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General Collections
STACKS
The library’s main circulating collection includes over 180,000 materials supporting the research needs of the college. The stacks are located on floors 3A, 2A and 1A.
PERIODICALS
The library subscribes to a variety of popular and scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers. Current issues are kept on the main floor of the library. Older issues are bound and stored on floors 1 and 2. Periodicals do not circulate.
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
As a government document depository, the library collects materials published by the federal government and the state of Wisconsin. Government documents are located on floor 1.
REFERENCE
The reference collection includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, style guides, handbooks, and other materials useful for finding background information on a topic. It is located on the main floor of the library across from the elevator. Reference items do not circulate.
For a reference database online, check out Credo Reference. This is a great starting point for research projects. Search in hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 200,000+ images and audio files, and nearly 200 videos.
Special Collections
COLLEGE ARCHIVES
The Ripon College Archives is dedicated to preserving the history of Ripon College from its inception to the present. It contains records, yearbooks, college newspapers, photographs, manuscripts, letters and other materials related to college history.
SENIOR SHOWCASE COLLECTION
Papers in this digital collection include works presented at the Ripon College Senior Showcase. This online collection is part of an annual celebration of excellence across the liberal arts, with students’ work selected by their departments and presented in both oral presentation or poster format.
WESTERN AMERICANA COLLECTION
The Dale L. Morgan Memorial Collection of Western Americana, donated by Mr. Todd Berens, includes materials covering the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the fur trade, mining, the Mormons of Utah, the California Gold Rush, the transcontinental railroad, and other topics related to the American west. The collection is located in the North Reading Room and is available for checkout.
WISCONSIN’S OWN LIBRARY
Wisconsin’s Own Library (WOL) is a collection of books and pamphlets written, edited or compiled by a person who has lived in Wisconsin. Owned by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Wisconsin, the collection currently resides in Lane Library’s South Reading Room, and is available for checkout.
FACULTY COLLECTION
The library collects books and other materials authored by former and current Ripon College faculty. These items are located on the main floor and do not circulate.
ALUMNI COLLECTION
This collection includes works authored by Ripon College alumni. It is located on the main floor and available for checkout.
JUVENILE COLLECTION
The library actively collects winners of the Caldecott, Newberry and other children’s literature awards to support Ripon College’s childhood education and development courses. Items in this circulating collection are interspersed with the stacks and labeled “Juvenile Literature.”
CLOSED STACKS
These rare and fragile materials may only be used in the library. Ask at the circulation desk for access to items from the collection.
Electronic Databases
For off-campus access to most of our databases, click on the links below and enter your Ripon network ID and password. If you have any questions, please refer to our Off-Campus Access Guide.
COMPREHENSIVE DATABASES
Credo Reference
Great starting point for research projects. Search in hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 200,000+ images and audio files, and nearly 200 videos.
Academic Search Complete
Covers a wide range of academic disciplines, with more than 8600 periodicals available in full text.
JSTOR
A full-text archive of over 400 scholarly journals in the arts and sciences. Issues from the past three to five years may not be available.
ProQuest Research Library
Includes both popular and scholarly periodicals covering a variety of subjects, with over 3300 titles available in full text.
ARTS AND HUMANITIES DATABASES
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection
More than 7,500 American magazines and journals from the AAS, documenting the life of America’s people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Subjects covered include art, music, literature, law, politics, religion, philosophy, science, family history and ethnic studies. It is divided into five chronological series, which can be searched simultaneously:
- Series 1 (1691-1820)
- Series 2 (1821-1837)
- Series 3 (1838-1852)
- Series 4 (1853-1865)
- Series 5 (1866-1877)
ARTstor
A nonprofit resource that provides over 1.8 million digital images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences with an accessible suite of software tools for teaching and research.
Humanities E-Book Project
A fully searchable collection of over 3,000 e-books in the humanities.
Humanities International Complete
Broad coverage of humanities disciplines, with over 1200 full-text journals and books.
Kanopy
Provides access to a broad selection of streaming video titles designed to augment and enrich academic work, including documentaries, independent and foreign films, classics, and feature films.
Literary Reference Center
Contains author biographies, work overviews, and literary criticism.
MLA International Bibliography
An index of scholarly works on literature and languages from around the world.
Naxos Music Library: Classical
Streaming access to nearly a million tracks, along with liner notes, libretti, and other supplemental information.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
Entries offer detailed descriptions of the history, meaning, and pronunciation of English words.
Philosopher’s Index
Abstracts and citations to 550 philosophy journals.
Project Muse
Full-text current and archival articles from 300+ scholarly journals from major university presses covering literature and criticism, history, performing arts, cultural studies, education, philosophy, gender studies, and more. Updated continually.
SOCIAL SCIENCE DATABASES
Anthrosource
Full-text access to the American Anthropological Association’s journals and archives.
Business Source Premier
Full-text journals, company profiles, industry reports, and more.
EconLit
The American Economic Association’s index to over a century of economics research. Includes journal articles, books, and dissertations, with many titles available in full text.
Education Research Complete
Covers scholarly research in education, with full-text access to 1400 journals and 550 books.
ERIC
Access to records of journal articles and other education-related materials, with links to full text when available.
Nexi Uni
Features more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790. For Business, it features company and industry news, detailed company financial data, and includes major accounting journals. In Law, the database provides texts of federal and state court decisions, federal and state agency regulations, and law journal articles.
ProQuest Social Science Journals
Over 550 full-text journals covering a range of social science topics.
Project Muse
Full-text current and archival articles from 300+ scholarly journals from major university presses covering political science, gender studies, and more. Updated continually.
ProQuest Statistical Abstracts
1400+ individually indexed tables (with attached spreadsheets) of statistics on the social, political and economic organization of the United States. Information available both by searching and browsing. Over 550 full-text journals covering a range of social science topics.
PscyInfo, PsycArticles, and Psychology Journals
These three databases combined offer the full text of over 650 journals in behavioral science and related disciplines. They can be searched simultaneously via the above link.
SPORTdiscus Full-text and abstract database of both scholarly and popular journal and book literature on sports medicine, exercise science, physical therapy, sports, fitness and related topics.
SCIENCE DATABASES
ACS Publications
Full-text access to American Chemical Society journals and archives.
arXiv
e-print service in the fields of physics, mathematics, non-linear science, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, and statistics. arXiv is maintained and operated by the Cornell University Library, a private not-for-profit educational institution, with guidance from the arXiv Scientific Advisory Board.
ASM Journals
Full-text access to American Society for Microbiology journals and archives.
BAID
A searchable collection of abstracts and indexes for journals included in BioOne.
BioOne
Full-text journals in biology, ecology, and environmental science.
BioMed Central
Peer-reviewed open access journals in the health sciences.
GreenFile
A collection of scholarly, government, and general-interest titles covering environmental studies.
HighWire Press
Open access scholarly journals in the sciences.
Physical Review Letters (APS)
Short articles from all fields of physics. Also access to the Physical Review Online Archive (PROLA), including access to all APS journals back to 1893, with a four year embargo on individual journals.
PubMed
Citations for biomedical literature, with links to full-text content when available.
SciFinder
Provides integrated access to several Chemical Abstracts Service databases plus Medline. If you are a new user to SciFinder, please follow this link to register for the first time. If you are a returning user, you may sign in here.
E-BOOK DATABASES
EBSCO eBook Collection
There are nearly 120,000 eBooks in this collection representing a broad range of academic subject matter, including titles from leading university presses.
Humanities eBook Project
A fully searchable collection of over 3,000 e-books in the humanities.
Project Guttenberg
Project Gutenberg offers over 42,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free kindle books, download them or read them online.
FREE SCHOLARLY DATABASES
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)
An interdisciplinary database of free, full-text, scholarly journals.
Google Scholar
Google’s interface for searching citations to scholarly literature.
Hathi Trust
Digital versions of the holdings of several major research libraries. Includes nearly three million works in the public domain, which are freely available.
NEWSPAPER DATABASES
Archive of Wisconsin Newspapers
Full-text daily and weekly Wisconsin newspapers from 2005 to 90 days ago, plus select historical state newspapers from the 1800s and 1900s. Each newspaper is available cover to cover in a searchable PDF format.
Newspaper Source Plus
Recent issues of U.S. and international newspapers, newswires, and television and radio news transcripts.
New York Times Digital
New York Times Digital: Known as an “academic pass” all current students, faculty, and staff have complete access to all the content of the digital New York Times. The pass includes all news, archives, special features, special educational content, and much more. For more information including how to sign up, please read here.
New York Times Digital Microfilm
New York Times Digital Microfilm content from 2008-Present.
Nexis Uni
Features more than 15,000 credible news, legal and business sources, Nexis Uni includes access to print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs, as well as local, regional, national and international newspapers, legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, business information on U.S. and international companies and executives.
U.S. Newsstream
Key national and regional sources including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, Chicago Tribune and over 80 local titles like the Appleton Post-Crescent and the Green Bay Press Gazette. Content is updated daily, with same-day publication access to over 250 titles.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Learning Express
A collection of web-based test preparation tools to help prepare for Graduate School Admissions Exams. Create your own personal login to save your practice exams in the GRE, GMAT, LSAT and more found in the College Center. For future teachers, practice Praxis exams can be found in the Career Center.
NoveList
If you find yourself wanting to take a study break with a work of fiction, search here for recommendations, reading lists and more. If Lane Library does not have the latest fiction book you seek, the Ripon Public Library is nearby and more than willing to feed your need to read.
GOVERNMENT INFORMATION
USA.gov
The U.S. government’s official search engine for finding information from local, state, and federal government agency websites
Congress.gov
Federal legislative information, including bills, resolutions, laws, and other congressional activities.
FDsys
Free online access to official publications from all three branches of the federal government.
ProQuest Statistical Abstracts
1400+ individually indexed tables (with attached spreadsheets) of statistics on the social, political and economic organization of the United States. Information available both by searching and browsing. Over 550 full-text journals covering a range of social science topics.
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
Lane Library is a federal and state depository library. This guide will help you sort through government materials available at Ripon College in a variety of resources.
