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Using Collections - Printed Materials
LOCATING MATERIALS
The collection at the Center for American History is over one hundred years old and is comprised of approximately 150,000 published items. The published material at the Center can be accessed from many different points; for a more inclusive search, all these resources should be consulted. If, after consulting the following resources, you are still having difficulty locating published materials, please see a CAH staffmember for assistance.
1. UTCAT, University of Texas Online Catalog:
UTCAT indexes the holdings of all UT libraries and includes all published materials (books, magazines, etc.) and some manuscript collections held at CAH. UTCAT terminals are located in the CAH Information Area.
The hard copy card catalog in the Information Area has not been updated since 1985. For the most comprehensive results, use UTCAT online.
Author, title, subject and mixed keyword searches may be limited to items held at CAH. After performing your keyword search, type the “narrow” command and press ENTER. Type the “and loc CAH” command and then press ENTER. This will narrow your search to items held at the Center, and your search can be further narrowed by other keywords, format, language, place of publication, and year of publication. Please note that many other libraries in the UT system which hold the same titles will be listed as well.
2. General Reference Index (GRI):
Located in card catalog cabinet H, the GRI is a selected personal name, corporate name, place, and topical subject index to articles in local and regional periodicals, relating primarily to Texas and adjacent states. Additions to this in-house index were stopped in 1998, since many journals held at CAH are indexed in the electronic indexes available on UT Library Online under Indexes, Abstracts and Full Text. The Selected Journal Index (SJI) was begun in 1998 to provide citations to the handful of local and regional journals not available through the electronic indexes.
NOTE: Not all of the publications cited in this index can be found at the Center for American History.
3. Broadsides Index:
Access to the Center's extensive collection of printed posters by date of publication, found in card catalog cabinet B.
4. Texas City Directories Index:
Located in card catalog cabinet E, this index provides city name and directory title access to the Texas City Directories Collection. City directories are no longer a self serve collection; they are now requested and used in the Hogg Reading Room.
5. If all else fails, ask a Reading Room staff member for assistance.
REQUESTING MATERIALS
After determining which titles you need to see, check UTCAT to be sure they are held at the Center for American History. Then you will need to fill out request slips. To do so:
1. Use a green slip to request a book, periodical, vertical file or other published format.
2. Fill out one slip for each title.
3. Use pencil only.
4. Fill in COMPLETE call number including dates, collections, and size specifications (see below); title of publication; author (if any); volume, issue, date of publication (if applicable); today's date; and your name.
5. Request only one item on each call slip.
6. Turn in no more than five green slips at a time to Reading Room staff.
7. Seat yourself at a table and wait for materials to be brought to you.
CAH call numbers contain a variety of special elements, all of which is needed on the call slips to retrieve the book.
- Rare books are designated with TZ, TZZ, TXC-Z, TXC-ZZ, TXC-K, T-K, TXC-VAN, T-V, T-J, and TXC-NTC. If the record indicates that we hold more than one copy of this book and one of these copies is not rare, please request the NON RARE copy. Please note the non-rare copy may have a different call number classification.
- Oversize books are indicated with –F- and –Q-.
If you need additional assistance, please consult with the reference staff.
COPYING MATERIALS
If you would like photocopies of CAH materials, please check with reference staff. All photocopying is subject to the approval of the CAH staff. Copying decisions are based upon preservation and copyright concerns. Some items may be copied by patrons on the self-serve copier in the Information Area, but patrons must ask the reference staff before copying any item. CAH staff will have to photocopy rare, fragile, or oversize items.
1. To request that CAH staff make a photocopy of published materials which are smaller than 11" x 17" and cannot be copied by patrons, fill out a PHOTOCOPYING WORKSHEET, following instructions exactly. See Reading Room staff for assistance if necessary.
2. Place photocopying flags perpendicular to pages for easy identification.
3. Maps, newspapers, and other materials larger than 11' x 17" will not be copied.
4. Prepayment will be necessary for large orders.
5. For CITY DIRECTORIES, fill in CITY NAME and TITLE OF DIRECTORY and DATE along with today's date and your name.
6. If you would like to purchase photographic reproductions of any materials, please contact CAH staff for more information.
NOTE: Some items may not produce legible copies, due to low contrast between the paper and the ink or the binding of the book.