MSU University Libraries

MSU University Libraries
(270) 809-2053

MOM!  I need help with homework!”

Now that your student is at MSU, you can expect lots of phone calls. Will you be ready for this one?  “I have a report due in three days! I have no idea what my teacher wants, except he says I can’t use the internet!  What do I do?!”

It is not unusual for a professor to limit internet use in homework assignments. For students who have grown up with Google as their constant information source, this can be confusing. Maybe even scary. And the first person they may call…is you.

So, what should I tell my student?

Go to the library. And no, that doesn’t necessarily mean in person. Research in college is very different than what your student may have been used to in high school, and the resources available here are very different than what you would find at a public library.

What do you have to offer?

University Libraries features over half a million items to use for research. These materials exist in many forms: books, CDs, DVDs, microforms, maps, and government documents. The Libraries provide electronic access to over 20,000 scholarly journals and magazines and over 65 databases. We also provide access to millions of items that we may not own through a service known as InterLibrary Loan (ILL).

But perhaps the most valuable resource University Libraries has to offer is the librarians themselves…these information professionals each have subject specialties, so they know not only the resources your student needs to get through their college career…they also know the professors and the assignments!

What else is in the building?

Waterfield Library provides your student with everything he/she needs to complete an assignment.  Traditional and electronic library resources, plus:

• the Racer Writing Center to help them finish the written project
• the Racer Oral Communication Center to assist w/ persuasive and informative speeches
• Copy Express to help them prepare the final product
• both computer labs and wireless laptops to use in the building when don’t have their own laptop with them
• video cameras, e-Book readers, iPods, and iPads to check out like a book 
• a coffee shop with snacks and quick meals to keep them going while they study 

The library is a Learning Commons, designed to help your student from inception to completion of a research project.

How can my student reach you?

The Reference Librarians are available from 8am to 9pm every day during the week, and open hours on the weekend. Your student can reach us at the Information Desk, via email, phone, chat or even text messaging! For more about our services, and access to all of our virtual resources and services, please visit our website.