The Library for Shenandoah University consists of two facilities. The Alson H. Smith, Jr. Library is the main library for the University, and is located in the center of the Winchester campus. The Health Sciences Information Center, located in the Health Professions Building on the grounds of the Winchester Medical Center, supports the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy and the School of Health Professions. Current total holdings include approximately 131,000 books, 80,000 e-books, music scores, and bound serials, and 17,000 audiovisual materials. The Library has access to more than 75,000 print and electronic journals.
Portal access to the collection is via the Library home page, with the Worldcat Discovery online catalog searchable from any computer on the University network or remotely, over the Internet. In addition, the Library provides access to more than 125 databases over the Internet, including those from ABI-Inform, EBSCOhost, Ovid and JSTOR. An online interlibrary loan service, telefacsimile technology, and electronic document delivery means that many items needed for classroom and research can be obtained quickly. The University’s location, convenient to the Washington metropolitan area, means that other libraries and major research collections can be visited easily. This document provides basic information on the Libraries and their services. If you have questions, please contact the library email account.
The University ID card is also the library card. The card is required to check out materials from the Library. Upon employment, new faculty and staff members should obtain a University ID card from the Office of Auxiliary Services.
Faculty may check out books and scores for 120 days or four months. Library materials may be recalled during the first semester for temporary use if requested by a student or other faculty member. An additional four month renewal is permitted, unless an item has been requested by another user. Recordings and media may circulate for 120 days only. If this type of material is needed by another user, it shall be recalled immediately. All books and materials be returned at the end of the academic year for the purpose of inventory. As a matter of policy, the Library maintains the privacy of its borrowing records.
Notices will be emailed to faculty throughout the year for any overdue items. Following the final notice the faculty member will receive a recall letter from the Director, University Libraries. The faculty member has ten days to respond to this letter and return the materials without penalty. After ten days a fine of $1.00 per day will be charged. If a faculty member finds that he or she must use a particular book or score longer than one academic year, the faculty member is encouraged to purchase the materials for their personal use. If books, scores or other materials are lost or damaged beyond repair, then the faculty member shall be billed for replacement of the items. The replacement cost is based on the price as listed in Books In Print, or other authoritative lists. A $20.00 processing fee per item shall be charged to cover cataloging and processing costs. For materials out of print, $20.00 per volume shall be charged, plus the processing fee. If a new, exact duplicate of a lost item is offered, then the replacement cost will be dropped and the processing fee shall be reduced to $10.00.
Collected music editions, periodicals, reference books, and closed reserve materials do not circulate. Because of the frequent use of these materials by students, staff and faculty, it is essential that they remain available for use in the Library.
Library materials may be placed on reserve at the Circulation Desk in the Smith Library, or in the Health Sciences Library for use by students in their courses. There are several types of reserves:
- Closed – for 3 hour use within the library only;
- 24-Hour – may be checked out any time during library hours and must be returned within 24 hours;
- 3-Day – may be checked out any time during library hours and must be returned within three days;
- 7-Day – may be checked out any time during library hours and must be returned with seven days.
Reserve lists should be submitted to the appropriate Library at least five working days before the beginning of each term to enable staff to collect and process reserves. Contacts are the Circulation Supervisor in the Smith Library and the Health Sciences Librarian in the Health Sciences Library. Federal copyright law places several limits on library reserve collections. One of the most important is the requirement that a faculty member obtain permission from the copyright holder for copied items to placed on reserve for longer than one semester. This provision applies even if the Library or the professor owns the item which is duplicated. For more information, contact Andy Kulp at (540) 665-5444.
Access to the holdings of the University Libraries is through the Worldcat Discovery online catalog from any computer on the SU campus network and from off-campus over the Internet. Materials in all formats may be found in the catalog, including, books, scores, periodicals, recordings and other A/V materials.  If you require assistance with the catalog, please consult with a librarian.
Faculty may use Worldcat Discovery to identify journals and periodicals found in the Library, complete with holdings information for each title. In addition, Journals A – Z lists all print titles received by the Library, as well as more than 75,000 electronic journals found in library database collections. If you have question regarding online journals and periodicals, please consult with a librarian.
Full reference and research assistance is available in the Smith Library. The principal contacts are Andy Kulp and Kathy Evans. Meghan Davitt, in the Health Sciences Library, also provides reference assistance for in the health sciences. The demand for research assistance can be intense at times during the semester, so you may wish to make an appointment with a librarian if you have consultation needs that are extensive.
Materials from other libraries may be obtained by using Interlibrary loan (ILL). Requests are submitted using the Worldshare ILL system.  Borrowed items can be picked up at Smith Library; most articles are delivered digitally and can be accessed from the user’s Worldshare ILL account. Faculty are responsible for any costs associated with this service. For quickest response, interlibrary loan requests should be discussed with a librarian before they are submitted. Some databases also have direct links to submit ILL requests. Requests for interlibrary loans should be submitted at least two weeks before an item is needed. Worldshare ILL will email the faculty requester when an interlibrary loan item has been received. Copyright law specifies that photocopies received through interlibrary loan are not to be used “for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research.” The Library reserves the right to refuse an interlibrary copying request if, in its judgment, fulfillment would violate the copyright law.
The Libraries subscribe to over 135 databases and electronic resource collections, all accessible via the Internet through the Find Databases page. Many of these databases include links to full-text articles in thousands of journals. Check the subject listing to find out what is available in your discipline. If you are off-campus, users will be prompted for their SU network account name and password to access databases through a proxy server. For more information about Internet databases and electronic resources, contact Andy Kulp, (540) 665-5444.
The professional library staff will provide instructional sessions for class groups in all schools and disciplines, upon the request of the faculty member. Information literacy instruction in the Smith Library is handled by Andy Kulp at (540) 665-5444. .Â
The Armstrong conference room on the main floor may be reserved for use by committees and campus organizations. Reservations are handled through the university’s EMS system. Other study rooms may be used by faculty and students on a first come, first served basis.
The University Archives, and other rare or special materials are located in the Special Collections area on the second floor. The Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Archives is located on the basement level. For more information, contact the library.
The nature of library collections is changing rapidly. Increasingly, library budgets are used to purchase access to digital content in e-books, e-journals and other electronic media, rather than ownership of a book on a shelf.
If you would like for the library to purchase print materials or other more traditional formats to support your program, we can handle that as well. We allocate funds to departmental and program area, according to formula that takes into account the number of student majors, the number of faculty, the level of the program, the average cost of materials in the discipline, and publishing levels. New programs usually receive additional support to develop collections. In addition, funds are allocated for music scores, recordings and audiovisual materials. During the fall semester and until January 15, priority is given to faculty requests for materials within allocation budget limits. After January 15, orders and recommendations still may be submitted, though funding may not be available. The Library faculty will select materials and spend remaining allocated funds. The spending of allocated funds terminates by April 1 to ensure receipt and payment of materials before the end of the fiscal year.
Requests for new periodical and journal subscriptions may be submitted throughout the year. Institutional preference is to arrange electronic access to journals wherever possible. Recommendations should be submitted by email to Andy Kulp.
Collection development is a joint responsibility of the professional library faculty and the teaching faculty, with input from students, staff and administration. The professional librarians act as liaison with several academic departments and programs for the purpose of collection development and management. Brochures and fliers, if available, should be submitted with recommendations, as they are often helpful in identifying particular works for ordering. If the materials are for reserve or other immediate use, that fact should be indicated on the order recommendation. When new materials are ordered, faculty members will be notified of the order. Once materials are received and cataloged, the faculty requester will be notified of availability.  Staff will notify faculty regarding the status of orders that are out of print, out of stock or otherwise delayed or unavailable for purchase. Again, please direct questions on book orders, expenditures, weeding and other matters to the library director.