Chrysanthy M. Grieco, Ph.D., Dean

Paul C. Chao, M.A., M.L.S., Associate Dean

Catriona Hill, Administrative Assistant

Welcome to our students, class of 2014, and to our returning students and faculty.  As we all look to the academic year 2010-2011 at Seton Hall, I would like to alert you to the offerings that your library has to help you with your studies and interests, both in and out of class.  These are annotated at the end of this message for your convenience, but before we get to those, here a few important points, both in purpose and location, regarding Walsh Library.
               On the second floor, you will find the Circulation desk where among other services, you can check out or return materials, request books on reserve, and receive DVDs and tapes to review.  As you proceed further into the main room, you will see the Reference desk where our research librarians are waiting to help you search databases, websites, and printed material for your scholarship and your papers.  The bank of computers along the far wall is a convenience for you to conduct your own searches.  Students may work together, talk about their research, and eat while they study in this part of the library.  Talking is not discouraged as we view it as a means of working together and consulting with each other; however, we ask that in doing so, you do not disturb others.  
                You will also note that left of the Circulation and Reference desks and through the double doors on the left is the Silent Study Room, constructed last year at the request of students who prefer to work in quiet convenience.  The Dean’s Suite is located toward the rear of the second floor.
                The third and fourth floors contain the majority of the print collection of the library, which number above 750,000 copies.  In the middle and sides of both floors, you will see study carrels, individual and group study rooms.  The carrels may be used on a first-come basis, while the rooms may be reserved through the Circulation desk.  Also on the third floor are government documents, the LaMotta Institute and the Valente Italian Collection, second in the state, perhaps only to Princeton.  On the fourth floor are also housed the offices of Catholic Studies, the Osterreicher Room, the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute, and the Chesterton Institute.
               You will also see that there is more to the library than these valuable sources for your work.  For your further edification and enjoyment, located on the first floor, is the Msgr. William Noe Field Archives & Special Collections Center, a very fine repository which houses parish records, doctoral dissertations, masters’ theses, various collections and paintings along with diocesan materials.  Located across from the Archives is Walsh Gallery whose artistic and creative exhibits are heralded among the best in the north east.  Drop in at your pleasure to enjoy these two areas of valuable collections.
                Finally, please feel free to visit my office.  I am always happy to discuss the library’s needs, or just to talk about our holdings.  Once again, welcome to the new academic year and to the library.  We are here to help you.   Good luck this semester and every semester.    (Dean Grieco, University Libraries)


             To accommodate your needs, over the past few months our library faculty have been deeply involved with the development of our homepage, and I encourage you to consult this resource via the following URL - http://www.shu.edu/academics/libraries/ which showcases our services in a more comprehensive manner than ever before. Our goal is to provide a clear, compact, yet information-packed reference area for you to bookmark and return to on a regular basis whether you are on campus or off-site. Counted among the most popular features on this page is the SetonCat/Voyager Catalog which illustrates what is currently in our collection holdings list by book/journal/audio-visual title, etc. as denoted by Author, Title, Subject, Keyword, etc. - http://voyager.shu.edu/vwebv/searchBasic?sk=en_US Additional useful features found on our homepage include (but are not limited to) the following information tools:

* Placement of required reading texts on-line for students to consult inside or outside of the classroom via our E-Reserves option can be found here -
http://www.shu.edu/academics/libraries/course-reserves.cfm

* Interlibrary Loan/EZ Borrow is a service that allows you to request articles, books and other types of materials from another library which may not be found in our own collection. The development of a relationship with the PALICI consortium has made materials easier to borrow and the turn-around time in receipt of items has gone from a week-plus to a few days, on average. For more details on obtaining such items please consult the following site - http://www.shu.edu/academics/libraries/interlibrary-loan.cfm

* We also feature reference hours seven days per week for in-person, phone, text message, and email requests. The option for  phone  (973) 761-9437 is also available for more detailed reference requests originating from off-campus or a more interactive forum is the newly integrated LibAnswers available through the Ask A Librarian link - http://shu.libanswers.com/index.php  as well.  A full list of library contacts is also available - http://www.shu.edu/academics/libraries/contact-us.cfm
* General information is another section featuring various links which describe our various services from reference to contact data to personnel and everything else in-between - http://www.shu.edu/academics/libraries/about.cfm

Electronic databases are still a widely used resource along with our standard EBSCO Host (Academic Studies) site.  A number of citations, full-text offerings and other data can also be found in electronic form within our General Interest, Interdisciplinary and specific topical subject area subscription databases - http://www.shu.edu/academics/libraries/articles.cfm which can be viewed through the University Libraries homepage and utilized either on-campus (without a password in most cases), or elsewhere on the planet any time of day or night with the appropriate Seton Hall identification code.
The above points and sites are just a small representation of the general services we provide in regard to wide ranging information requirements. In terms of more specific projects, we are also focused on making student and faculty research needs high priority. (Alan B. Delozier, Archivist)

Seton Hall University Libraries is always eager to respond to student and faculty requests as we are constantly looking for ways to improve. We hope you will continue to use the strong resources and expertise of our libraries in a constructive and scholarly way. To enhance the atmosphere for your academic study and to accommodate the vast number of students requesting consideration, the University Libraries is establishing the following policy beginning Spring 2010:

        1. The main floor (2nd floor of Walsh Library) will continue to be the designated space for group work, discussion, and eating snacks. Kindly put packaging in appropriate disposals as bug infestation threatens our health.
        2. The 3rd and 4th floors will be designated quiet floors for individual study and scholarly  conversation only.
        3.    The 3rd and 4th floors will continue to foster Individual and group work in the study rooms along the walls.  These rooms may be reserved.
        4.    A silent room for graduates and undergraduates who  prefer to work without any conversation is being prepared. We will keep you informed about its progress.
      
We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Dean Grieco