Library Services - Library - La Sierra University

Launch Library Tour

The La Sierra University Library is an information center that exists to support the teaching, learning, and research activities of the students, faculty, and staff of the university and serves the general interests of its local community. The library maintains an appropriate collection of print, audio-visual, and electronic materials; provides access to remote electronic databases and texts; obtains materials from other libraries; and offers a setting for study. In providing these services, the library staff is committed to meeting the needs of clients through integrity, competence and efficiency in a context of caring, patience and understanding.

Quick Guide to Services

The most common questions students have are:

Can we borrow books or articles from other libraries? Yes, see our inter-library loan forms.
How many books can I check out? For students, usually 40; see our borrowing policy for more details.
Does the library have a particular book? See our online catalog.
I need help with an assignment! Ask a librarian.
My teacher put something "on reserve." Where can I find it? At the circulation desk, on your left as you enter the library.
How do I reserve one of the group study rooms? Go make a reservation.

Circulation and reserve services

The library’s collections include more than 200,000 books and 46,000 bound journal volumes. The stacks are open access and most library materials may be checked out at the Library Circulation Desk. Check the complete current list of policies. You can contact Circulation Supervisor David Ramos, at x2044 or e-mail dramos@lasierra.edu.

Books

Checkout
1. Students may borrow books from the general stacks for 28 days; these should be returned on or before the due date.
2. Some items, such as reference or Heritage Room books, cannot be checked out, unless special need is demonstrated. These show up on the library catalog with a status of "Library Use Only".
3. Your student I.D. serves as your library card, and is required for checking out materials.
Renewals
1. One renewal is allowed via telephone, online, or in person granting an additional 28 days of use.
2. Books having been put "on hold" will not be renewed. You may receive a "hold" notice when someone else requests a book you have checked out. In that case, it would be helpful if the book were returned as soon as possible since someone else is waiting for it.
Overdue Books, Lost Books, Blocked Privileges
1. Overdue notices are routinely sent out via inter-campus mail at the beginning of the quarter for books due at the end of the previous quarter.
2. When books become more than one quarter overdue, borrowing privileges will be blocked until the materials have been returned or replacement fees have been paid. A bill with a replacement fee of $50 per book will be sent. (The fee is waived if the book is returned.)
3. If the cost of a lost item is significantly greater than $50, the library reserves the right to charge a fee based on the actual replacement cost.

Checkout
1. Faculty and staff may borrow books from the general stacks for one quarter; these should be returned on or before the due date.
2. Faculty and staff are allowed to check out up to 60 items, due in 28 days, unless renewed.
3. Some items, such as reference or Heritage Room books, cannot be checked out, unless special need is demonstrated. These show up on the library catalog with a status of "Library Use Only".
4. Your faculty or staff ID serves as your library card, and is required for checking out materials.
Renewals
1. One renewal is allowed via telephone, online, or in person granting an additional quarter of use.
2. Books more than one quarter overdue must be returned before they can be checked out again.
3. If a book is needed more than two consecutive quarters, it must be returned before it can be checked out again.
4. Books having been put "on hold" will not be renewed. You may receive a "hold" notice when someone else requests a book you have checked out. In that case, it would be helpful if the book were returned as soon as possible since someone else is waiting for it.
Overdue Books, Lost Books, Blocked Privileges
1. Overdue notices are routinely sent out via inter-campus mail at the beginning of the quarter for books due at the end of the previous quarter.
2. When books become more than one quarter overdue, borrowing privileges will be blocked until the materials have been returned or replacement fees have been paid. A bill with a replacement fee of $50 per book will be sent. (The fee is waived if the book is returned.)
3. If the cost of a lost item is significantly greater than $50, the library reserves the right to charge a fee based on the actual replacement cost.
4. No late charges or overdue fines will be assessed to faculty or staff members.

Reference Help and Instruction

General reference assistance

The Reference Desk is the front-line service for information assistance to library users. Any time you are not sure which library department to contact, start with the Reference Desk. The librarians working in this area are prepared to respond to a variety of general and specialized information needs. If we cannot answer your questions with our own collection and online services, we will do our best to direct you to other libraries or resources that can meet your needs.

Reference services are available when the library is open, except lunch (noon-1 p.m.) and dinner (5-6 p.m.) hours and after 10 p.m. You may request information in person, by e-mail (reference@lasierra.edu), by phone (x2396), or by Asking a Librarian.

Course related library instruction

The most effective method of encouraging students to make effective use of the library is through assignments that require the use of library resources. Librarians are eager to assist teachers in the preparation of library-related class assignments, and by providing course-specific orientation or instruction in the use of specific resources. Contact the Reference Desk (x2163) to make arrangements.

Database searching

The library has more than 140 online databases available, covering almost every field of knowledge such as: education, religion, biology, chemistry, applied science and technology, law, medicine, business, economics, literature, art, biography, history, news and current events, consumer affairs, psychology, and social sciences. See our databases.

Some of these databases include the full text of articles in them; others have only citations or abstracts. The library web page indicates full-text databases with "(FT)" after the name of the database.

These databases can be searched free of charge in the library, anywhere on campus, or even from home; go to the library home page and click on theOff-campus Access link. The reference librarian on duty will assist you with your search if you need help (x2396).

Information retrieved may be printed out, downloaded to your own disk, or (in most cases) sent to your e-mail account.

Training for effective database use

The library provides assistance with database searching on a one-on-one basis at the reference desk or (by appointment) in your office. We can also provide instruction for groups, such as a departments or classes. Contact the Reference Desk for an appointment. When arrangements are made in advance, we can provide training at almost any time, including evenings and times the library is not open.

Research Assistance

Reference librarians can provide specialized assistance to faculty members involved in research projects. This includes identification of relevant publications, services, and resources available in the university library and elsewhere.

Internet Information and Training

Faculty and staff members who wish to know more about resources available through the Internet, or the wide range of resources (including library catalog and reference sources) which expand the resources of the library may direct their inquiries to the Reference Desk (x2396, or email library@lasierra.edu).

Beyond assisting the faculty and staff with specific questions related to the Internet, reference librarians will provide training in the use of Internet resources. This is done upon request for individuals, for classes, or for other groups. Please contact the Reference Desk for more information.

Journal Article Delivery

Upon faculty, staff, or online learner request, the library will provide copies of articles available in the library collections. You may make requests by filling out our online request form. We can scan the article and deliver it to you by email, or photocopy it and send it through campus mail. There is no charge for this service, but we do not deliver articles longer than 25 pages. We can only copy one article/issue due to copyright restrictions.

Journals do not circulate. Under special circumstances, such as in-class use or special research projects, an exception may be made.
A request for permission to check out a journal should be made at the Periodicals Department, Monday through Friday, during office hours. At other times, ask the reference librarian on duty.

Faculty members occasionally place materials on reserve to ensure that they are available to the entire class. These materials will be available at the Circulation Desk, on your left as you enter the library. Unfortunately, the library cannot accept LINK+ or Inter-library Loan materials, or anything checked out from another library for reserve. This is standard practice for academic libraries who make their materials available to other libraries or library users.

Reserve requests should be submitted before the start of each academic quarter.
Please allow at least 48 hours for processing a reserve request before making a class assignment.
Faculty may submit personal materials and multiple copies of an item to be placed on reserve.
The easiest way to submit reserve requests for material already in the library is to fill out our online request form .
You may also use the Reserve Book Requisition forms provided at the Circulation Desk. You can request copies be sent to you by calling the Circulation Desk. Take completed forms to the Circulation Desk along with any personal materials or photocopies that you wish placed on reserve.
You may also fax requests to Sandra Hartson at x2445 or e-mail shartson@lasierra.edu.

What if the library doesn't own the item you want to put on reserve? For the fastest service, we encourage you to submit personal or departmental copies of reserve materials. If you cannot loan personal copies for reserves, and copies are not available in the library's collection, please allow time for purchasing materials. The library will attempt to order books needed for course reserves, but this will take additional time. We will make every effort to expedite ordering/processing, but advance planning is essential for this option.

The library Circulation Desk maintains a small graphics lab. Campus departments find this useful, for example, in preparing bulletin boards. Supplies and equipment available include butcher paper, a 24-inch wide laminating machine, an Ellison lettering dye cutter, and a transparency maker. There is a nominal fee for some supplies.

Interlibrary Loan

If you need something not in the library, we can borrow it for you from another library in the United States. We have obtained books, dissertations, reports, microfilms, periodical articles, and other things.

Inter-library loan

Standard Inter-library loan is available for materials not available through the LINK+ consortium. Fill out a request form in person at the reference desk or

online. The ILL form is also available from the library catalog homepage.

We will notify you when the requested materials have arrived. This usually takes 8-10 days. Inter-library loan materials should be picked up from and returned to the Circulation Desk. Please note the due date on inter-library loan materials and be certain to return these on or before that date.

We do not charge for our own services, but we do pass on any charges from the lending library. These generally cannot be determined in advance, but range from zero to $10, and occasionally more. For faculty,departmental accounts can be charged by including the account number on the appropriate line when the request is made.

Reciprocal Borrowing Privileges for faculty & Staff

Faculty and staff members have reciprocal borrowing privileges at a number of local academic libraries, via La Sierra University’s membership in LINK+ and SCELC (Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium).

You may use your La Sierra University ID card to check out materials at other LINK+ libraries as a visiting patron. See our

list of LINK+ libraries for details. A list of SCELC institutions is available at http://scelc.org/rfb/participants. Policies for borrowing from a SCELC library are available at http://scelc.org/rfb/policies-and-procedures. Contact the Reference Desk to obtain access to these libraries.

Ordering library materials Faculty & Staff

The faculty and staff are very important in the selection process, and many library additions are the result of faculty and staff requests for new materials. The online catalog includes the status of items on order.

The Department of Technical Services processes orders, and catalogs and prepares books and other items for the library collection. Christina Viramontes is the primary contact for book requests. You can reach her by phone at x2403 or by email to cviramon@lasierra.edu.

Book Orders/Requests Faculty & Staff

Book orders take an average of six to eight weeks to fill. Some may take up to 12 weeks, depending upon availability and source from which the item must be ordered. Therefore, book orders should be submitted well in advance of anticipated need. Book orders/requests should be submitted via the Suggest New Book link.

Book Order Status faculty & Staff

Faculty and staff will usually be notified when books they have requested are received, cataloged, and made ready for circulation. You may also consult the online catalog to determine the current status of books ordered. It will report if the book has been ordered or has arrived or is currently being processed.

Choice cards Faculty & Staff

Cards containing brief reviews of books from the publication Choice will be sent on a monthly basis to department chairs. These are intended for faculty use as an aid in book selection. If you want to order the book, use the Choice card to fill out a book order card and send the completed card to Christina Viramontes.

Publisher’s Announcements Faculty & Staff

The library receives large numbers of publisher’s announcements of new and forthcoming books. These are available for faculty browsing. When appropriate and as time permits, some of these may be sent to individual faculty for their notification and consideration.

New Books List Faculty & Staff

The library web site has a list of newly acquired books (updated monthly). This includes purchases and gifts. It is divided by the general Library of Congress classification, which does not necessarily reflect the academic divisions of the university or the departments that might have ordered the items.

Book Jackets Faculty & Staff

During processing, book jackets are removed. These are distributed to departments on the basis of their perceived topical relevance. As with the new books list, the distribution of a book cover to a particular department does not necessarily indicate the book has been charged to that departmental book account.

Journal Order Requests Faculty & Staff

Due to budget limitations, there is limited opportunity to add new journal subscriptions. Generally, an equivalently priced currently received title will need to be dropped in order to add a new title. Requests for new titles can be submitted on a Journal Request Form available from Periodicals or the Technical Services departments. Since periodical subscriptions are a long-term commitment, requests for new journals should support classroom instruction or research on an ongoing basis. Because of the subscription cycle, subscription changes are routinely processed during the summer.

Audiovisual Materials Orders Faculty & Staff

Generally the requested item should be intended for regular instructional use in order to justify purchase. Rental of occasional-use materials may be more appropriate (see Media Services). To place an order for audiovisual materials, please send a description and publisher’s announcement/order form to Christina Viramontes (cviramon@lasierra.edu).

Media Services

The Media Services Department provides a wide range of circulation, instructional, and event support services to the campus. Chris Drake, the Media Services supervisor, can be reached by phone at x2190 or by e-mail to cdrake@lasierra.edu.

Circulation and reserve

Media Services provides regular and reserve circulation services for the library’s non-print collections (videotapes, audiotapes, film, DVD, and related material). These materials are expected to be used in Media Services with the equipment made available for this purpose. Media also loans and delivers audio, video, and projection equipment for classroom and teaching support, duplicates audio and video tapes (within U.S. copyright restrictions), and provides sound and video services for campus events.

Laptops

We have five laptops (four PCs, one Mac) with Microsoft Office which can be checked out for a two-hour period inside the library. There is no charge, but patrons are responsible for returning the laptop in good condition and will be liable for the replacement cost if they are not returned.

Educational production services

Media Services can provide a studio as well as audio and video recording and editing, production, and post-production services. Computer-generated slides and graphics can also be produced upon request.

Satellite video downlink

A satellite downlink for teleconferences and other purposes is available. A video feed is available in Room 121 of the library. For more information call Chris Drake at x2190.

Equipment Repair for faculty & Staff

Media Services can arrange for repair with qualified outside agencies. Limited in-house repair service for audio, video, and projection equipment is available.

Film and Videotape Rentals for Faculty & Staff

The department is able to arrange rentals through Filmmaker’s Library (http://www.filmakers.com). Call for assistance in locating and renting film titles. We recommend, however, that you try inter-library loan first.

Library Services for Students, Faculty, and Staff