The Arts and Multimedia Library has a wide and varied collection of print & non-print materials. The collection covers all areas of the fine and applied arts as well as multimedia materials in different subjects such as, education, religion, culture, politics, languages and linguistics, and computer technology. Additionally, the library maintains a complete recordings of all conferences, musical performances, and cultural activities that have taken place at the BA.
In addition to the print collection, the Arts & Multimedia Library holds a large collection of audiovisual materials in all subject areas covered by the main library. The audio/visual materials are available in a number of different formats such as: audiotapes, videotapes, diskettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and LPs. All audiovisual materials are maintained in the closed stacks and can be requested at the Arts & Multimedia Library Information desk for use in the library. Marks on the spine labels and the catalogue entries carry capital letters for each AV format: VHS for videotapes, ACD for audio CD, AT for audiotapes, CDR for CD-Rom, DVD for DVD and DVD-Rom.
The Arts and Multimedia Library holds about 2600 videotapes (VHS) including documentary, scientific, economic, educational and motion pictures.
CD-ROMs (CDR):
About 2200 CD-ROMs are available, covering many topics and including encyclopedias & dictionaries, databases, and learning materials.
Audio CDs (ACD) and Audio Tapes (AT):
There are about 900 ACDs and 2,400 tapes available for use, including self-teaching materials, The Koran, The Bible, popular audio books, music, operas.
Kits:
Kits consist mainly of books with accompanying AV materials, such as audiotapes, videos, or CDs. The library holds about 300 of these kits..
DVDs :
About 200 DVDs are available, including classic films, movies, ballets, operas, dictionaries & encyclopedia.
The print collection of the Arts and Multimedia Library is comprised of about 20,000 volumes, consisting of books, journals, musical scores, and reference materials. The entire print collection is housed on open shelves and is listed in VIRTUA, the Library's on-line catalog, to facilitate access by the library's users.
Books:
The Arts & Multimedia Library holds all of the BA's books in the areas of the fine and applied arts. The collection is organized by the Dewey Decimal Classification system, with call numbers that range from 700 to 799 as follow:
| 700 |
Fine & Decorative Arts |
| 710 |
Civic & Landscape Art |
| 720 |
Architecture |
| 730 |
Plastic arts & Sculpture |
| 740 |
Drawing & Decorative Arts |
| 750 |
Painting & Paintings |
| 760 |
Graphic Arts |
| 770 |
Photography & Photographs |
| 780 |
Music |
| 790 |
Recreational and Performing Arts |
| 791.43 |
Motion Picture |
| 792 |
Theatre |
Reference :
The Arts & Multimedia Library holds a large collection of specialized reference materials, such as encyclopedias, indexes, directories, handbooks, bibliographies and dictionaries on Architecture, Crafts, Music, Theater, Dance, Movies, Photography and Sports. The dictionary of art, Enciclopedia universale dell'arte, Storia universale dell'arte, Artists of the world : bio-bibliographical index A-Z, Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays, Encyclopedia of interior design, Diccionario de la musica espanola e hispanoamericana, The Guinness encyclopedia of popular music, International dictionary of opera, Encyclopedia of the musical theatre, International directory of cinematographers, set- and costume designers in film, and the International dictionary of films and filmmakers are just a few of the reference titles available.
Periodicals:
The Arts & Multimedia Library subscribes to over 70 different specialized periodicals in the Arts. The current issues of all titles are displayed on the open shelves in alphabetical order; back issues are kept in the closed stacks. Users can request 5 back issues at a time at the information desk of the Arts & Multimedia Library : Some of the titles available include: Acta musicologica, Architectural design, Architecture and urbanism : A + U, Cahiers du cinema, Cambridge opera journal, Electronic musician, Journal of American musicological society, Kino, Popular music and society, and World of music.
All audio visual materials in the BA are also entered into the Mmediaview database. To find materials in Mmediaview, you can browse the
topic list ;
search by keyword, title, author, or subject; or
browse the list of the new documents.
Mmediaview actually consists of 4 databases, each covering a different aspect of the collection:
- The General Multimedia Database includes all audiovisual materials & electronic resources in all subject areas held by the Library.
- The Music database includes all audiovisual materials & electronic resources whose subject coverage is Music
- Alexandrina database includes all Bibliotheca Alexandrina publications in all forms and formats. It covers the library's activities including print and digital publications, conferences, exhibitions and other events.
- The Self-teaching database includes tutorials, self-teaching programs, and learning materials in all forms and formats. Subject coverage includes: languages, computer sciences, and graphics.