The library is intended for in-house use by staff members of NOAO and NSO.
Staff of Steward Observatory, LPL, and PSI may also use the NOAO collection, although they should consult
their institution's library first.
The NOAO Library is not open to the public. We suggest you contact the public library or the
University
of Arizona for assistance.
The NOAO Tucson Library is
located in Room 140 of the building at 950 N. Cherry Ave. (There is also a small
collection of journals and reference books in the administration building on
Kitt Peak.) For people with a
keycard to the Cherry Ave. building, the Library is open 24 hours a day.
Books and journals are cataloged
according to the Library of Congress system. The astronomy collection (QB)
is
located on the main floor of the Library. General science, math, physics and
engineering texts are housed
in the basement portion of the Library (beneath Room 140). Most
observatory publications (QB4) are stored
in a separate area; ask the Librarian
for help in finding them.
The Library has an online
catalog, available at
http://new-pandora.tuc.noao.edu.
Most of our collection is
indexed in this catalog, but some items published before
1970 may not be. To check whether or not an older
item is owned by the library, look in the paper card catalog (located next to the computers on the main floor
of the library).
Serial titles are listed in the online catalog, but very limited information (such as call number) is available. To
find the full detail for a journal (such as the precise years the NOAO library owns), use the kardex file. The
kardex is the large metal file located on the book return box, immediately to the right of the Librarian's office
door. In the kardex, titles are (usually) arranged alphabetically; however, observatory publications can
sometimes be listed under the city (location) of the observatory.
Journals that we have electronic subscriptions to are listed here.
To "check out" a book, sign your name on the card in the back of the volume, and
drop the card in the
designated wooden box (located on the shelf below the Library's "Information and News" bulletin board).
Be
sure to put the date on the card and, if non-NOAO, your phone number or email address, too. Books
that may
not be taken from the Library are marked "Library Use Only."
Note: Journals are almost always "Library Use Only"-- please copy what you need from journal volumes and
return them promptly.
For NOAO users, there is an indefinite loan
period for most Library items. This means that a book may be kept
until it
is recalled or requested by someone else. However, users are still urged to return Library items in a
prompt manner.
For non-NOAO users, we ask that you return items in a reasonable amount of time. Abuse of this courtesy may
result in a loss of Library privileges.
Please remember that you are responsible for items you check out-- this may include the cost of repair or
replacement
The book return is a wooden box located to the right of the Librarian's office door. Just drop your items inside!
Many items are available across the street at Steward Observatory, or at the University of Arizona. Tucson staff
are eligible for library cards with the University of Arizona (see NOAO Human Resources) and are encouraged to
take full advantage of their extensive book and journal collections.
In addition, a UA library card provides access to the university's free "Interlibrary Loan" service.