Rush Rhees library from the “Quad”
Way back in 2008 I wrote this blog post about a tour of the Rush Rhees Library at the University of Rochester. I get there two or three times a year. It seems that almost every school year there are changes in the floor plan library. This is most current floor plan of this huge library.
This library has some unique sources for genealogy and local history. It also is open long hours. During the school year, the main part of the library is open Sunday to Thursday until 3 a.m. and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. A couple of the specialized departments are only open during the day on weekdays.
First, parking is a problem at this college. During daytime on weekdays you have to pay to park and the person at the guard shack will direct you where to park. After 7 p.m. weekdays and on the weekend parking is free in the library lot.
From the library parking lot you will enter on the ground floor. On this floor there is the Art & Music Library, which really should be called a department. At the opposite end of the floor from the parking lot are tunnels that connect to other classroom buildings on the “Quad” and also to Wilson Commons where you get get coffee, snacks and it has a full cafeteria.
The first floor has the Gleason Library which actually is a study area. This floor also has the main lobby of the library. There are some computers with databases and the library catalog. Very few students are using these as every student has access via their computer or phone. Guests can ask for what they call a “NetID” for temporary use of the computers but it would best to research from home. Their online catalog will give locations of all the books in this library and the other smaller libraries of U of R including the libraries at the Eastman Dental School, U of R Medical School and the Eastman School of Music. That same catalog also contains the contents of the George Eastman House. This library uses the Library of Congress catalog system; not Dewey Decimal. Familiarize yourself with this system before finding your references.
Depending on what you are searching for, you will go in a couple of directions. Some books are located in the old stacks that are under the dome of the building. These have very low ceilings and an old elevator that just might get you to the right floor. The stairway between floors is so narrow that you got to hope that you don’t meet someone else going in the other direction. The newer floors are a lot bigger and have a much safer elevator connecting them. In any of the stacks the lights are usually off to the bookshelves. You have to turn a knob that will have the lights stay on for about 10 minutes.
Reading Room
On the second floor is the reading room with current magazines. You should stop there just to look at how beautiful it is and to see all the students at work. Also on this floor is the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Department. This department has a lot of manuscript collections including the records of Rochester Orphan Asylum (now Hillside), Rochester Friendly Home, Eastman Kodak historical collection, some old bound Rochester newspapers, and personal family papers of prominent Rochester area families. This web page lists all the manuscript collections and has links to each one describing what is in the collection. This department is open only 9 – 5 weekdays and has some shorter hours on some Saturdays. They have restrictions on use. First, they want you to call 48 hours ahead so that they can retrieve what you want to see. You can only bring in a pencil & paper or a laptop computer. Bags can be left in lockers within the department.
Next: Other floors; other highlights.