Use the search bar above to search for a keyword, or browse the different sections by clicking the Keep Reading links.
If you don't see your question listed, click the "Ask us a question!" link at the top of the page to suggest that we add it.
If you want to ask a question, head over to the library page by clicking the Talk to a Librarian! button at the bottom of this column to call, email, text, or IM a librarian.
FAQ sections:
My Library Account
Resources
Research Help
Locating Specific Types of Sources
Library and Contact Information
Video Tutorials
Talk to a Librarian!
Here’s a quick video on using PubMed. This tutorial covers how to get to the PubMed site, how to do a basic search, and how to limit your search to the most relevant results.
Interactive Tutorial that demonstrates how to locate scholarly or peer-reviewed articles in Ebscohost and ProQuest databases. Additionally, an overview of what constitutes a scholarly or peer-reviewed article.
This section has information on your library barcode, alumni privileges, holds, lost books, renewals, and course reserves.
What/where is my library barcode?
Your library barcode is only needed when placing Interlibrary loan requests for books and articles, it is no longer needed for accessing databases off-campus.
Where can I return my library materials?
All materials can be returned to the library’s Borrower Services desk (the first desk on the left when you enter the library).
Can anyone other than Bryant students have a library account?
Yes! We offer cards for alumni, Smithfield residents, and Bryant faculty and staff (the privileges for each type of card are listed here). To open a non-student library account, stop by the Borrower Services desk!
How many ___ can I take out?
For a table listing how many items students, staff, and faculty can check out, click here.
What library privileges am I eligible for as a Bryant alumni member?
For a full list of alumni privileges and how to access them, click here.
I’m excited to start using the library’s resources! Do I need to do anything before I can check out books and other items?
Nope, once you have your ID you’re all set!
I have a hold on my account. How can I have the hold released?
If you have a hold on your account, it’s most likely because you have an overdue library item. To have the hold released, you need to bring the item back to the library, and once it’s checked in, your hold will be released. Contact Borrower Services with any questions regarding holds.
I lost one of the library’s books, so I can’t return it. What can I do?
The library charges $50.00 per item for lost Bryant materials; replacement copies are encouraged--if you bring us a replacement item in good condition, we can accept that rather than the $50.00 fee.
How can I renew a library item?
To renew a library item, click Sign In here (in the top right corner) by entering your Bryant username and password. Once logged in, click the link in the right corner that has your name, and select My Account and look at your checkouts tab. For each item, there is a button in the third column that says Renew. Click this to request a renewal of this item.
How can I check when my library items are due?
Log in to your library account (see above for directions) and click the Checkouts tab. Listed next to each individual item will be the due date.
Where are course reserves and how can I access them?
Physical course reserves (like books or sample business plans) are behind the Borrower Services desk, and you can ask to check them out. The usual loan period for course reserves is 2 hours, in library use only. To access digital course reserves (articles etc.), search for your professor’s name here, then click on your class. Make sure to check the Class Details section--if there is a link to Google Drive, there are additional resources there.
Is my book in yet?
You should get an email once your requested item is in, but to double check, log in to your library account here, open the Holds tab, and check the status of the item. If it says Ready for Pickup, it’s available at the library. If it says
Queue Position or In Transit, it’s not here yet.
Does Bryant charge fines for overdue library materials?
You will not be fined for overdue Bryant materials, but other libraries may charge fines. If you borrow an item from another library and incur a fine, the fine must be settled with that library.
What resources are available at the library, where they are, what you can and can’t check out, and library policies.
What kinds of things can I check out from the library?
We have a lot of things you can check out! iPhone and Galaxy phone chargers, headphones, laptop chargers (lenovo and Mac), laptops, iPads, calculators, white board markers, erasers, tape...the list goes on. If you want to know if we have it, just ask! There’s list of some of the technological things we lend here.
Do you have non-academic books?
Yes, we have a section on the first floor that is devoted to leisure reading books, which are books that are read for pleasure (as opposed to academic books or textbooks). You can check these books out for 2 weeks at a time. We also have other leisure reading books on the second floor--try searching the library catalog to see if we have the book you’re looking for!
Can I bring food and beverages into the library?
Yes! Just make sure to keep your area clean and throw away your trash before you leave.
What and where are course reserves?
Course reserves are books, articles, or other items that your professor has put on hold for a class to use at the library. These items can be found behind the Borrower’s Services desk, and unless otherwise noted, can be checked out for 2-hours and cannot leave the library. There are also digital course reserves, which can be found here.
Where can I go to...
...use a computer?
The first floor of the library has computers that anyone can use. There is no password for these computers, just leave the username as it is and click enter.
...work with a group?
If you have a group of 3 or more, you can book a study room online here. If the study rooms are full, or you just want somewhere to hang out for a bit, the first floor of the library has plenty of tables and couches where you can talk or work with a group.
...work somewhere that’s QUIET?
The second floor (except for the lounge and the study rooms) is a silent zone and there are plenty of tables, whether you want to work silently with a friend or want some space to yourself.
Where is/are....
The FactSet computers- in the computer cluster on the first floor, the FactSet computers are the first two rows of computers (next to the leisure reading section) and the double monitor computer across from the Research and Instruction desk.
Study rooms- Study rooms are on the second floor around the Bello Grand Hall.
Printers/color printer- the black and white printers are in the print booth (the wooden box next to the Research and Instruction desk) and upstairs in the lounge near the study rooms. The color printer is on the first floor, past the black and white printers, and across from room 102.
Copier- the copier is near room 103 and is next to the scanner. The copier will only accept Bulldog Bucks, not printing dollars. If you want to use your printing dollars, you can scan the document to your email and print it from there.
Scanner- The scanner is past the print booth, across from room 102.
Kurzweil scanner- first floor next to the Research and Instruction desk--as a librarian for more details. (The Kurzweil scanners will read a scanned document to you!)
Wall Street Journal- the physical copy of the Wall Street Journal is behind the Research and Instruction desk, and can be used in the library in exchange for your ID (which will be given back when you return the paper, of course). We also have access to the Wall Street Journal online! There’s a link it on our Articles and Databases page.
How to get started searching, finding and assessing sources, finding books, requesting sources from other libraries, and writing citations.
I’m not sure where to start my research--where’s a good place to start?
If you’re not sure where to start looking, try one of our subject guides! On the articles and databases page, use the drop down menu to select the subject you’re researching (shown below, or click here for a video tutorial on finding articles on your topic). You can also try a database that covers a lot of different topics, such as Academic Search Premier or EBSCO.
How do I cite my sources?
For citation help, check out the citation guides and links on the library webpage! Click here for help on MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian, ACS, PNAS, and APS citations.
Here’s a quick guide for citing journal articles:
MLA: In-text citation- (Author last name page #) example- (Rowling 24).
Online Journal citation- Author last name, first name. “Title of article.” Title of Journal volume:issue (year): page numbers. Medium of publication.
example- Oravet, Cate Calhoun. “ Humans vs. Zombies at the Library: Gauging the Impact of a Live Action Gaming Event on Students' Library Use and Perceptions.” Journal of Library Innovation 5:1 (2014): 127-138. Online.
APA: In-text citation- (Author last name, year). example- (Rowling, 2001).
Online Journal citation- Author last name, first initial. (year) Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), pages, url.
example- Oravet, C. (2014) Humans vs. Zombies at the Library: Gauging the Impact of a Live Action Gaming Event on Students' Library Use and Perceptions. Journal of Library Innovation, 5(1), 127-138. http://www.libraryinnovation.org/article/view/320/552
**For other citation styles and how to cite different types of sources, see the citation guide here.**
What’s a scholarly source?
A scholarly source is something that’s been peer reviewed by other people in the field. For example, journal articles are usually scholarly, but books, magazine articles, and websites are not. If you’re not sure if a source is peer reviewed, check the publication’s website.
How can I find peer reviewed or scholarly sources?
In the EBSCO databases, on your results page, you can click to Limit to “Scholarly (Peer Reviewed)” and then the articles you see will all be scholarly.
For more information on finding peer reviewed articles, click here to go to a video guide!
How can I check to see if the library has a book?
To search the library catalog, click here! On the search results page under Location, you can also limit the search to Bryant if you just want to see what we have here. If another library has the book you want, you can click “Request it” to have it sent to Bryant (which can take up to 1-2 weeks).
How can I check to see if the library has access to a specific journal?
From the library homepage, click the Journals tab and type the name of the journal. If we have access to it, there will be links to databases that have it and the years they cover. Click the link that covers the time frame you’re looking for, and then you can either pick a year, volume, and issue of the journal to look through, or search for a specific topic or article by clicking “Search within this publication.” You can also watch our video tutorial here.
How can I request a book the library doesn’t have?
To request a book, locate it in the library catalog. Once you’ve found the book, click the Request it button at the bottom of the page (see image below). Fill in your name, library barcode (the number on your ID that starts with 21999), and your email and submit the request.
How can I request an article that the library doesn’t have?
To request a copy of an article, search for the title of the article in the library catalog and click Request It. You can also talk to a librarian for assistance.
“Is this a good source?”
It depends on what you’re looking for! Some things to keep in mind when considering a source are: Is the article recent? Where is it published (a blog, a book, a journal, etc)? Does it include citations to where the information is from? Why did the person write it/what do they think about the topic? Is it peer reviewed or scholarly? If you’re looking at websites, is it a .com, a .org (organization website), or a .gov (government website)? What types of sources does the project require? Using questions like these, you can decide whether the source is “good,” or useful for your research.
How to find 10Ks, company information, psychology studies, etc.
How can I find...
Company reports, such as 10K, balance sheets, industry ratios, competitors, or industry overviews etc.
For a guide on how and where to locate these resources, click here.
Newspaper articles
We have several databases that include newspapers! Try some of these:
Newspapers
The New York Times
The New York Times (historical, 1850-2010)
The Wall Street Journal (1984 - present)
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ.com version)
The Wall Street Journal (historical, 1889-1995)
click here for a tutorial on how to find and use the online Wall Street Journal
Articles from a specific journal
To access a particular journal, go to the library homepage, and click the journals tab on the OneSearch box. Type the journal name (check your spelling!) in the search bar. If the library has access to the journal, links to the database that has it and the dates it covers will come up. Once you click on a database, you can either search for a keyword or author by clicking “Search Within This Publication”, or you can look for a specific volume and issue number by clicking the dates on the right. You can also watch our visual tutorial here.
If there are no results, either the library does not have that journal or there was a spelling error.
Psychology studies
Coming soon!
Sample psychology surveys
Coming soon!
Items from the library’s archive
To access the items in the archive, ask a librarian for help! Some items in the archive that are available for student use are yearbooks, course catalogs, and the history of Bryant architecture.
We have also digitized some of our archived items on Bryant’s Digital Commons, such as faculty publications, issues of The Archway (1946+), The Archway investment fund reports, and past honors projects. Bryant’s Digital Commons can be accessed here.
To IM us, or to request an appointment for one on one research help, click here.
Library hours
Library hours can be found here.
Is the library hiring?
Both Borrower’s Services and Research & Instruction hire in the fall, and, when needed, in the spring. The library can only hire students who are eligible for work study. Check with Katherine Lickwar in Research & Instruction and Bill Doughty in Borrower’s Services during those times of year to see if they are hiring.
2087
stormborns
titsay
kianamaiart
gummygunk
ellievsbear
romaincrisis
izzy806