Elihu Burritt Library opened in 1972. The library proper contains 97,375 square feet of assignable space; seating capacity for more than 800 people; and more than 730,000 bound volumes, including 114,000 periodicals. There are 557,000 microforms, including 18,000 reels of microfilm, and more than 15,000 items in media format. The library also provides access to 55,000 current online and print journal subscriptions and on-site and remote access to more than 200 research databases in a variety of disciplines. Specialized research materials include the Polish Heritage and Gender Equity collections, along with a rare book collection of 16,000 volumes.
The library consists of eight departments and is headed by a director who reports to the Provost. Currently, the library employs one administrator, 14 full-time librarians, eight part-time librarians, one administrative assistant to the director, 11 library technical assistants/technicians, and one office assistant.
Access to materials in the library is provided through CONSULS, Innovative Interfaces, Inc.'s online system, which supports all four CSU libraries and the Connecticut State Library. The system is accessible through terminals in the library and from remote sites. It provides the public with access to the joint online catalog and the Central Library Reserve collection, specific indexes and abstracts, and multiple internet search engines. CONSULS also provides the library with a fully integrated system that incorporates important functions, such as modules that support acquisitions, serials, circulation/reserve, and cataloging.
The library began making digital reserves available to students in 2003 through the CONSULS reserve module. Digital reserves allows 24-hour access to book chapters, journal articles, class notes, and sound files from any computer with an internet connection. The library also provides access to photocopiers, computers, scanners, and audiovisual equipment and loans Kindles and laptops.
Materials not available in the collection can be acquired through Interlibrary Loan, which is available to all students and faculty. This service makes use of several consortia including the statewide ReQuest system, On-Line Computer Library Center, and reciprocal lending and borrowÂing arrangements with more than 100 academic libraries in the New England region. The library is also a member of the Council of Connecticut Academic Library Directors and has participated in joint purchases of databases. Hartford Consortium for Higher Education includes meetings of the library directors of its member schools and is also discussing a variety of cooperative efforts. In addition to Interlibrary Loan, CONSULS serves all four schools of the Connecticut State University and the Connecticut State Library. Patrons are able to place a hold on books located at other CSU campuses and have them delivered by van to the local campus library within 24 to 48 hours.
Electronic products have become important resources for all libraries, and Burritt Library has made a considerable investment in online databases. Full text information is provided through Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, JSTOR, Project Muse, PsychArticles, and Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, among more than 200 other research databases in a variety of disciplines accessible to the campus community.
Visit the library website at http://library.ccsu.edu to view the full range of services.