About The Library | Library Guide

To learn about SAIS Library resources and policies, click on a topic or scroll down to read the full guide. We encourage you to contact the Library staff for help at any time.

Introduction

The SAIS Library, also known as Mason Library, offers comprehensive library services to SAIS students, faculty and staff. Located on the sixth-eighth floors of the Nitze Building at 1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW, the collection includes about 110,000 print volumes in subject areas covered by the curriculum, as well as a wide variety of online resources. 

For more information, see Access, Floorplan (pdf) and Library Mission Statement.  

Library Hours

Hours of operation for the Library during the Fall/Spring academic terms are listed below. Consult the Hours page for seasonal schedules.

8:30 a.m.  -  11:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday
8:30 a.m.  -   9:00 p.m. Friday
10:00 a.m. -   9:00 p.m. Saturday
11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. Sunday

Please note that 15 minutes prior to closing, the Circulation Desk closes and elevators and doors allowing entry to the Library are locked.

The Catalog

The JHU Libraries Catalog is the main source for identifying SAIS Library materials, as well as the holdings of other Hopkins libraries. For each item in the catalog you will find the call number, the item’s location, the number of copies, complete bibliographic information, and the circulation status.

Circulation Policies

To check out Library materials you will need a valid JCard.  

All Library materials must be checked out at the Circulation Desk. When the Library is open, they should be returned at the Circulation Desk book drop. When the Library is closed, you may return materials to the overnight book drop in the Nitze Building lobby.

All books in the SAIS main stacks (7th and 8th floors) circulate for six weeks, but are subject to recall after 14 days if requested by another borrower. You may renew a book as many times as you wish, provided no one else has requested it. To renew six-week books via the web, click on "Borrower Info/ Book Renewals" or "My Account" in the JHU Libraries Catalog. You may also renew via a Circulation Desk staff employee, call the Circulation Desk at 202-663-5900, or send an e-mail to saislibrary@jhu.edu.

If a book is listed in the JHU LIbraries Catalog as “available” at another JHU Library, you may request it online via the catalog. If the book you need is checked out, you can still request it online, or ask a staff member to recall it for you. Note that SAIS books listed in the catalog as "available" in the SAIS main stacks are available self-serve from the stacks. If you cannot locate a book in the stacks, please fill out a search request at the Circulation Desk. We will search for the book, notify you if it is found, or, if it is not found within one week, we'll offer to borrow it for you from another library.  

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Reserve Materials

The Library tries to ensure that all required readings for each course are on three-hour print reserve or electronic reserve. As a general rule, reserve materials are not available in both print and electronic formats, although there are some exceptions. In a limited number of cases, some recommended may also be on reserve.

If you cannot locate a particular reserve reading, be sure to ask for help at the Reference Desk or Circulation Desk.

Reserve Materials: Electronic Reserves

The Library's Electronic Reserves service (ERes) offers students 24/7 access to password-protected course pages. SAIS Library adheres to copyright law for its ERes pages. If one of your classes is not on ERes, it’s probably due to the nature of the professor’s reading list (copyright restrictions prevent us from scanning more than 10% of a book, for example). ERes can be used by any class for posting presentations, problems sets, old exams, and student papers. For more information, please refer to Frequently Asked "ERes" Questions (PDF).

Reserve Materials: Print Collection

The print reserve collection is located behind the Circulation Desk. 

To find out which titles are on print reserve for the current semester, use the link to the print reserve catalog on the ERes page for your course or:

• Consult the JHU Libraries Catalog
• Click on Reserves 
• Select SAIS Library Reserves 
• Select either course or instructor
• Sort by title

Articles and other uncataloged materials are listed in capital letters. Note that articles are listed by title of article, and books or portions of books are listed by title of book.

To borrow a reserve book:

• Write down the SAIS Library call number (not the call number of another JHU library) on a request slip
• Submit the slip at the Circulation Desk

To borrow a reserve file (a title in capital letters):

• Write down the title on a reserve request slip
• Write down the professor’s last name 
• Submit the slip at the Circulation Desk

Please let a full-time staff member know if you think there are insufficient copies of print reserve materials for a particular course. A special form for this purpose is available at the Circulation Desk. We will do our best to provide sufficient copies of reserve materials that have shown consistently heavy use (i.e., at least three times per day) for more than twenty-four hours preceding the time the class meets. 

In addition to material included on reading lists, the Reserve Desk also houses current issues of many heavily used periodicals, foreign language dictionaries, and books in high demand for core exams. 

Print reserve policies are as follows:

Periodicals and Newspapers

SAIS Library subscribes to approximately 900 print periodicals and newspapers and has access to thousands more through online databases such as JStor, Project Muse, LexisNexis, ProQuest, EBSCOHost, and WilsonWeb. For a complete list of relevant databases and print indexes, see A - Z Online Resources. The Library’s FIND IT Journal Linker is a quick way to find out if JHU has full-text electronic access to a particular journal. 

Bound periodicals are shelved alphabetically by current title in the 8th floor Periodical Room. Newspapers are located in the Newspaper Reading Room on the 8th floor, with back issues of some papers and periodicals also available online or in microfilm in the Microforms Room on the 7th floor. Current issues of many, but not all, of the Library's periodicals and newspapers are on reserve. The JHU Libraries Catalog indicates the location of all periodicals.

Periodicals and newspapers do not circulate, with the exception those on reserve, which circulate for three hours at a time. They may be checked out for overnight use like other reserve materials.

Databases / Online Resources

The Library provides access to an ever-growing number of electronic resources, including: 

• Full text and abstracts of newspaper and periodical articles through databases such as PAIS,, EconLit, Academic Search Premier, ABI/Inform, Lexis/Nexis and many more.
• Books, through the JHU Libraries Catalog, WorldCat, and more.
• Statistical data, through International Financial Statistics, World Development Indicators, LexisNexis Statistical, Economist Intelligence Unit databases, and more.
• Dissertations (both full text and abstracts) through DigitalDissertations.
• Full text World Bank and OECD publications through the World Bank E-Library and SourceOECD. 
• Research and policy papers through Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO), NBER Working Papers, and more.
• Reference books such as International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, Electronic Encyclopedia of American Government, and more.

These are just a few examples. For a comprehensive list of databases, see A-Z Online Resources. Most of the Library’s electronic resources are available via remote access to JHU users. For information on how to access them, see Off-Campus Access. As always, please ask reference staff for help in selecting or using any of the Library’s electronic resources.

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The Reference Desk is located on the 6th floor of the Nitze Building. During the academic year, reference librarians are on duty Monday through Friday, 9 am - 5 pm. Appointments are welcome, but not necessary. You may also use our email reference form. 

SAIS Reference Librarians have prepared a variety of research guides to Library resources, including area studies guides, a listing of selected statistics sources and a brief guide to Key Databases. 

Maps and Atlases

Some atlases are shelved in the reference area on the 6th floor. Oversized atlases are in atlas cases on the 8th floor. The Government Publications/Maps/Law Library, at Eisenhower Library on the Homewood campus, maintains an extensive map collection, many of which may be borrowed on interlibrary loan, and provides numerous links on their home page to web sites with maps and geographic information. 

Microforms

The Microforms Room, on the 7th floor, contains microfilm collections of some newspapers and periodicals. Most of these titles are also available in full text online via Find It. Microfiche sets include Foreign Broadcast Information Service Daily Reports (English language translations of radio and TV broadcasts from all regions of the world), Annual Reports of the World’s Central Banks, and a set containing statistical yearbooks from over 100 countries. 

Milton S. Eisenhower Library

The Milton S. Eisenhower Library - one of JHU's "Sherdian Libraries" - is the main library of the Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore on the Homewood campus. MSE Library's web page has a wealth of useful information, including research guides and links. MSE Library's Government Publications/Maps/Law Library also provides excellent links to statistical and government information. 

As a SAIS student, you are welcome to use MSE Library, but must present your valid JCard at the entrance. To borrow a book from MSE Library, or any other JHU library, without traveling to Baltimore, you may submit an online request via the JHU Libraries Catalog.  Books are delivered Monday-Friday via a courier service. You may return those materials to SAIS Library. 

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Interlibrary Loan

Material needed for research, but not available in the JHU Libraries, can usually be borrowed from non-JHU libraries via interlibrary loan (ILL). This typically takes from about 10 to 14 days, depending upon the item requested. To request or renew an interlibrary loan item, please use the web forms on the SAIS Interlibrary Loan website.  

Among the collections available to the SAIS community through interlibrary loan are the extensive research resources of The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) in Chicago. As a member of CRL, SAIS Library is able to borrow unlimited amounts of materials from its collections. For more information on CRL and its holdings, please speak to a SAIS Librarian.

Washington Area Libraries

The Washington, D.C., area is home to a wealth of libraries and research resources. A Guide to Washington Area Libraries describes some of the resources most likely to be of interest to SAIS students. 

Services For Persons With Disabilites

The SAIS Library serves patrons with disabilities by providing special assistance to facilitate the use of the Library and its collections. If you have a disability that limits your independent use of the Library, please consult a librarian for assistance. If your disability requires the use of assistive technology, the Library will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs; all such accommodations must be arranged prior to your use of the Library. Staff and faculty members should contact the Human Resources Office. Students should contact the Office of Student Services. For more information, see Library Services for Persons with Disabilities.

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MISCELLANEOUS

Access

Full use of the Library is limited to SAIS students, faculty, and staff. Alumni are welcome to use materials within the Library at no charge, but must pay a fee for borrowing privileges [see Alumni Services for more details]. Students, faculty, and staff from other divisions of Johns Hopkins University have access and borrowing privileges, but are expected to rely upon their respective divisions for interlibrary loan service and other research support. 

The SAIS Library is not open to the public.  Individuals not affiliated with JHU may consult the JHU Libraries Catalog from off-campus and are welcome to request SAIS books on interlibrary loan through their home library.  The SAIS Library does not charge a fee for interlibrary lending.

Limited (same day only) access may be granted to visiting researchers who are not affiliated with a local university or research institution and who need to consult a resource not readily available elsewhere.  To ask about access, contact Readers Services Librarian Linda Carlson at 202-663-5903 or call the Library Reference Desk at 202-663-5901 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. 

Carrels

Library carrels are for the use of all students. A limited number of carrels with cabinets may be reserved by Ph.D. students, but, when unoccupied, may be used by other readers. To guard against theft or loss, please take your personal belongings with you whenever you leave a carrel unattended, even if only for a few minutes.

To help insure the availability of books and carrels, library books and personal belongings left on carrels will be picked up daily. Personal belongings are held in the Library's lost and found drawer behind the Circulation Desk until the end of the semester, when they are disposed of or recycled.

Change

The Library is unable to provide change except to those who are paying fines or fees. A change machine located in the Nitze basement.

Fines

The fine for overdue six-week books is 25 cents per day per book. The fine for overdue reserve material is one dollar an hour (or fraction of an hour). Because reserve materials are in such heavy demand, it is especially important that they be returned on time.

Although overdue notices are sent as a courtesy, please remember that it is your responsibility to return Library books on time.

Food And Drink

You are welcome to bring food and drink to the Library as long as you exercise care. We ask that you not have any food or drink near the Library’s computer workstations.  

Group Study Rooms

Two rooms on the 8th floor are available for group study purposes. The larger of the two rooms, to your right as you enter the 8th floor, is equipped with an LED projector and screen.  If you would like to hook up a laptop to the LED projector, you may borrow a cable and a remote control device at the Circulation Desk.  You can also access the Internet from both rooms using a wireless Ethernet card, or by plugging into the outlets on the table in the room.  Please note that the Circulation Desk does not have Ethernet cables.

For information on reserving the group study rooms for a particular time, see the calendar posted outside each room.  Note that these rooms are for groups of two or more SAIS students only, and that any given group may sign up in advance for a maximum of two hours a day.

Laptops

Laptop computers may be used anywhere in the Library except the Periodicals Room on the 8th floor. You may use a wireless card to access the Internet. If you are unable to connect with a wireless card, you can use an Ethernet cable at any of the carrels in the Laptop Room on the 8th floor, just past the Newspaper Room. Printing from the Laptop Room requires use of special software (see Printing instructions).

Carrels on the 8th floor have metal rings which will allow you to lock your laptop if you need to leave it unattended.  Laptop locks are available at most office supply stores. Please do not allow your laptop to be vulnerable to theft!

Lost And Found

Lost and found items are kept behind the Circulation Desk. Library staff will recycle or dispose of all unclaimed items at the end of each semester.

Messages / Notices

When possible, Library staff use email to communicate with students. Your JHED email will automatically be used unless you opt to register another address for Library notices via email.

Phones

To avoid disturbing others, we ask that you turn off your cell phone before entering the Library.  There is one pay telephone on the 8th floor, to your left as you enter the floor. 

Preservation

The SAIS Library collection represents a major asset of the School, and is an important part of the library collections of the Johns Hopkins University as a whole.  Every Library user can assist in protecting the materials in the collections and insuring their usefulness for other readers by using Library materials in a non-damaging manner. Please:

• Do not write or underline in Library materials.
• Do not fold pages or insert bulky materials inside bound volumes.
• Do not attempt to repair Library items yourself. Bring damaged materials to the attention of a Library staff member.
• Do not eat or drink near Library computer equipment.

Printers / Copiers /Scanning

Printers are located on the 6th and 8th floors, with a cost of five cents per single-sided page, or seven cents total for double-sided prints. SAIS students are allotted 1000 free print pages each Fall and Spring semester; printing from the JHU Libraries Catalog is free at all times. To add money to your copy card account, please use the vend station opposite the Library’s Circulation Desk. 

Copy machines are located near the entrance to the 6th floor and the 8th floor. Photocopies are eight cents each with your JCard. A coin option (ten cents per copy) is available on the 8th floor machine only. There is one copy machine on the 6th floor that has scanner/email capabilities.

Machines for making paper copies from microfilm or microfiche are located in the Microforms Room on the 7th floor. Microform copies are eight cents with a JCard or copy card.

Staff
For a directory of SAIS Library staff, please refer to the Staff page. The Library also employs a team of student assistants each semester. Applications are taken throughout the year.

Work Table

For your convenience, a table with a paper cutter, stapler, hole punch, staple remover, and pencil sharpener is located on the 6th floor in the hall opposite the rest rooms. Please do not remove these items from the work table.

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