Circulation

You need your Student ID card to check out materials, to make copies, and to print in the library.

Books/Audio Books/CDs are loaned for a 3-week period with one 3-week renewal allowed. DVD/VHS materials are loaned for 7 days with one renewal allowed. You can renew items on or before the date they are due by contacting the Seminary Library at (619) 201-8966 or by email.

Overdue & Lost Items

If you have overdue material you will not be allowed to check out any other material until those items are returned or renewed. Courtesy reminder notices are sent out to your institutional email account before item(s)are due and overdue notices are sent each week after and item is overdue.

Once an item(s) has been overdue for 6 weeks the item(s) will be considered lost and fees will be sent to the Student Accounts Office. The fee for a lost item(s) is a minimum of $50, plus a $10 processing fee. Students will be notified they have an overdue item(s) by email every week up to 6 weeks, and will be given a courtesy phone call 1 week before fees are sent to the Student Accounts Office. If the item is returned to the library, the lost book charge will be reversed by the Student Accounts Office; however, the $10 processing fee is non-refundable.

Book Drop

For your convenience a 24 hour book drop box is located near the entrance to the library.

Course Reserves

Reserve items and other materials placed on limited loan by faculty members must be used in the library. These may be requested at the Circulation desk for two hour use. Reserve materials may also be checked out one hour before closing time but must be returned when the library opens the next day.

Reference/Periodicals

Reference materials, journals, magazines, and newspapers are available for use in the library only.

Article & Database Access

All of the library’s online resources are available only to current SCS students, faculty, and staff because of licensing agreements. Off-campus users must be authenticated to use these subscription-based resources.

Log-in using your institutional network account (same as Populi). Contact the Seminary Library (619) 201-8966, or by email if you are not able to access library resources.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is the way the College and Seminary Libraries provide you with the books and articles that it does not own by borrowing a copy from other libraries. This service is available free for current students, faculty and staff of SCS.

Book requests are usually received within 10 days. They are mailed to us via USPS, media rate. It is important that the borrowed item is returned by the due date written on the ILL band attached to the book’s cover. If you need the book past the due date, contact the Librarian about the possibility for renewal by calling (619) 201-8966 or by email. In rare cases, if we cannot find a library willing to loan the book for free, you may be asked to pay for the loan.

Article requests, usually photocopies, are normally received within 2-3 days. This is because they are typically sent to us electronically. You will not have to return a photocopied article. Because of the effort involved in locating and copying article requests, it is more common for libraries to charge for the request. Please fill in the “willing to pay” field in the ILL form. If they charge, libraries typically set a $5-20 fee for photocopies.

You will be contacted by email or telephone when your material arrives.

Supply Table

For your convenience there are basic supplies (paper cutter, three-hole punch, standard and heavy duty staplers, pencils, tape, scissors, etc.) located near the copiers/printers for patron use. Please do not remove supplies from the library so that all may be able to use them.

Book Sale

We hold an ongoing used book sale of discarded and donated books. Most items are 25 cents. The book sale is held each fall and spring semester.

Information Literacy

Working with the faculty, the Seminary Librarian conducts sessions in the library or the classroom that help students develop information literacy skills, such as locating, selecting, evaluating & organizing resources. These sessions walk students through the research process, the search features of several databases & can include hands-on practice.

The Seminary Librarian provides in-class instruction to introduce students to library resources in the following degree programs:

The College at SCS

• RS-100 Critical Thinking & Writing

Graduate Bible & Theology (Masters Level)

• RS-501 Theological Research

Graduate Bible & Theology (Doctoral Level)

• RS-981/982/983 Applied Research & Mentoring I, II, & III

Graduate Behavioral Science (Masters Level)

• CO-505 Human Growth & Development
• CO-608 Research & Program Evaluations

Graduate Behavioral Science (Doctoral Level)

• PY-805/905 Dissertation Research and Methodology I & II