a process called "interlibrary loan" (more detailed information follows). The book may be available
in another library in your area. If not, we may be able to lend it to
your library for you.
Don't limit your search to information in books. Here is a list of
indexes to periodical articles that we frequently use; they are
available in most university libraries:
- ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center)
- Psychological Abstracts
- Social Work Abstracts
- Medline
- Exceptional Child Education Resources
Also, general newspaper and magazine indexes sometimes include
deaf-related articles, and your library may have many of these indexes.
If you think your library's collection of deaf-related materials is not
adequate, there are ways to try to improve it. Keep in mind that
libraries must divide their resources among the needs of the entire
community, and this is hard to do in an era of budget cutbacks. However,
most librarians are eager to buy materials that they know will be used.
Here are some steps to take:
- Make suggestions for specific titles. Most libraries have
"suggestion for purchase" forms that are easy to complete.
- Talk to the librarians about your interests.
- Encourage your deaf friends to make themselves known by becoming
regular library users -- borrowing books and attending library
programs.
- Most libraries have "Friends of the Library" groups that are leaders
in community outreach and fund-raising. Join your Friends group or
start one.
- Volunteer your services. Offer to present a program on some aspect
of Deaf Culture.
- Donate books and videos that are current and in good condition to
the library.
If your local libraries do not have a book, you may still be able to get a
copy. Ask your librarian to try to borrow it for you through a process
called interlibrary loan. Your library will send out a request to libraries
that own the item, and one of these libraries may lend it to your library.
Then you can borrow it from and return it to your library. Most libraries
will not lend magazines and journals, but sometimes they can send photocopies
of articles instead. This process normally takes at least one week, and
sometimes much longer. There may be a charge for this service.
Your library probably has an established interlibrary loan procedure and may
be able to find deaf-related items closer to home than Gallaudet.
Gallaudet University Library will not lend non-circulating materials, such as
Deaf Copy One books and videos. We will lend other books if they are available.
The Gallaudet University Bookstore sells many books, videotapes, and other
materials about deaf-related topics. If you are interested in purchasing
some of these materials or receiving a catalog from the Bookstore, you can
contact them directly at 202-651-5876 (TDD), and 202-651-5271 (Voice).
* * * * * * * * * *
Prepared by Information Services Librarians
May 1996
Revised, November 2003
