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, you can use our "Ask a Librarian" email service by submitting your question via the internet. We can answer only specific questions. Unfortunately, we can't answer questions like "Send me a list of all your physics books" or, "How do I write a research paper?" We will answer by e-mail unless you specify otherwise in the text of your question.

If you need more immediate help, try our Chat or IM reference service during open hours.

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 reference librarian for assistance.

Try our Research Shortcuts page to begin. Or, go to our help and study guides and online tutorials.

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