Perhaps the most valuable resource of any library are the people who can assist you in finding and providing the resources and information you need.

Reference librarians are faculty members who are professionally trained to assist you in your library work. They save you time and frustration in your search for information. Librarians assist you in searching for available materials on your topic, as well as locating materials in the Library, in another library, or on the Internet and the World Wide Web. Helping faculty, students and staff find what they need is a basic part of their job, so always ask for help. You can even ask a reference question by e-mail.

Each campus provides help at the "Reference Desk" for almost all hours the library is open. You can discuss your research needs in person during those hours or you can call if you are off campus.

Ask a Reference Question 

If you are off campus or at a computer on campus and need immediate help, you can Chat online with a librarian real-time 24/7. Or, you can use our "Ask a Librarian" email service by submitting your question via the internet. We will answer by e-mail unless you specify otherwise in the text of your question.

Electronic Resources

There are also electronic resources on the Library Web Site to help you with your research. You might want to try these in addition to asking the faculty librarian for assistance.

To get started, try our library and subject guides or one of our online tutorials.

Some indexes or reference sources are general and are useful for almost any topic., e.g., Academic Search Complete or MasterFILE Premier. Others are specialized, such as science, business, nursing, etc., e.g., AccessScience or Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL).