Welcome to the Central Library
Welcome! My name is Frank Lester. As the political science subject specialist, I can help you find books and articles in your discipline, get comfortable with the use of online databases, and troubleshoot any general question you might have about the library and its resources.
You can schedule a research consultation by using the online scheduler in my profile box. You can also visit me in my regular weekly virtual office hours or send me an email.
Libraries at Vanderbilt
"The Library" at Vanderbilt is made up of not one but nine libraries. Each library has a special focus and together they make up the Heard Library system.
| Biomedical | Management | |
| Central | Music | |
| Divinity | Peabody | |
| Law | Science & Engineering | |
| Special Collections |
As a Vanderbilt student you can:
- get help with your research assignments by using Ask a Librarian
- borrow books and other items from any of the campus libraries (except Special Collections)
- return most items you check out to any library
- renew most items you borrow online
- find convenient book drops outside the libraries and at the Commons
- use interlibrary loan to get books you can't find at Vanderbilt
FInding Sources
- Library Search This link opens in a new windowCheck out the Library Catalog, which finds print and electronic items, including journal and newspaper articles, book chapters, books, reviews, legal documents, and much more.
Locating Books in the Library
Materials are shelved by Library of Congress (LC) call numbers.
Click the link below for information on how to read a call number and locate books in the library.
Circulation and Loan Policies
See Circulation and Loan Policies for loan periods, renewals, and fines.
Checking Out Materials
CHECK OUT BOOKS WITH YOUR PHONE! Download the checkout@vandylibraries app for IOS
or download the checkout@vandylibraries for Android to use your mobile device to check out books and materials.
First, check for e-book versions of titles via the library's online catalog.
If you need a physical item but would prefer to pick it up without entering the building, you can choose that option from our catalog. Pickups are by appointment outside the 21st Avenue entrance to the Central/Divinity Libraries, outside the Blair School of Music, and at the front desk of the Eskind Biomedical Library. Please allow up to 3 business days for fulfillment of physical item requests.
The library collections contain both physical books and online books. Often we will have both a physical and online version of the same title. To tell which is which, look at the catalog entry. If the link to the book says "Online," clicking the link will take you to the online full-text version of the book:
If you see a link that says Central Library Stacks, that means the book is located physically in the library at the call number location specified in the entry. See the sidebar on locating call numbers for more info.
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new windowArticles and books on Archaeology, Classical Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. Some content in Business & Management, Economics & Finance, Literature, Psychology, and Religion.
- Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) This link opens in a new windowComprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. Working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, conference proceedings, journal abstracts, books, a schedule of events, policy briefs and economic indicators, and maps and country data.
- IMF eLibrary This link opens in a new windowBooks, periodicals, working papers, and country reports on the International Monetary Fund's activities, policies, and member countries.
- International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) This link opens in a new windowBroad coverage of international publications, including over 100 languages and countries. Indexes journal articles, books, reviews, and selected chapters.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowLarge and important archive for academic journals, books, and primary sources in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Many journals do not have current issues.
- National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Working Papers and Publications This link opens in a new windowNational Bureau of Economic Research makes results of research available in preliminary form to encourage discussion and suggestions for revision before publication.
- OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new windowThe Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's books, papers and statistics, analysis and data. Includes: OECD Economic Outlook, OECD Economic Surveys, SourceOECD Education and Skills, and the Nuclear Law Bulletin.
- PAIS International This link opens in a new windowPublic Affairs Information Service: journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, etc. covering issues in the public debate.
- ProQuest This link opens in a new windowSearch all ProQuest databases simultaneously. Includes arts, humanities, social sciences, news, and science and technology.
- World Bank eLibrary This link opens in a new windowBooks, journal articles, and working papers on social and economic development. World Bank flagship and annual publications, data, regional and thematic series, training manuals and handbooks, etc.
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (WPSA) This link opens in a new windowCitations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science international relations, law, and public administration / policy. Includes merged backfiles of Political Science Abstracts and ABC POL SCI.
If there is a 
button, click it for links that will check for fulltext copies or to see if we subscribe to the journal title through Library Catalog, the library catalog.
If there is no button, look up the title of the journal or magazine (not the title of the article) in Library Catalog to find out whether or not Vanderbilt subscribes to it. If we have any online access to the journal (from another database), Library Catalog will have a button at the top of the record.
Not Available at Vandy? If we don’t have what you need at Vanderbilt, you can go to other resources like WorldCat and use our InterLibrary Loan service. Just remember that ILL can take between 3 days to 2 weeks to deliver requested materials, depending on whether the item is a book or an article. The turnaround time is usually much quicker for an article.
- Data - InternationalResearch and data by international economic organizations, national statistical offices, and more.
- Data - U.S.Research and data by U.S. government agencies, bureaus, and economic organizations.
Use Journal Search to find print and online periodicals at the library.
Current issues of print journals and newspapers are available on the 6th floor of the Central Library in the Periodicals Reading Room.
This space is also a great place to study.
