Mathematics - Natural Sciences Library

The MNS Library

Who Are We?

We Are: Emma C. Moore (Librarian) and Judy S. Tibbs (Library Assistant)

Find Us: Fuld Hall, Rooms 201 & 202

Call Us: 609-734-8181; -8180

When?  Mondays-Fridays, 7:40AM-4:40PM

Email Us: mnlib@ias.edu

Where Are We?

Main Library (Math Stacks): Fuld Hall, 2nd Floor

Astrophysics Library: Bloomberg Hall, Room 240

Physics Library: Bloomberg Hall, Room 201

Journal and Book Storage: Basement, Historical Studies- Social Sciences Library; Basement, Fuld Hall (staff only)

When? 24 hours, 7 days a week, with your valid and active IAS ID card.

What Are We?

Books and Journals

The library contains about 30,000 volumes of bound periodicals and monographs, plus current print and electronic subscriptions to about 140 periodicals. The areas covered by the library collection are pure and applied mathematics, astrophysics, theoretical particle and mathematical physics and biology. The library adds approximately 180 new books annually to the collection. Its collection of older periodicals is housed in compact shelving on the lower level of Historical-Social Sciences library.

Collected Works

The library specifically collects extensively in the area of collected and selected works volumes in mathematics and physics, which you'll find in the Landing Stacks across from the main Fuld Hall Library.

Digital Resources

While using the campus network, the IAS community has access to the majority of Princeton University's digital subscriptions in mathematics, physics and biology. This includes e-book collections.The Mathematics-Natural Sciences Library has access to Math-Sci Net Online , PROLA, and  the JSTOR. backfiles of multiple core Mathematics journals.

Items At Other Libraries

As a affiliate of the Institute, you and your partner/spouse automatically receive faculty library privileges at the Princeton University Libraries (the most extensive collections are found at the Lewis Library & the Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library); at the Princeton Theological Seminary's Robert E. Speer Library; and access to IAS's Interlibrary Loan services. See Finding Things at Princeton University and Finding Things At Other Libraries for more.

Community Donations

The librarians and the Faculties of all four Schools at the Institute warmly appreciate gifts of books and articles from former and current Members of the Institute.

How Do We Operate?

The MNS Library is, above all, a 'house library'.

Privileges: Borrowing privileges are extended to faculty, members, visitors and staff of the Institute for Advanced Study with a valid IAS ID card.  Visiting scholars may consult books in the library reading room.

We strive to keep our collection accessible to as many members of the community as possible. Therefore borrowed IAS items should not be taken off campus (this includes your apartment or other member apartments); and  we need to retrieve them if asked for. Please notify the Library Office if you wish to borrow or lend a book that has already been signed out to a specific member.

Check-Out: Borrowers sign and date two book cards found on the inside back cover of the book, or bound periodical. Books may be signed out after hours, but the cards should always be placed in the location's designated box, to be filed by Library staff.  

Items should be kept in the member's office in plain and accessible view. This allows, in the case of need while the signing member is away, retrieval of the book by library.  The borrower will be notified of this transfer by e-mail. 

Returns: All books must be returned before a Member's last day at the Institute; we'll contact you approximately 1-2 weeks prior to that date. If you leave early, please make arrangements to return your books at that time, or find alternate means of returning them.

Renewal: The Library performs an inventory at the end of each academic term (June-July), and requests that all books either be a) returned at that time or b) renewed in person for the following academic terms.

Short-Term Visitors: Visitors and students who have access to office space may also borrow books; or alternately sign items out to the office of their collaborator/sponsor; however, recalls and transfers of items from other Members must be negotiated by the student's Sponsoring Member or Faculty supervisor.

Computer – Photocopier – Scanner: A photocopier and a HP digital scanner are available in the Landing Stacks area.  For catalog searching and other use, the library provides a PC in the main reading room, and 2 Macs in the Current Periodical Room and the East Stack Room.

Finding Things Here

Searching and Browsing

Searching:

IAS Library Catalog- MNS Home

The catalog contains all book titles in the collection,  and most of the journal titles. 

New Books: 

All newly received books are also in the online catalog.  To borrow a new book, speak to a librarian! 

We also maintain a card catalog in the main reading room with author, title and series cards for every book. 

Browsing:

The library uses the Library of Congress Classfication systems for the majority of our items, and they are generally located as follows-

Books:

QA1, QC1, QB 3, QA3, QC3:  Collected Works and Conferences, Landing Stacks, Fuld Hall, 2nd Floor Stairwell

B824 .6 – QA241.L :  Fuld Hall, 2nd Floor Corridor

QA241.M - QA300: Room 217 (North/ Current Periodical RoomRoom)

QA300-QA387.R: Fuld Hall, 2nd Floor Corridor, Continued

QA387 .R -QA999: Fuld Hall, Main Reading Room

QB6-QB999: Astrophysics Library, Bloomberg Hall, Room 240

QC6– Z6655 (Physics): Fuld Hall, Main Reading Room  

Selected QC1-QC999: Physics Library, Bloomberg Hall, Room 201

Selected QH1-QH999 and others: Seminar Room, Simons Center for Systems Biology

Journals:

Current Issues-

A  periodicals list may be found on the Library’s web page, and is also available in paper in the library. 

Unbound periodical issues are arranged in alphabetical order by title in Room 217 (North Room) of Fuld Hall.  These issues must remain within the room for the use of all members.

Recent Bound Journals : Fuld Hall East Stack Room (219)

Also includes some monographic series, such as Lecture Notes in Mathematics, Asterisque and Proceedings of Symposia in Pure and Applied Mathematics.

Historical Bound Journals (Pre-1940): Basement, HS-SS Library, see online listing

Inactive journals in Physics and Astrophysics: Off-site storage please contact the Library staff.

 

Quick Links

Finding Things at Princeton University

Searching, Browsing, and Using

Lewis Library

The Lewis Science Library of Princeton University supports research in Astrophysics, Biology, Mathematics, Physics and other science disciplines. Through an agreement with Lewis, books and periodical articles owned there may be requested through MNS Library staff, either by telephone (x8180/8181);  by e-mail; or by filling out the form found on our web page. Due dates and any use restrictions will be provided upon pickup from Fuld Hall. From Monday-Friday, we will attempt to fulfill requests within 24 hrs. Books borrowed from the University library may also be returned through the Mathematics-Natural Sciences Library.

Engineering, Plasma Physics, and RECAP

MNS Library Staff can also assist you in obtaining select items from the libraries at the Engineering School and the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, as well as remote items stored by the Research Collection And Preservation (RECAP) off-site library.

Firestone Library

The HS-SS library staff provides multiple services for items location at the Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library.

Princeton University Library

IAS Members and visitors also receive on-site and digital access to the research collections at Princeton University Library.

In order to obtain a library card, visit the Firestone Library Access Office (located in the main lobby area, open 9AM-5PM Mondays-Fridays), and show:

  •  your IAS ID card, and
  •  a photo ID showing your permanent address.

While in the Access Office, you may also arrange a PU printer account, providing use of any network library printer within the PUL system. 

For digital access to PUL e-journals and databases, you must either connect from a IAS campus computer ( http://library.princeton.edu/); 
or, while  off campus, use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection.

Quick Links

Finding Things At Other Libraries

Searching and Using

Both of the Institute's libraries participate in the shared cataloguing system of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), giving Institute scholars computerized access to WorldCat. This online catalog searches the holdings of thousands of particpating libraries, and provides the location of  or access method for over 22 million items in multiple formats.

For books and journal articles not accessible through the IAS Libraries or Princeton, all members of the IAS community can  request them through Interlibrary loan (other than from Lewis Library at Princeton University). This is available to faculty, members, visitors and their spouses and companions.  Users can request materials on interlibrary loan by using either the online form from our website or by e-mail or telephone.

Quick Links