Reference

The purpose of reference is to address information needs. When a patron comes to the desk, it is for information. It is because there is a need. The role of reference is to aid the researcher in locating resources, services or other data, whether it be in print or in electronic format in order to
solve a problem or to satisfy an information need. Reference librarians are at the heart of research. They are trained to locate material whether it be local, at the on-campus libraries, at research centers regionally, or, if need be, international. We meet users at their points of need by facilitating the process of identifying and retrieving information for their research benefit, for study, or personal use. We provide this service through different media. Some of which will follow.

Evolving to Meet Your Changing Needs and Expectations

Research Services are available in Founders Library and the HULS branch libraries .

Liaison Librarians are subject-area specialists who provide instruction and develop collections that serve the educational and research needs of the University’s academic departments. They offer individual and group instruction in the use of the online catalog and research databases, orientation to information resources, and guidance for research projects within the discipline.

Research Staff Members help patrons locate material in campus libraries and research centers, regionally and worldwide. They meet users at their respective points of need by facilitating the process of identifying and retrieving information for research, study, or personal use. They provide on-site, telephone, and email reference service, and link users to appropriate web-based reference services.

Instructional Research Librarians
Each year, hundreds of students and faculty take advantage of hands-on library instruction sessions conducted (by appointment) in the Founders Library Digital Learning Classroom.

General and Specialized Library Guides or “LibGuides” and a host of other useful Research tools are available to help researchers identify materials for basic and advanced research information from both the libraries’ collections and the web.