The university's Milton S. Eisenhower Library (MSEL) on the Homewood campus ranks as one of the nation's foremost research facilities. It is at the forefront of the information revolution. There is WWW access to the catalogs of MSEL, APL, the University of Maryland system and WorldCat (index to books, journal titles and other material in libraries worldwide). From our electronic journals Web site one can reach, read and download articles, for instance in Physical Review Letters, Institute of Physics journals and Science. A comprehensive listing of MSEL resources for research in physics and astronomy, both print and electronic, is available here.

    The MSEL's collections of over two million volumes, assembled to support the academic and research efforts of the university, are distinguished by their breadth, depth and diversity. Significant collections of monographs, journals (which number over 10,000) and newspapers are supplemented by maps, microforms, government publications and other rare, special and unique materials. Of particular importance are the library's collections of physical science monographs and journals. General stack access to the collections, a highly qualified staff and ample photocopying facilities make extensive use of the library's resources easy for students and faculty. Library orientation tours are available at the beginning of each term or on request throughout the academic year. The Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Howard County has more than 40,000 volumes of monographs, serials and technical reports supporting highly specialized sponsored research programs. The Interlibrary Loan Department of MSEL in effect brings students and faculty the research collections of the nation.

    In addition to the collections of the MSEL, there is a reading room in our building, the Bloomberg Center. Here are kept the most recent 25 years of the several dozen key journals in which astrophysics and high energy physics research is published, as well as the MSEL's collections of conference proceedings in the same fields. The reading room gives the members of our department quick and convenient access to the library materials most necessary for their work.