Level 1: Archives & Special Collections,
ITS Media Lab,
MacDonald Lounge,
Current Newspapers
Level 2: Circulation, Reserves, Interlibrary Loan, Computer Workstations Indexes & Abstracts, Government Publications, Information Desk, Map Collection, Reference Collection
Level 3: Periodicals - Magazines & Journals
Level 4: Friedman Lounge, General Book Collection
Level 1
Archives & Special Collections
 UIS Archives & Special Collections housed inside the ITS Media Lab, is home to historical material relating to Sangamon State University (the former name of this university) and UIS, as well as some local history materials and local government records for genealogy, called IRAD (Illinois Regional Archives Depository). Some unique collections include materials on the Handy Writers Colony and a local Oral History collectionon tape and transcribed. An overview of what Archives & Special Collections consists of:
- University Records
- Illinois Regional archives Depository (IRAD)
- Manuscripts Collections
- Noncirculating Books & Periodicals
- SSU/UIS Student Masters Theses & PhD Dissertations
- Oral History Collections
Springfield, being the state capital, has a wealth of archival libraries. The Lincoln Library downtown has a wonderful local history collection in its Sangamon Valley Collection. And within the state government, there is the Illinois State Library, the State Archives, and the new Lincoln Presidential Library.
ITS Media Lab
 Information Technology Services-Media Lab offers Macintosh and PC computers with lots of multimedia software and hardware for creating webpages, audio, video, etc., as well as word processing. They also have microfilm and microfiche readers with printers attached.
Faculty, students & staff are able to check out digital cameras, camcorders and other equipment from the lab.
Information Technology Services has a couple Distance Learning/Video Conferencing rooms located on Level 1 of Brookens Library, and a multimedia classroom for workshops that are conducted on various multimedia software and subjects to include:
- Photoshop & Scanning/Digitizing Workshops
- Dreamweaver & Web Design Knowledge Workshops
- Flash Workshops
- Digital Video & Audio Workshops
- Web Blogs & RSS Feeds
MacDonald Lounge
The MacDonald Lounge is the newest study area in the library. It offers comfortable seating, Ethernet data ports to plug in your laptop, a couple of PCs that have Microsoft Office software, and some vending machines. There is a small magazine collection as well, consisting of Der Spiegel, Motor Trend, Paris Match, People, Science News, and Vanity Fair. Brookens Library has two other lounges for studying. There's the Everson Lounge on Level 2, and the Friedman Lounge on Level 4.
Current Newspapers
The Library subscribes to 7 daily newspapers: Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, State Journal-Register, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Current issues are near the main stairwell (except the Sun-Times), and are kept there until we receive the microfilm version, or we keep 3 months worth of issues if we do not purchase the microfilm.
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Level 2
Circulation, Reserves & Interlibrary Loan
 The Circulation Desk is the first service desk you see when you walk into Brookens Library is the Circulation Desk. This desk serves several purposes for the public. This is where you check out books. This is also the desk you go to if you need general assistance with the photocopiers, you need change for the copiers, or if the book you want isn't on the shelf where it's supposed to be. The Circulation Desk Line is: 217-206-6605, you can also e-mail questions to: lib-circ@uis.edu.
This is also where materials (books, articles, lecture notes, old tests, etc.) placed "on reserve" by professors are kept. Reserve materials can be circulated for 7 days, 3 days, or "library use only," at the discretion of the professor who put them on reserve.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a division within the circulation department responsible for processing loaned materials. We provide access to knowledge on a subject by having the indexes or databases relevant to that subject. With these indexes and databases, patrons can find citations to relevant materials, and if we don't own that resource, we can borrow it from another library.
Information Desk
 The Information Desk is located in the middle of the floor on Level 2. Here you can get one-on-one help. When you are not on campus you can call the desk line 217-206-6633 or e-mail any questions you have to: libref@uis.edu.
During the fall and spring semesters the Information Desk is open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 10pm, Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm, and Sunday 1pm to 7pm.
Indexes, Abstracts, and Government Publications
Behind the Information Desk, the library has its collection of print indexes and abstracts. (An index gives you citations only, while an abstract gives you citations and summaries of the articles or books.) The indexes are in Library of Congress call number order, arranged by subject.
Why do we still have print indexes, when we have so many online databases? There are a couple reasons.
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Online databases usually do not cover historical materials. If you were interested in what people were saying about your topic back in the 1950s, you would have to use print indexes. (Of course, there are exceptions. The psychology database PsycINFO's coverage extends back to 1872, and some of the journals in JSTOR go back to the late 19th century.)
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We have some print indexes that are for subjects which we have no online counterpart. For instance, we have Abstracts in Social Gerontology in print, for which there is no online equivalent.
Government Publications are located on Level 2 behind the print indexes and abstracts.
Brookens Library has both State of Illinois publications as well as federal government publications. The publications are arranged by the state or federal agency that issued it. Brookens Library also has some United Nations or International publications, they are housed in the reference or general collection.
Computer Workstations
Most of the computers are located on Level 2. All have Internet access and most have the Microsoft Office Suite software. (Exceptions: the computers in the stacks on Level 3 & 4, the Nonprofit Resource Center computer, the 3 Standard & Poor computers on Level 2, and the 4 computers next to the clock on Level 2 do not have MS Office.) However, if you need technical assistance it is best to use the computers in the computer lab on Level 1 or in HSB 109.
Map Collection
 The map collection in Brookens Library is located on Level 2 in the map cases adjacent to the Reference and Illinois Documents collections stacks. The map collection includes over 3,500 map titles, wall maps, raised relief maps as well as numerous uncataloged maps in vertical file cabinets near the Information Desk and hundreds of folded maps and charts that are shelved in the Government Publications Collection.
Most maps and charts in our collection are publications of state or federal government agencies, such as the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and NASA. Therefore, our maps are classified by government document call numbers rather than by Library of Congress classification.
The major series in our map collection include the USGS 7.5-minute and 15-minute topographic maps covering Illinois, IDOT’s general highway maps for each of Illinois’ 102 counties, CIA maps of foreign countries and regions, Bureau of the Census thematic maps, and lunar charts produced by NASA. Brookens Library also has a large collection of atlases in the Reference Collection, and in the Oversize collection on Level 4.
Most maps series that are cataloged can be accessed through the I-Share Catalog.
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Level 3
Periodicals - Magazines, Journals, Newspapers & Microfilm
In the physical Brookens Library, most of the periodicals: the magazines, journals and newspapers are on Level 3. A few exceptions are the ones in the Government Publications area, and a few titles in the Reference Collection and the Lounges.
Brookens Library virtually holds a greater magnitude of periodicals, to find articles online by all subject areas click here.
The library subscribes to around 2,300 periodicals, and they are arranged by subject and given Library of Congress call numbers, rather than alphabetically by title. Current issues are located in the blue boxes at the end of the bound volumes of a title. If you see a plastic red flag where your volume would be shelved, that means those issues are at the bindery. The periodicals in microfilm are housed on Level 3 as well, in the gray filing cabinets along the wall near the entrance. To view and print the articles take the microfilm down to Information Technology's Media Lab on Level 1.
To find out if the Library subscribes to a particular periodical, please go to Find Magazines & Journals.
Level 4
The Friedman Lounge
 The Friedman Lounge offers comfortable seating and a browsing collection of books and magazines.
The books found here are mainly popular nonfiction and some literary fiction. They are fully cataloged, so if you do a search in the online catalog, it may say location "Friedman."
Magazine titles that are for patron perusal include:
- Architectural Digest
- Book
- Maritime Life & Traditions
- Poets & Writers
- Smart Money
- Verse
- Vogue
General Book Collection
The bulk of the book collection is on Level 4, called the General Collection. All of these books, over 500,000 volumes, may be checked out, with the exception of a few law book sets. They are arranged by subject in Library of Congress (LC) call number order. Call number ranges are on the end panels of the rows, at the top of the end panel and at eye level.
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