Reference & Instruction Services

The professional librarians at Scholes Library provide many services including ongoing reference desk coverage, formal instruction in the use of information resources, and preparation of specialized library guides, indexes and bibliographies for faculty. Librarians also provide fee-based information services to the international ceramic and glass research community.

Teaching faculty may request that a librarian address a class on a specific topic, give an orientation tour, discuss Internet research methods, or design a class library assignment. The ultimate goal is to help the student learn information skills which will be of value throughout his or her lifetime. The ability to seek, retrieve, analyze, and interpret information is a component of any meaningful education.

During the academic year the library is open 96 hours per week, with extended hours during final exams. The reference desk is staffed during most of these hours, and the interchange of questions and answers allows us to solve immediate inquiries as well as give guidance and direction on approaching bibliographic and information resources. The library also provides fee-based information services to the international ceramic and glass research community.

In addition to Internet and CD-ROM indexes and abstracts in art and engineering, the library has online access to many commercial reference and document delivery services.

The general phone number for the Reference Desk is 607-871-2951. Contact information for individual librarians can be found in the Scholes Library Faculty Directory