Collections

The Matas Library has more than 165,000 print volumes in the basic sciences, clinical medicine and public health.  The Matas Library also licenses electronic databases, journals and books along with the Tulane Libraries for the entire Tulane Community.

The scope of the collection of the Rudolph Matas Library of Tulane Health Sciences Center is shaped by the library's mission and the needs of its users. The library collects current scholarly information which supports the research, clinical, administrative and educational needs of its users. The collection covers the practice of medicine and related biomedical, public health and related disciplines, research literature, methodological literature, and in-depth, authoritative analyses of areas influencing biomedicine and health care. The collection is predominantly English.

The subject emphases of the collection reflect past and present research interests at Tulane. Basic collections are also maintained in related disciplines and cross-disciplinary areas. Through cooperative networks, the library ensures access to literature not owned by the library. The Tulane Library retains some older materials of medical and historical importance, even when they are no longer of use in clinical practice.    The oldest volume in the collection is: Augerii Ferrerii (Auger Ferrier,ca.1513-1588)  Liber de diebus decretoriis secundum Pythagoricam doctrinam, London, 1549.