Overview
The collection at the Unithèque site covers the needs of undergraduate, Master’s and PhD studies in modern and comparative literature. It also responds, as far as possible, to the expectations of anyone with an interest in the subject.
The Riponne site houses a modern languages collection aimed at the general public.
The 70,000 volumes in the modern literature collection available in the open shelves are split across six collections of literature:
- German
- English (mainly British and American English)
- Spanish
- French
- Italian
- Comparative literature
The printed collections of modern and comparative literature are designed as consultation and research libraries. They include more topical and frequently requested academic publications, classics, critical editions, reference works and series. Nonetheless, these collections also aim to illustrate literary history and disciplines within the limits of the space available, without claiming to be exhaustive.
All volumes and DVD documentaries in the open shelves are arranged according to the Universal Decimal Classification.
A large number of printed items are stored in our closed stacks. These are available on request through the Renouvaud catalogue. We encourage permeability and a complementary approach between the two areas: items can be reclassified as necessary and books stored in the stacks are not necessarily of less interest than those in the open shelves.
Digital books can be easily found in the Renouvaud catalogue.
Plans to develop the modern literature collections are defined in agreement with teaching staff in the various sections and research centres at UNIL. The period covered for literary texts and criticism extends from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.
Our primary focus is on publications in their original language, except for Latin and modern foreign languages that are not covered by the five main collections. Translations of literary texts into French are acquired for the comparative literature collection.
Development plans for the collections and their classification are described in more detail in the Collection Development and Classifications documents.
The development of the digital collections (e-books, online journals, archives, bibliographical databases, online dictionaries, etc.) also depends on the development plans for particular collections.
Renouvaud is the central point of access for searching digital journals and books at UNIL, and covers both our printed and electronic documents.
Modern and comparative literature databases are listed on our databases page.
All our digital resources can be accessed locally from the public computers in the library. Members of UNIL can access the digital collections remotely.
Printed items published before 1850 are stored in our stacks. Please refer to our Reference works and Search tools pages, where you will find all the information you need for your documentary research.
