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Shenandoah
University Libraries
Library Guide for Graduate and Off-Campus Students
2007-2008
This guide is
designed to assist Shenandoah University graduate students who receive their
course instruction in locations other than in Winchester, including Web-based
instructional delivery. We are committed to providing library support in all
situations and locations. We know that access to library collections and
services is an important concern for students at all off-campus sites,
including Leesburg. The University has made a number of arrangements to ensure
access. This guide outlines the ways in which we have accomplished this. We
welcome your suggestions on ways to improve our services.
1. What kind of library
collections does SU own and where are they located?
2. What types of information
can I find on the library website?
3. How can I determine what
books and materials are in the SU library?
4. How do I borrow books from
the SU library, and how long can I keep them?
5. How can I get SU books and
journal articles mailed to my home?
6. How can I request books
and journal articles from other libraries?
7. How do I find out about my
SU network account?
8. What electronic database
resources are available to me?
9. How do I access electronic
resources from off-campus?
10. How do I learn what print
and electronic journal titles are available?
11. How do I access
full-text journals?
12. What other Internet
resources has the library collected and made available?
13. How can I get reference
and research assistance?
14. What are the library hours, and
how do I contact the library staff?
15. What other area libraries may I
use?
The Library
collections of Shenandoah University are housed in two facilities. The Alson H.
Smith, Jr. Library is the main library for the University, located in the
center of the Winchester campus. The Health Sciences Library, located in the
Health Professions Building on the campus of the Winchester Medical Center,
contains collections in support of Pharmacy, Nursing, Respiratory Care and
Physician Assistant studies. Current total holdings number more than 275,000 items,
including approximately 131,000 books, scores, and bound serials, as well as
134,000 microforms and 30,000 audiovisual materials. The Library subscribes to
the ERIC document collection, and has over 115,000 microfiche documents
beginning with 1991. In addition, the Library currently has access to more than
32,000 print and electronic journals. Access to information is enhanced by more
than 80 online databases and other electronic collections and texts, many of
which are linked to full-text information in journals and reference books.
Online access
to the resources of the University library centers around the Library
website.. We have grouped a number of information resources at this
location. There are direct links to the Webcat online catalog and to
a variety of databases and electronic collections accessible via the Internet.
There are also links to our Journal Locator, to Reference Services, to Media
Services, to online forms for submitting interlibrary loan requests, and to
information on library hours, staff and telephone numbers.
Access to Library Holdings
Information
Access to the
holdings in all University library collections is through the Webcat
online catalog. Cataloged items include books, scores, audiovisual
materials and periodicals. Webcat is accessible from any computer in the world
over the Internet. On the World Wide Web, using a browser such as Firefox,
Safari or Internet Explorer, the direct URL (address) for the catalog is
http://libcatalog.su.edu/uhtbin/webcat. The online catalog has a feature that
permits borrowers to check to see what items they have checked out and to renew
them if they wish. Clicking on the "User Services" button will take
you to a screen to enter your student ID number (library card number) and a PIN
number. You can get your PIN number via email from Rebecca Rockwell, or by asking at the Smith
Library Circulation Desk.
If you have questions or need assistance,
please call the Reference Desk at 540-665-5421, or email the Library.
The
University "Hornet" ID card is also your library card in both the
Smith and Health Sciences Libraries. All students, staff and faculty are
required to use updated ID
numbers, assigned in fall of 2007.
If you have not been received a University ID card, the Library will
provide you with a temporary card for use in checking out materials. If you do
not have a University ID card, the first time you come to the University
libraries, we will request other identification and proof of your affiliation
with the University. Please bring a tuition receipt, letter of acceptance or
registration document connecting you with the University. Once we have issued a
library card to you, please bring the card with you on future visits. If you
have questions about borrowing materials, please contact Rebecca Rockwell at
540-665-5424, toll-free at 1-877-289-4611, or via email at Rebecca Rockwell.
Loan Period - Graduate students may check out books and scores
for 42 days. Three additional renewals are permitted, totaling 168 days, unless
an item has been requested by another user. Books can be renewed over the phone,
or by the student directly though access to our online catalog. The online
catalog has a feature that permits borrowers to check to see what items they
have checked out and to renew them if they wish. Clicking on the "User
Services" button will take you to a screen to enter your student ID number
(library card number) and a PIN number. You can get your PIN number via email
from Rebecca Rockwell, or by asking at the
Smith Library Circulation Desk.
Overdues - Notices for overdue items will be sent by SU email throughout the
year. The fine for overdue books is $0.10 per day. The fine for overdue
interlibrary loans is $1.00 per day.
Failure to receive an overdue notice does not relieve the borrower of
the obligation to return the materials in question. If you are returning books
to the library by mail, make sure you allow enough time for mailing to avoid
overdue fees. We suggest that you renew books checked out to you prior to
putting them in the mail.
Borrowing SU Materials by
Mail
We know that
some of our students rarely, if ever, come to the Winchester campus. However,
if you live in areas covered by Zip Codes 22601, 22602, 22603, 22604, 22611,
22620, 22624, 22625, 22645, 22654, 22655, 22663, you should plan to pick up
library resources at the Smith Library. If you live in any other Zip Code area,
you may request that library materials be mailed to you at your home or
office. Through the Library’s
Document Delivery Service, library staff will retrieve books from our
collection, make photocopies of articles, and will mail materials to you
without charge. However, the cost of returning books to the SU library is your
responsibility.
Refer first
to the How Do I Get...?guide
for details on getting materials. If you cannot get an item full text online,
you can submit your request by using the "Online Forms" on the
library's website.
If for any reason you have not received a
university ID card, our computer system should have the information we need to
permit you to borrow by mail, as long as you are a registered student. We urge you to obtain an ID card
the next time you are on campus.
If you are returning books to the library by
mail, make sure you allow enough time for mailing to avoid overdue fees. We
suggest that you renew books checked out to you prior to putting them in the
mail.
Requesting Books and Articles from other Libraries
through Interlibrary Loan
Students may request that items not owned by SU
libraries be borrowed or copied from other libraries through what is known as
interlibrary loan. Please submit ILL and document delivery requests
electronically using the Online Forms
link on the library web site. Select "How Do I Get..... ?" for detailed procedures on requesting ILL and document
delivery online. Please allow at least 10 days for processing interlibrary loan
requests. From off-campus, you
will be prompted to log in to the proxy server to have access to complete the
forms.
Please allow
about two weeks for us to order and receive these items. If you live in areas
covered by Zip Codes 22601, 22602, 22603, 22604, 22611, 22620, 22624, 22625,
22645, 22654, 22655, 22663, you should plan to pick up interlibrary loans at
the Smith or the Health Sciences Library. If you live in any other Zip Code
area, you may request that ILL materials be mailed to you at your home or
office at no cost to you. However, the cost of returning interlibrary loan
books to the SU library is your responsibility.
If you have
questions about interlibrary loan, you may contact Jan Edgar, call 540-545-7318,
or use the Library toll-free number at 1-877-289-4611.
Obtaining
an SU Network Account
All students have
an SU ID number and network account, which permits them to use many of the
electronic resources that the Library makes available. If you are unsure about
the status of your network account, or simply need more information about your
account, please contact Rosemary Green, our Graduate Programs
Librarian. She will work with you to provide the details of your account, or to
expedite the creation of a new account by Institutional Computing.
Electronic Databases and
Electronic Collections
The
University subscribes to over 80 databases and electronic collections, which
are accessible over the Internet from the Library website Library
Databases link. Off-campus users connect to databases and electronic
journals after logging into the library’s proxy server (see next section). Your SU network account and password
will be used to log in.
What do we have for your discipline? Check Library Databases by
Subject.
Access to Electronic
Resources from Off-Campus
Most of our
databases and electronic collections may be accessed from off-campus by linking
through the proxy server. Students from off-campus must use their SU network
username and campus email password to connect to these databases. If you do not
know your network account username and password, please contact Rosemary Green.
Our proxy server does not require you to
configure your Internet browser for remote access. Most current browsers should
work, including Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer. In all cases, cookies must
be enabled. Usually, the default setting on your browser will be cookies
enabled.
Some corporate, agency, or institutional,
dial-up, cable, or broadband connections may automatically configure browsers
so their own proxy server is used. It's possible these automatic settings, if
they exist, could interfere with the use of our proxy server. If these networks
have a firewall or preset Internet security settings they could interfere with
the proxy server. You will need to talk to your network administrator at your
place of business or school.
Further information on the proxy server can
be found at the Remote
Access link on both the "Library Databases" and "Journal
Locator" pages.
Access to Print and
Electronic Journals and Periodicals
A complete
listing of the print and full-text electronic periodicals, journals and
newspapers to which the Library subscribes is viewable on the library website
using the Journal Locator. This
page provides web links to more than 32,000 full-text print and electronic
journals indexed in library databases.
Remote access to most of the electronic
journals is through the proxy server. Students from off-campus must use their
SU network username and campus email password to connect to these journals.
However, some electronic journal subscriptions may require a separate username
and password. Access to these passwords can be obtained from the Passwords link,
which again requires your SU network account and password.
From the main
page, select "Internet Resources" to view various websites that the
SU librarians have identified as being particularly useful for research. There
are sites selected by field of study, including business, education, music,
pharmacy and all other areas of the curriculum. Also on this page are links to
our virtual reference collection, to style manuals, to search engines and to
information about evaluating Web sites.
Reference and Research
Assistance
Rosemary Green,
Graduate Programs Librarian, is the principal contact for our off-campus and
graduate students for reference and research assistance. Her office is in the
Smith Library, and her phone is 540-665-4634. At the request of course
instructors, Ms. Green often travels to off-campus sites to meet with students
and provide instruction on the use of library collections and services. She
also meets with graduate students when they come to campus, either as a group
or individually.
In addition to Ms. Green, reference and
instructional assistance is provided by David
McKinney and Cindy Thomas in the Smith
Library, and from Denise Blake,
540-678-4350, in the Health Sciences Library. Off-campus students may call the
Smith Library toll-free at 1-877-289-4611. All library staff will be happy to offer
assistance or direct your call to another staff member who can help.
We encourage
you to contact the University library in Winchester for reference
consultations, to make suggestions, to ask general questions, and for
information about interlibrary loans. You may use any email application to
contact the campus.
Use this
link for information about library hours, staff and phone numbers.
Shenandoah
University has agreements with several area libraries for use of their
collections. You should bring your University ID card and ask about
arrangements to borrow materials. Contact Rosemary Green for further
information. Area libraries
include:
- Bridgewater
College - Bridgewater
- Christendom
College - Front Royal
- Eastern Mennonite
University - Harrisonburg
- Lord Fairfax
Community College - Middletown and Warrenton
- Handley Regional
Public Library - Winchester and Stephens City
- James Madison
University - Harrisonburg
- Loudoun County
Public Libraries - Leesburg
- Mary Baldwin
College - Staunton
- Samuels Public
Library - Front Royal
You may also
wish to use the libraries at other colleges and universities in the region. We
have web page connections to many other institutions at Links
to Regional Libraries.
Students who travel to other libraries with
whom we do not have agreements may not be permitted to borrow materials.
Interlibrary loans are an option in those cases.
Page last updated March 20, 2008.