“ Primary Sources ”, a site developed by Yale University Library, provides information about general concepts and terminology used in Special Collections like the Beinecke. Researchers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these fundamentals before conducting research.

As a supplement to this general orientation, the guide below describes tools that can be used to identify Beinecke material. Research tools that are restricted to material held at the Beinecke have been identified with the term “Beinecke only”; resources that are more general, which include records for Beinecke material as well as material held at other campus libraries, have been designated with the phrase “Yale Library”:

• Orbis (Yale's Online Catalog) – Yale Library
• Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts - Yale Library
• Uncataloged Acquisitions – Beinecke only
• Additional Databases : American Drawings, Art Storage, College Pamphlets, Papyrus Database, Western
  Collection Prints, Western Americana Stereocards, Western Americana Film Scripts – Beinecke only
• Digital Images Online – Beinecke only
• Special Collections: Additional Catalog Resources – Yale Library

ORBIS – Yale's Online Catalog

What's in Orbis? Records for virtually all of Beinecke's cataloged printed materials; records for cataloged manuscripts; records for some archival collections. (Yale Library)

Consider ORBIS your first stop when searching for materials held by the Beinecke. Virtually all of the Library's cataloged printed materials, as well as many of its manuscripts and archival collections can be found by searching ORBIS . You may apply various limits (location, type of material) when searching. ORBIS help screens are available.

An archival or manuscript collection's record in ORBIS will include a hyperlink to its corresponding finding aid in the Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts if a finding aid is available online.

To find additional printed material not in ORBIS, search Uncataloged Acquisitions ; for manuscripts and archival collections, search Uncataloged Acquisitions and the Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts .

Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts

What's in the Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts? Finding aids and preliminary lists for some archival collections; lists and descriptions of some manuscripts. (Yale Library)

The Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts , also known as the “Yale Special Collections Search”, contains finding aids (tools known also as registers, inventories, lists, calendars, etc.) for many Yale archival and manuscript collections as well as records for Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. Finding aids provide a level of detail not found in an ORBIS catalog record, often including biographical or historical notes, a narrative description of the papers, a detailed listing of contents, and appendices with ancillary information. When retrieving finding aids in the database, be aware that some files are quite large and may require several minutes to load. Finding aids for very large archival collections (such as the Langston Hughes Papers) have been divided into separate files to ease access. Searching instructions are available.

Researchers are reminded that multiple repositories at Yale hold archival and manuscript material. Search in ORBIS and contact other Special Collections at Yale to explore Yale's extraordinary collections.

For a broader search for Beinecke's archival and manuscript collections, search ORBIS , Uncataloged Acquisitions , Special Collections: Additional Catalog Resources , and the Additional Databases described below. Special Collections at Yale provides an overview of holdings elsewhere on campus.

Uncataloged Acquisitions

What's in Uncataloged Acquisitions? Records for uncataloged printed, manuscript and archival materials. (Beinecke only)

Uncataloged Acquisitions is a database containing records with brief information for material that is not cataloged; these materials include printed, archival and manuscript material not found in ORBIS or the Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts. In general these uncataloged materials were acquired from 1985 until the present although the database includes some earlier acquisitions. Records for cataloged material are removed annually.

Also check Special Collection: Additional Catalog Resources . If you believe there is material that the Library holds and you have not been able to find it using the resources on this page, contact Public Services or the appropriate curator .

Additional Databases

American Drawings / Art Storage / College Pamphlets / Papyrus Database / Western Collection Prints / Western Americana Stereocards / Western Americana Film Scripts

Digital Images Online

What's in Digital Images Online? Images for a range of materials from the Beinecke's collections. (Beinecke only)

Beinecke's Digital Images Online offers approximately 70,000 images of a wide range of materials from throughout the Beinecke Collections: photographs, manuscripts, correspondence, artwork, objects, illustrations, and selected pages from printed works. The majority of images are scans of original material in full 24-bit color. Approximately 1200 images are added every two weeks. About 20,000 images are scanned images from the Beinecke's Photonegative File, which contains negatives and color transparences of images selected for reproduction or study by patrons over the last twenty years.

Data describing these images is brief in most cases, but generally includes a call number and subject or author. For a complete description of the data fields, refer to Photonegative Descriptive Data .

To find additional images of the Beinecke Library's Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, also search the catalog records that appear in the Database of Archival Collections and Manuscripts . Some contain direct links to images that do not appear in the Digital Images Online database.

Search for images of papyri through the Papyrus Database .

For more information about other digital imaging projects at Yale, see Yale University Library's Digital Collections page.

Special Collections: Additional Catalog Resources

What's in Special Collections: Additional Catalog Resources? Special catalogs and subject headings that can help researchers identify and locate material. (Yale Library)

Special Collections: Additional Catalog Resources lists catalogs that describe printed, manuscript and archival collections that may not be represented in ORBIS . These catalogs provide descriptive information about specific materials based on common form/genre, provenance, or other attribute. While material from some catalogs is represented in ORBIS in brief, Special Collections catalogs may offer a richer description or provide contextual information. Some catalogs are the only source of collocated information about a collection.

Lists of Special Collection subject headings (also known as local subject headings) are added to ORBIS records to note special characteristics. The list of Additional Catalog Resources includes information about these Special Collection subject headings.

Printed Catalogs is a bibliography of published catalogs of collections in the Yale Library.