The E.S. Bird Library

Building Description

The E.S. Bird Library is the main library on campus and is located between Schine Student Center and Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center. It houses extensive resources in the fine arts, humanities, and social sciences. The stately building also carries media resources, government publications, and maps. Comfortable seating options and large tables found throughout the library make it a very conducive environment for quiet study.
The lower level is part of the Library's Learning Commons along with levels 1 and 2. Here, students may choose to make use of the study carrels which also facilitate connection to campus networks for laptop users. Other features include: the Library's Media Resource Department, the Electronic Training Center, the Interlibrary loan office, the Business Services Office, and the Digital Imaging Services Center (DISC). Notably, the Learning Commons is normally accessible past regular opening hours (Details can be found here: http://library.syr.edu/information/hours/index.html).
Level 1 of the Bird Library is where the building’s entrances and exits are situated. “Pages”, the Library Café is also found here, and it is popular with students wishing to grab a bite and relax in-between intensive study sessions. The selection of sandwiches, salads, bagels and other pastries is impressive, even more so the various blends of coffee from the city’s own Freedom of Espresso. Once hunger is satiated and you’re ready to delve into research again, the friendly staff at the service area are more than willing to help with questions and requests to borrow books, laptops, etc. There are also public workstations, photocopiers/printers and even change machines.
Level 2 is where current journals and newspapers are found, including a few foreign-language papers such as Le Monde and Die Zeit. Students can also browse publications on philosophy, psychology, ethics, religion and history, even (non-circulating) bound periodicals in the Library of Congress call number range A-D.
Level 3 houses Maps & Government Information collection, the Geographic and Statistical Information Center (G-SIC), and publications with call number range E-HJ.
Level 4 features the Arts and Humanities Services department, service to the Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive, the limited access collection, the slide collection, the music collection and listening area; and circulating books and non-circulating bound periodicals in call number range HM-N.
Level 5 is the place to browse materials in the areas of literature, technology, photography, and library science. It is also where circulating books and non-circulating bound periodicals in the call number range P-Z are found. There are also more public workstations here.
The sixth floor houses the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), the University Archives, the Safire Seminar Room lined wall-to-wall with nearly 10,000 books donated by prominent SU alum William Safire, and the Hillyer Room and Spector Room which are mainly used for library programs but is also open for reservations y members of the University community.

History

No history for this location.