Frequently Asked Questions

Faculty members are welcome to request a hands-on customized library instruction session tailored to the specific topics, themes, or research assignments of your class.  We are willing to host your class here in the library or visit your classroom. 

• Schedule a customized library instruction session for your class.

Furthermore, we are always open and welcome to new ideas about how we can help your students, including multiple class visits, one-on-one research consultations with your students, reference hours on blackboard, etc.

Teach an online or hybrid class? Ask about ways we can "visit" your class digitally on Blackboard by creating tutorials, presenting in Collaborate, participating in a discussion board, etc.      

1.  Insert at least 5 cents.
2. Plug the flash drive into the outlet on the right-hand side of the photocopier keypad.
3.  The flash drive’s contents will display on the screen.  If not, tap the physical button labeled “document box” in the lower left-hand corner on the photocopier keypad.
4. When the flash drive is open on the screen, tap the screen button that says “save file” (in the lower right-hand corner of the screen).
5. Change any scan settings that you want, or proceed.
6. Place your document in the feed reader or on the flatbed. Press the physical green on photocopier keypad (just like making a photocopy).
7.  The document will be saved to your flash drive.

If you are a distance education student and do not have an ID card, please contact your course instructor.

During the spring and fall semesters, our hours are usually those below. However, we often have abridged hours during the summer, holidays, and breaks. Please see our library homepage such hours.

Help is a available from a reference librarian both at the library and virtually.

Yes, you can do that online here.

In general: Circulating books are shelved upstairs, and reference books & serials are shelved downstairs.   Check our map or ask a librarian for help if the book is shelved anywhere else (Arundel Room, Oversize, etc). 

To find the book on the shelf, you will need the book's call number from the catalog entry.  To learn how to "read" call numbers, ask a librarian or check out our guide to reading call numbers here.

If you need more help, just ask a librarian.

Check out our guide to downloading ebooks here.

If you have a specific article, then you don't want to search our individual databases (those are better for searching by topic).   

Use these tools to see if we have access to your article electronically or in print: 

Librarians will work with you to create customized course guides tailored to specific research assignments or topics covered in your class. These course guides can be linked from your Blackboard course sites.  To request a customized guide, just contact your library liaison.

 Yes. We have access for students/faculty/staff, as well as a public wifi network.

For information on how to connect, click here.   

Source: Kimbel Library   

We rely heavily on the teaching faculty of FMU and your academic expertise to select worthy print and electronic resources for our collection. So we encourage you to submit purchase requests and help build our collection together!

Please either email your liaison or use this form when there is an item (book, journal, database) that you would like the library to consider for purchase. Preference is given to material that directly supports the curriculum. We do not purchase textbooks.

Important! Check with your library liaison or the head of your academic department regarding your specific department's purchase approval process. Some departments automatically approve all choices, but other department heads will want to personally approve your requests. 

Books and items on reserve are kept behind the circulation desk at the library. Depending on the loan period set by your professor,  these items may be checked out for Building Use Only (2 hours), Overnight, 3 days, or 7 days.
 
Search reserves here.

No. Both our copiers and our printers generate too much heat and will melt the transparency. 

Yes, just visit the Circulation Desk at the library for help.  Be sure to bring your FMU ID card.

Can't find what you need in our library? No problem!           

1. Search the PASCAL catalog to find books at other SC academic libraries:    

Request the item, and it will be mailed here for you to borrow for free. You'll get emailed when it is ready for pickup at the circulation desk. 

 
2. Place an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) book request.  

Once we receive your request, we will try to borrow it from another library outside of SC, and it will be mailed here for you to borrow for free. You'll get emailed when it is ready for pickup at the reference desk. 

No, you must come to the library in order to check out books.

If so, the librarians at Rogers Library are ready to help you.We are available to work with you to create effective research assignments that integrate library resources into your course content. These assignments can foster critical thinking and promote information literacy for lifelong learning.

Here are some suggestions:

• Before the new semester starts, make an appointment with a librarian.  We can work with you as you are developing your syllabi and assignments.  We will help you identify appropriate library resources, and let you know if the assignment is feasible given our collection strengths and weaknesses.
• Request a Library Instruction Session to have a librarian demonstrate to your students how to use the library databases, build search strategies and evaluate sources. Please give us at least one week notice to prepare for your class.
• If you limit the number of web sources students can use, please make sure your students understand the differences between the "internet" and "electronic library resources." More specifically, web sites located via search engines (such as Google) versus the information retrieved from our online library databases. The latter carries the same content, thus the authority, as the journals and books published in print. 
• Consider putting required reading on reserve to ensure that all students will have access to it.
• Encourage your students to visit the library early in their research.

Some common problems to avoid:

• Waiting until a couple of days before the class to ask for a library instruction session. Your librarian may not have adequate time to prepare, and the appropriate resources and classroom space may not be available.
• Asking everyone in the class to work on the same topic.  This may stretch the library resources too thin, especially when printed materials are involved.
• Requiring students to use resources the library does not own or cannot obtain within a reasonable time frame. Consult a librarian to make sure we have the resources for your assignment.
• Setting unreasonable requirements for types of sources to be used.  Not all topics are covered in every type of resource.  You can encourage a variety of sources, but be flexible!
• Bringing an entire class to the library without notifying the librarian.  The library has a limited number of computers available for student use.  To make sure your students have access to the resources and services they need, please contact us in advance so that we can make arrangements for your class.
• Requesting that the entire class ILL items. This presents two problems. First, the timing of having an entire class request items for a aprticular assignment strains our limite interlibrary loan staff. Second, interlibrary loan is not free. It costs Rogers Library not only in manhours and supplies, but often we do have to pay to borrow items.