The Engineering Library is part of the nationally recognized UIUC physical sciences and applied sciences collection. Predominantly English, with Russian, Japanese, French, Spanish, and German of secondary importance. English translations are preferred to original foreign language works. Emphasis is on current developments. There is minimal interest in the history of engineering and technology.
Emphasis is on scholarly treatment rather than popularization, textbooks, and children's literature.
The Undergraduate Library normally collects more popular treatments and the Education and Social Sciences Library collects children's literature for its School Collection. Engineering is a field with both theoretical and applied aspects and is highly interdisciplinary, particularly in the physical sciences. The primary focus is on research literature appearing in scientific journals and conference proceedings, and monographs summarizing research on or emphasizing applied mathematical techniques and computer methods. Because of the nature of the field, there are numerous collecting overlaps with other libraries. New and revised editions or important works are purchased when new explanatory or primary material is introduced.