Due to the nature of the high-density shelving arrangements at Oak Street Library, users are not able to browse materials at the shelf.
Many of the materials held at Oak Street Library are also available digitally.
All items shelved at the facility have a full bibliographic record in the Library’s online catalog and the location is clearly designated, including a note explaining how to request those materials.
If you come to the Oak Street Library and ask for an item, it is unlikely that we will be able to retrieve it for you that day. Please see below for how to request materials from Oak Street Library locations. If you need materials more urgently, please call us at 217-265-9476 and we will do our best to assist you.
Regularly Circulating Materials
Roughly 90% of the items at Oak Street Library circulate to patrons normally. You can recognize them by the following locations in the online catalog:
- Oak Street Library Vaults Request Online
- Oak Street Library SSHEL Collection Request Online
- Oak Street Library Conservation Request Online
Please submit requests for these items via the online catalog. You can choose any library as the pick-up location.
Building Use Only
These items are part of the general collection at Oak Street, but are in bad condition or otherwise vulnerable, so they have to be used in the Oak Street Reading Room.
- Oak Street Library Vaults Building Use Only – Request Online
Please submit requests for these items via the online catalog.
Special Oak Street Locations
Special Collection Request System
Items owned by the special collections libraries are requested through Aeon, the Special Collection Request System at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- Illinois History and Lincoln Collections Oak Street Vaults
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library Oak Street Vaults
- University Archives University Archives Reading Room Use Only – Request Online
These records display a link in the online catalog labeled “Request for use in …” Please click the link and follow the instructions to submit your request.
Requires staff mediation
Due to the often fragile or special nature of items in the following locations, patron requests for these locations are handled by staff in the appropriate departmental library.
- Oak Street Library Architecture and Art Collection – Contact Ricker Library Staff to Request
- Oak Street Library BTAA Shared Print Repository – Contact Oak St Library staff for assistance
- Oak Street Library International and Area Studies Collection – Contact IAS Library Staff to Request
- Oak Street Library Map Collection – Contact Map Library Staff to Request
- Oak Street Library Newspaper Collection – Contact HPNL Library Staff to Request
- University Archives University Archives Reading Room Use Only – See Finding Aid to Request or Contact illiarch@illinois.edu for Assistance
- University Archives Oak Street Vaults – Contact Sousa Archives Staff to Request