Earl K. Long Library Louisiana and Special Collections

How to Find What You're Looking For

Several options are available for researchers interested in locating Louisiana and Special Collections materials.

The first is to use the library's online catalog. The catalog can search for books and audiovisual materials located anywhere in the library. Patrons can also limit their searches to Louisiana Collection holdings by selecting Louisiana Collection (Floor 4) under "shelf location" in the online catalog's "Advanced Search" mode.

Manuscript collections in the Louisiana and Special Collections are not cataloged and will not be included in the online catalog's search results. Finding aids for these materials are available online and in the Louisiana and Special Collections Reading Room.

Finding aids provide basic information about processed manuscript collections, such as dates relevant to the materials, the size of the collection, and the name of the collection's creator (if known). Also available are biographical or historical notes related to the collection and "container lists" that describe the contents of a collection. Unprocessed collections are materials that have not been thoroughly examined. Information related to the contents of unprocessed collections may be limited, and the materials themselves may not be available for patron use.

Additionally, you may be able to find what you are looking for through our guides, by browsing our manuscript collection subjects, or by using the search box in the top right corner of the guides to conduct an online search of our finding aids.

Finding aids for recently processed collections may not be immediately available online.

Help with Your Research

If you're still unsure where to begin or would like some additional guidance with your search for materials, we encourage you to email libspec@uno.edu for further information and assistance. Department staff can be contacted via telephone, e-mail, or by visiting the Reading Room in person during our regular hours of operation.

For researchers unable to visit the Earl K. Long Library, Louisiana and Special Collections personnel will endeavor to respond to reference and information queries.  Because of limited staffing, we may be unable to devote more than one hour to an inquiry.