The Newberry Library

The Newberry Library is described as “one of the world’s leading independent research libraries” and provides a collection focused on the humanities which includes materials in “history, literature, art, foreign languages and cultures, music, philosophy, and religion.” The library is “free and open to the public”; however, there are many restrictions to the collections’ use. For example, in order to obtain a reader’s card and/or conduct research at the Newberry, a person must be at least 16 years old; anyone under the age of 16 is not allowed to access the reading rooms, but can call or email the library with research questions. There are also many security and conduct rules taken to ensure the preservation of the collection (e.g. bags, laptops, and other personal items must be left in lockers and all personal items are subject to inspection when leaving).

The library’s online catalog is nothing spectacular. The features include a basic and advanced search. The results page has an option at the bottom of the page to select records to retain for printing, saving, or emailing. In an item record there are fairly standard buttons for the full view, brief view, marc view, and “more like this.” The option for “more like this” is useful in that it provides quick access to other useful searches such as author and subject.



Some of the downsides to this online catalog include a session expiration and an incomplete catalog. When the catalog is accessed a timer at the top left begins to run; if the timer runs out, the page expires and a new search must be performed. This would be a good feature for helping to maintain a user’s privacy; however, it could be a nuisance for someone who is multitasking. Also, the header of the site specifically states “The online catalog includes only a portion of the Newberry’s collection.” According to the Newberry’s website, the online catalog “includes the majority of the Library's collections and contains over 800,000 titles.” Some of the items not found in the catalog can be found using other online resources found on the library’s website.

Overall, the Newberry Library’s website is a little difficult to browse especially when compared to the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. One of the areas I believe the Newberry Library is deficient is in their materials for browsing online. The library’s site does not have many digital resources or does not make them very easy to find. I did find web exhibits, but there were only five. Because the collection contains many rare materials and preservation is an issue, it could greatly benefit from digitization and provide access to a broader range of users.

Furthermore, the Newberry provides access to many resources; however, they appear to direct their resources more towards the practiced scholar. The site is less user friendly to the average information seeker; the page’s design can make it difficult to acquire or reacquire the information sought.

As a compliment to the Newberry’s site, the library does provide links to many resources to aid scholars in their research, and they provide information about many programs, exhibits, and events put on for the public and its scholarly patrons.