About the Moffitt Undergraduate Collection
A core collection of "best books" in the liberal arts, Moffitt serves a broad campus readership of both undergraduates and non-specialists. Strong in the area of contemporary issues, the collection not only supports the undergraduate curriculum of UC Berkeley but also encourages students to educate themselves about the world outside the classroom and beyond the scope of their disciplines.
Scope & Relationship to Research Collections
Broad in scope but purposefully limited in depth, Moffitt functions as an entry-level library and gateway to the more specialized research collections of Doe and the subject specialty libraries. With these vast resources just beyond its doors, the Moffitt collection is guided by a policy of high selectivity and strives to maintain an optimal size of approximately 150,000 volumes.
Course Reserves
Moffitt also houses reserve readings for most undergraduate courses in the humanities and social sciences, and for selected courses in the sciences and professional fields. Faculty may choose to place materials on reserve for specific courses. Students can check the library catalog to find reserve materials for courses in which they are enrolled.
Loan Periods
Moffitt's shorter loan periods reflect high demand, and more closely parallel the time frame in which undergraduates are expected to complete research and write their papers. The loan period for books in the regular collection is 2 weeks for students, faculty, and staff. Open Reserves, shelved with the regular collection on the 4th and 5th floors, can be checked out overnight and are always due back by 4:00 p.m. the following day. Closed Reserves, shelved at the Circulation Desk on the 3rd floor (the entry floor), have a 2 hour loan period. See the borrowing books page for more information about renewals, recalls, and searches.
Collection Revitalization
Efforts to revitalize the Moffitt collection, hone its purpose, and improve its usability are ongoing and signal -- together with the Fall 2002 completion of the Doe Reference Hall and the reinstallation of full-service reference in Moffitt -- the Library's broader commitment to the support of undergraduate learning and the encouragement of intellectual engagement with the important issues of our day.