St. Mary's University
Blume Library
Collections & Departments
The Reference Collection, located on the main (second) floor, contains classic works of reference, such as the Oxford English Dictionary, Encyclopaedia Britannica, as well as general and specialized reference resources, including statistical and business information, dictionaries, almanacs, handbooks and biographical information. All reference items are listed in the online catalog. Reference materials cannot be taken out of the library.
The Blume Library's collections are distributed among the building's three floors. The circulating collection is housed on the third floor. See Circulation Policies for loan policies.
Selected newly received books are placed on the Leisure Reading shelves located to your right as you enter the Blume Library. These are books of current interest or current fiction.
The Blume and Law Libraries of St. Mary's University share an online catalog. The online catalog can be searched via the Internet.
Access to cataloged materials is gained through searches by author, title (keyword or subject. Keyword search options do not require that you know the exact title or exact subject heading for an item.
The online catalog displays an item's exact location in the library. Most of the circulating collection is on the third floor. Items shelved elsewhere will still have their floor number and exact shelf location given.
Bound periodicals (paper) are shelved on the main (second) floor in alphabetical order by title. Periodicals stored on microfilm or microfiche (as indicated in the online catalog) are kept in cabinets located behind the reference desk on the second floor. These periodicals on microform are also arranged alphabetically by journal title within these cabinets. Recent issues of newspapers and the most recent issues of popular magazines are shelved in the Current Periodicals / Newspapers (Leisure Periodicals) section on the first floor.
Since 1964, the Blume Library has been a selective depository for both United States and Texas documents. The government documents collection, located on the main (second) floor, contains more than 180,000 items. Some documents are available on microfiche. These are stored in the government documents microfiche cabinets also located on the main floor.
Documents are available to all members of the general public for on-site use, and most of them can be borrowed via inter-library loan through other libraries, including the San Antonio Public Library. Documents may be checked out by St. Mary's University students, faculty and staff for standard loan periods through the Circulation Department on the main floor of the Blume Library, except for those publications restricted to reference use.
Government Documents are arranged by the Superintendent of Documents system of classification. This system groups together documents by their issuing government agency, NOT by their subject. A letter symbolizes the issuing agencies, i.e., D = Department of Defense. Assistance in locating these materials may be obtained at the Reference Desk.
Most of our government documents are listed in the online catalog. But a comprehensive search for government information requires the use of a specialized index, such as the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. This index indicates which area libraries have a particular document. A list of US documents received since 1991 is located on the Library's web site; a shelf list of documents received prior to 1991 is situated near the Reference Desk.
Government information is also available in electronic formats, e.g., on CD-ROM, DVD, and through the Internet. Many CDs and DVDs are available for 7-day checkout to St. Mary's students, faculty and staff at the Reserve/Circulation Desk. These disks may be also checked out to students of other institutions, and to the general public, through inter-library loan. Consult these lists of government CDs and DVDs to see which titles are held by the Blume Library. Increasingly, government information is becoming accessible via the World Wide Web. All of the computers on the main floor of the Library may be used by anyone to access this information. Printing facilities are available ($.05 per page) and data may be downloaded. Floppy disks and CDR/W disks may be purchased for this purpose at the Circulation Desk.
For more about government information, including link collections and indexes, see the Government Information Home Page, or ask for assistance at the Reference Desk. Reference assistance is available for members of the general public as well as St. Mary's students, faculty and staff.
The map collection offers a variety of atlases ranging from commercial to historic. Also available are loose maps issued by the U.S. government on various regions of the world. These items are located on the main (second) floor along the back wall. A map catalog (a paper copy is also kept with the maps) aids access to these items. The maps may be checked out by St. Mary's faculty, staff and students.
The media collection contains over 20,000 items in various formats, e.g. compact discs, videorecordings, sound recordings. Most audio-visual (AV) materials circulate for a two-day period. If an Audio-Visual item is placed on Reserve (at the Circulation Counter) it will not circulate, but may be used in the library. AV items are listed in the online catalog.
The Curriculum Collection, housed on the third floor, is a special collection geared to the needs of students majoring in Education. It contains textbooks currently adopted by the Texas Education Agency in the certified areas offered at St. Mary's University. The collection also contains comparative textbooks, curriculum guides, juvenile literature and other teaching materials. All items in the Curriculum Collection are listed in the online catalog.
Masters degree theses written by graduate students of St. Mary's University are shelved on the third floor by call number, in the circulating collection of books. Theses are bound in red binding and are searchable in the online catalog. Doctoral dissertations (in blue book binding) are also located in the main circulating collection on the third floor and are also searchable in the online catalog.
There are constant inquiries in the library about the Society of Mary, the Marianist spirituality, the Marianist philosophy of education, service, apostolate, etc. The present Marianist collection, located adjacent to the Art Exhibit area and the US Government Documents collection on the second (main) floor, makes it possible for anyone to access this information. Most of these items can be borrowed from the library on the same terms as other books, especially if there are multiple copies. We add to the collection as new Marianist works become available.
This collection contains eleven main groups:
Special Collections is a limited access area located on the third floor. The collection includes:
The Spanish Archives of Laredo - consists of 3,245 documents and records the growth and development of the borderland city of Laredo from the time of its founding in 1755 by Don Tomás Sanchez under Spanish rule to 1848 when it came under the jurisdiction of the United States. The Laredo Archives Series (6 volumes of published documents) and the Indexes to the Laredo Archives are also located with the microfilm set of the Laredo Archives collection on the second floor of the Blume Library.
Old Spanish Trail Association - records, clippings, brochures and correspondence, kept by two of the Association's leaders, Mr. Harral Ayres and Mrs. Henry Drought, documenting the plans for the highway that connects Texas with both eastern and western states, preserving the relics and ruins of five great missionary centers: San Augustine, San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson, and San Diego. The plans began circa 1912 and continued into the 1930s.
Vance Papers - extensive collection of materials on Henri Castro and his colonists. Includes 12 of the 27 shipping lists recorded by Henri Castro and copies of many of the Medina County Court records from 1844 to 1898. Named for the donors, Frank X. Vance and Dorothy Lobitz Vance of Castroville.
The Military Collection - contains about 200 titles on the history and art of war on land and sea, on tactics, strategy, training maneuvers, infantry, cavalry and other special services. Another 200 books cover the history of the Peninsular War, 1807-1814. Also includes books on other wars of the nineteenth century. Gifts of Charles Gruzevski and Colonel Martin L. Crimmins.
The Mathematics Collection - originates from a school maintained by the Society of Mary at the University of Fribourg and includes approximately 250 nineteenth century imprints. Most of these items are in the French language.
Colonel Martin L. Crimmins Collection - Col. Crimmins (1874-1955), a member of the U.S. Army from 1898 to 1926, was a Roosevelt Rough Rider, traveler, herpetologist and military historian. He had more than 200 articles published. The collection includes letters, military papers, articles he wrote, fort plans and valuable information on many forts, particularly in the southwest. There is also a large collection of maps and plans. See the link for a detailed list.
Felix D. Almaraz Collection - Dr. Felix D. Almaraz, St. Mary's graduate (1959, 1962) and internationally known historian has donated his personal papers, lectures, speeches, articles and book manuscripts to the Special Collections of the Louis J. Blume library.
The Pola Negri Collection - includes personal and family papers, photos (many in albums), religious items, political items, albums of newspaper and press clippings, film festivals, awards received, video tapes of several of her movies, her personal record (music) collection and some books. There is no personal correspondence except fan mail.
Many other rare resources are contained in Special Collections. Contact the Library at 210/436-3441 for Special Collections hours or for specific inquiries.
