Q. What services does McConnell Library offer to faculty and who do I contact with questions regarding them?

The library offers the following services for faculty: Archives, Collection Development, Course Reserves, Instruction (research workshops for your students), Research Help, Interlibrary Loan, FAQs Faculty Frequently Ask, and Faculty Outreach (if you don't know who to contact).

Archives

The McConnell Library Archives and Special Collections supports the teaching, research and public service missions of McConnell Library by collecting, preserving, organizing, and making accessible unique primary source materials that document the history of Radford University, Southwest Virginia, and Appalachia.  We welcome visitors and scholars, but we request that you make an appointment.  For information please contact us at archives@radford.edu, 540-831-5692, or 540-831-5694.

Collection Development

The library supports your teaching and research with books, e-books, media (DVDs, CDs, streaming media), journals, e-journals, and databases.  If you need any library materials, please contact your departmental library liaison or, depending on your department’s practice, go straight to your library faculty liaison.  This librarian will review the book and media requests and approve them for ordering.  Subscriptions are reviewed by the Collection Development Committee.  The library faculty liaison is your point-of-contact for any questions about the collection.  For more information and to find your liaison, go to Collection Development under the Collections tab on the library webpage, or contact Alison Armstrong at amarmstro@radford.edu.

Course Reserves

Our Course Reserve Service provides controlled access to supplementary course materials for specific classes. Course Reserve items may include print books and media owned by the library or by the instructor.  To have library materials put on Course Reserve, email the following details to the Reserves Supervisor (reserves@radford.edu):

• Course Name
• Course Prefix and Number
• Name of Academic Department
• Item Title and Call Number
• Loan Period Limit (3 hrs, 1 day or 5 days)

Instructor-owned materials may be brought to the library’s Front Desk, where a Reserves Request Form will need to be completed.

Instruction

Our dedicated team of instruction librarians is excited to work with you to create a research workshop for your students. While many of your students may have attended a library workshop as freshmen, they often have difficulty narrowing topics, choosing search terms, selecting appropriate databases, evaluating sources, and citing within their papers.  We’re here to help. Every library workshop is tailored to *your* assignment and *your* students’ needs, and can be presented in person or online.  Effective library instruction is a collaboration between the librarian and the professor, and we consider it a privilege to be invited into your class. Contact Jennifer at jrwhicker@radford.edu for more information.

Interlibrary Loan

If McConnell Library doesn’t have the material you need, we may be able to borrow it from another library. This service is called Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and is available to students, faculty, and staff, at Radford University. Interlibrary Loan is a powerful tool that helps support the academic, teaching, and research needs of our university community through partnership with other libraries. Last year, we borrowed items from approximately 300 different libraries, and loaned materials from our collection to nearly 450 libraries.  If you have questions about ILL services, you can reach us via email: ill@radford.edu or phone: (540) 831-6126

Research Help

Faculty, staff and students can receive help with research at the library’s Research Help Desk in person, via Ask a Librarian chat, emailing refdesk@radford.edu, text message, or by phone: (540) 831-5696.  People looking for more in-depth help can set up a research consultation with a Research Services librarian, for either an in person meeting or one via video conference. 

The librarians in the Research Services department are happy to schedule consultations with faculty, but cannot offer in-depth research services. For examples of what the library offers see What kinds of research help does McConnell Library offer faculty?

FAQS Faculty Frequently Ask

• What do I need to do to have a student pick up a DVD for me?  

• What kinds of research help does McConnell Library offer faculty?

• Where can I find information on open educational resources, or OER?

• How do I verify my UpToDate account to use the mobile app as a RadfordU student, faculty, or staff member?

• May I bring my class to the library for research help or a library instruction session?

• How can I view an item from Archives or Special Collections?

Outreach Services

Questions? Contact an Outreach Librarian! Alyssa Archer, aarcher2@radford.edu (540) 831-5688 and Jennifer Resor-Whicker, jrwhicker@radford.edu (540) 831-5691