A. Reference Material (non-circulating material) is upstairs with commentaries grouped by set.
B. Circulating materials/printed journals are downstairs with commentaries by individual book.
C. Reserve materials for all classes are available at circulation desk for 2-hour check out.
D. Library cards are available at circulation desk.
E. Public computers and copiers available on both floors. Copies are free.
F. Laptop computers are available for check-out but they must stay inside the building.
G. Printing stations are on upper and lower floors of the library. Print from a flashdrive or from online.
H. The library has BW 10.
I. What's new in the library:
*Purchasing ebooks for class reserves when available
*Check-out time has been moved from 3 weeks to end of semester
*There are no more fines but there is a hefty lost book fine
*Signage in the collection to help with browsing
2. UPSem Library/Union Presbyterian Seminary Libraries Website and Online Resources
A. Charlotte Campus Library Info on UPSem Library website.
ii. Library Guide for Biblical and Theological Students--Set up to help students working on exegesis papers for OT and NT. The "Commentary Assistance" tab describes the difference between technical and practical commentaries. Commentary series are rated on a scale to help guide students searching for certain commentaries. The "Biblical Exegesis Resources" tab uses the exegesis assignment and suggests library resources in the Charlotte library to assist with each step of the process. The "Writing and Research tab" offers resources in the library that can help with formal writing style and better ways to conduct research.
iii. Library Guide for Internet Resources for Theology Students-- This guide of web resources should be viewed as a suppliment to library resources. I have put these together by subject, rather than by website, to make the search process easier. Subjects included in guide are Spirituality, Worship, OT and NT, Bible, Church History, Theological, and Reference. The web resources have been posted by experts in the field.
iv. Library Guide to the Research Process--This guide is to help students review the steps of the research process and how to go through them in a strategic manner. The different steps covered are--developing a topic, locating information, evaluating and analysing information, using the information in a way that adheres to copyright standards and avoids plagarizing others material.
v. Carolinas Theological Library Consortium (CTLC)--The Charlotte library is in a consortium with 14 other seminary libraries. Click here to see what other schools are part of the consortium and to find the consortium policies should you want to check out a book from one of the other libraries.
B. UPSEM Library--This is the main library website for Richmond and Charlotte campuses. It is important to note there there is a "Tutorial" on the library website where you can get detailed text and video help on ways to best use the catalog and databases. Subjects on the tutorial include topics such as search techniques, print or save search results, search for a bible commentary, Charlotte campus records, and more.
i. Click "catalog" to go directly to the library catalog. The electronic catalog searches both Richmond and Charlotte libraries. One way to limit the search to just one library is to use the dropdown menu on "Collection to Search" and choose a library. The search field can be changed to an "advance" search to search for title, authur, series at the same time. Signing up for a "library account" allows the student request a book from Richmond, renew a book online, create an e-shelf of resources and more. Just click on "library account" use your library number for the username and the first three letters of your last name for the password. There is a "Charlotte library blog" link on the catalog page should there be a question about how to do some of the functions just mentioned.
ii. Online Databases--There is no user name or password when searching the databases on campus. To access a database off campus the student will need to use the Network user ID and password. (It is the user name and password used to access emails remotely.) There is a brief explanation of each database underneath the database links. The top databases for our purposes tend to be "ATLA-RDB and ATLAS Index and e-journals", "Ministry Matters", "Academic Search Complete" and "Karl Barth Online." Feel free to use the "Tutorial found on the library website to learn how to best use these databases. You will get answers to how to find articles on a certain scripture passage, how to use the scripture index, choosing only articles that are full-texted, finding articles in a specific journal, how to save, email or print journal articles, and more.
