Elizabeth Nesbitt Room
Guide to Using the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room
The Elizabeth Nesbitt Room (ENR) is open from 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. However, if you make prior arrangements, you are able to use the collection during any of the hours that the Information Sciences Library is open:
Monday –Thursday 8:30 AM -10:00 PM
Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Please send email to uls-informationscienceslibrary@mail.pitt.edu or call 412.624.4710 with any questions or to make an appointment. You can also direct reference questions to Elizabeth Mahoney at etm@pitt.edu.
The Elizabeth Nesbitt Room collection is a closed, non-circulating, research collection. Access to items in the Nesbitt Room is controlled because many of the materials are rare, unique, old, fragile, or brittle. For many items, the medium (format, paper, binding, illustrations) and/or the artifactual or historical context are as valuable as the actual text.
Rules and Regulations
* Coats, umbrellas, boots, and other belongings must be left on the coat rack in the hallway (to the left of the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room doorway).
* All briefcases, purses, and book bags must be checked/left with the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room attendant.
* Food and beverages are strictly prohibited.
* You will be asked to wash your hands before handling materials.
* For some items, we will ask you to use a pair of cotton gloves (supplied by the ENR attendant).
* Only use pencils to take your notes. (A laptop is permissible within certain guidelines).
* DO NOT attempt to open books flat. This will break the spine and damage the book. Ask for book weights and book cradles.
* If a book appears to be in need of preservation, notify the ENR attendant. DO NOT attempt to fix the book yourself.
Finding Materials and Doing Research in the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room
Before beginning your work in the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room, you can consult the collection indexes on the Nesbitt Room web page and search PITTCat, our online catalog.
Some items in the Nesbitt Room collection have not been added to PITTCat; these items are searchable through an Access file available to Information Sciences Library staff.
The types of primary sources available in the Nesbitt Room include original, authoritative materials represented as first editions, facsimiles, reprints, or other formats. The types of secondary sources you will find in the Nesbitt Room include reference materials written by adults about children’s literature: encyclopedias, bibliographies, biographical profiles, and other sources.
We have a wide variety of tools to help you get started with your research. We also have reference librarians who will be happy to assist you.
Take a virtual tour of the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room.
Note: You will need the free QuickTime 6 Plugin to view the tour. This plugin is already installed on computers in the libraries. After downloading and installing the plugin click on the link above to view the tour. Get help navigating the tour here.