The University of Cambridge holds a wide collection on a variety of mathematical topics, both in print and online. This page outlines these collections together with tips to get the best out of the resources on offer.
With access to over 1.2 million ebooks and 300,00 online journals in addition to the 200,000 physical books held in the Moore Library, it can be overwhelming to search for information. We've put together some handy information on how to build a successful search and produced this handy guide to help you find your way. For more tips check out the Study Skills and Research Support Hubs on the Physical Sciences LibGuide.
Situated on the Faculty of Mathematics campus. the Betty & Gordon Moore Library holds the University's main working collections in pure and applied mathematics, mathematical statistics and related subjects. This includes high-use texts found on core reading lists as well as the former collections of the Applied Mathematics (DAMTP), Pure Mathematics & Mathematical Statistics (DPMMS) and Isaac Newton Institute libraries.
The Moore Library holds modern mathematical materials including those received under Legal Deposit. A large collection of older mathematical material is retained at the main University Library building on West Road. College libraries may also hold some core mathematical texts aimed at supporting the undergraduate mathematics tripos.
Books in the Moore Library are shelved according to the Library of Congress classification scheme. A full scheme list can be found on the library webpages but the most relevant categories for mathematics are listed below together with their location:
| BC | Logical material relating to mathematical logic |
| GA | Mathematics geography |
| HA | Statistics |
| Q145-172 | Science as a profession* |
| Q183.9-227 | Communication of science* |
| Q295-385 | System theory; Information theory |
| QA | Mathematics |
|
QA9-10 |
Mathematical logic |
|
QA100-272 |
Elementary mathematics and algebra |
|
QA273-280 |
Probabilities and mathematical statistics |
|
QA299-433 |
Analysis |
|
QA440-699 |
Geometry |
| QC19-24 | Mathematical physics |
*Bulk of material on this topic held at the University Library.
On iDiscover you might come across books that are labelled as restricted to designated PCs;. These ebooks are supplied by publishers under Electronic Legal Deposit legislation, and may only be used on designated PCs such as those in the University Library Reading Room or the Moore Library. If you need help accessing this material please speak to staff at the Moore Library desk who will be happy to help.
Open access to research outputs has never been more important. This process allows authors to make their research freely available to anyone online regardless of where they have published.
You can access open access materials from Cambridge researchers through Apollo, the institutional repository. This offers a range of information including articles, data, conference presentations and data covering everything from astronomy to zoology. You can also access content from the School of Physical Sciences community. If the content you want to see is embargoed (represented by a small padlock symbol) then you can use the Request a Copy service to send an email directly to the author asking to see the material. You can do this by clicking on the name of the file you wish to see. This copy is for your own personal use and does not infringe copyright.
There are also other ways to access open content not stored in Apollo:
Available as a browser extension or via a website, the Open Access Button searches for legal, open versions of paywalled research.
Harvesting open content from over 50,000 publishers and repositories Unpaywall is also available as a browser extension. It also integrates with popular databases such as Scopus and Web of Science.
The Directory of Open Access Repositories offers the ability to search for repositories according to country, discipline or type.
The Registry of Research Data Repositories focuses on collections of openly available research data.
Mathematics teaching and research is supported by a large number of electronic resources.
Online journal articles are available on a number of topics. Many are available through iDiscover but you may find that you need to search for the title of the journal rather than the individual article. You can use the article search box to get you started. Many of these articles are available via University subscriptions so you may be asked to log in for access using your Raven password. You can find more information on how to search for ejournals and articles in this helpful guide from Cambridge University Libraries.
You can find ebooks listed alongside other materials in iDiscover - look for green text which reads 'Online access'. You may be prompted to log in to view or download your ebook. You can find out more about how to find and use ebooks on the Cambridge ebooks website.
The University provides access to databases on mathematics and related topics. You can explore the full collection of mathematics databases through the Database A-Z.
The Moore Library maintains online reading lists of all materials for the mathematics tripos. These lists offer easy access to the materials on your course reading lists including core and recommended readings. You will need your Raven username and password to log access these lists.
It can be frustrating to find the perfect source online only to realise that you don't have access to it but help is at hand. Lean Library is a easy to install browser extension which searches for a version you can read through Cambridge subscriptions. If we don't have access then Lean will look for an openly accessible version or direct you to inter-library loan. All you need to do is download the extension, log in once with your Raven ID and you're all set. You can learn more about Lean Library in the video below:
Although the collections of Cambridge University Libraries are extensive you may come across something we don't hold. Current staff and students can use the Inter-Library loan service at the Moore and University libraries to request this material from another library
Users can recommend a book or journal title for purchase by the Moore Library using this webform or by emailing the Library directly.