This guide provides a general introduction to Library resources relating to French and Francophone Studies.
The web link below takes you to the up-to-date information about access to the Library collections, facilities and services, and how to get further help.
Main collectionsThe Main Library holds the majority of physical collections for French and Francophone Studies. Some older collections are located in the the University Collections Facility (UCF) from where items can be requested. All the materials are catalogued and findable in the Library search system DiscoverEd.
Items in French
As of September 2020, there are about 118,842 books and 25,703 journals in French, in physical or electronic formats, in the DiscoverEd system.
Books
The current lending stock of books (acquired since 1999) relating to the subject area are mostly classified in the Library of Congress scheme (e.g. PQ2435.R72 Cas.) and are located on the 2nd floor (categories A-PB) and 3rd floor (categories PC-Z). Older lending collections (acquired before 1999) are classified in the Dewey decimal scheme (e.g. .89513(05) Cha.) and are located on the 4th floor.
Journals
Bound, printed journals are located on the 4th floor. Back runs of some journals are stored in the University Collections Facility (UCF). Information on how to request material from UCF can be found in the list of useful links below.
Reference works and DVDs
Dictionaries, encyclopaedias and bibliographies and DVDs are classified in the LC scheme and interfiled with the general LC lending stock on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
Manuscripts, rare books and archives are held in the Centre for Research Collections (CRC). See information about CRC below.
Printed exam papers up to academic year 2004/2005 are stored in the University Collections Facility and can be requested from there. Information on how to request material from UCF can be found in the list of useful links below. However, the majority of degree examination papers from the following academic years are available online:
Other useful links:
The High Use Books (HUB) collection, located on the ground floor of the Main Library, consists of HUB Reserve (3 hour loan) and HUB Short Loan (7 day loan) books.
Undergraduate course books on Reserve and Short Loan for French and Francophone Studies are located in this collection.
The Centre for Research Collections (CRC) houses the University Library’s Special Collections which include some historical books, manuscripts, archives and microfilms in French or relating to French and Francophone Studies, including French Language Collections - papers of the Univerisity's former Professors of French Charles Sarolea, John Orr and R.L.G. Ritchie.
The main CRC facilities are on the 6th floor of the Main Library.
Use DiscoverEd to search for books, journals, journal articles, DVDs and other physical and electronic items. Use your University Login to sign into your account and manage loans and requests.
Use Resource Lists to find your course reading lists. Lookup reading lists by list title, course title, course code, course instructors.
Please note that not all the courses at the University use Resource Lists.
If the library does not have what you want then there are several ways of getting access to the material:
Conveniently located within ten minutes' walk of the University's Main Library, the National Library of Scotland (NLS) holds huge collections of primary and secondary source matierials which may not be available yet in the University Library.
This allows you to request material either held at distant university library sites including the University Collections Facility, or material not held by the university.
If you are unable to find the book that you need for your studies then use the Student Request a Book (RaB) service to recommend a purchase.
It may be possible (and sometimes quicker) to visit another library in the UK to get access to the item you require. Some reciprocal schemes and agreements allow our staff and students access to some other libraries.
Subject Guides from other disciplines may offer useful information, depending on the area of your research interest.
See also:
