Uni High Library - Faculty Services

Services for Faculty

Background | Materials | Instructional Services | Collection Requests | Reserves | AV Equipment and Services | Table of Contents Service | Further Information

Background

University Laboratory High School Library is one of the approximately 38 departmental libraries of the University Library system to which Uni faculty and students have access. The primary purpose of the Library is to support the information needs of the curriculum, and, secondarily, to provide recreational and informational material for the personal and developmental use of students and staff.

The staff I-Card serves as a library card and may be used in any departmental library. The fourteen-digit number on the card is the patron's identification number; the PIN number is initially set as the last four digits of the patron's social security number. Uni faculty have the same borrowing privileges as University faculty. Students and faculty may go in person to check out items from other departmental libraries or can request materials through the online catalog. Most materials can be delivered to the Uni High Library, including those from other colleges in our state library consortium, the Illinois Library Computer System Organization (ILCSO). If an item is not available through this consortium, patrons may request materials through the web page of the University Library's Information Resource Retrieval Center.

Materials

In addition to books (Uni High Library holds over 13,000 monographic volumes) and periodicals (about 100 titles), a variety of non-print items are available. The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, located in Room 201, indexes most of the Library's periodical holdings. The Library's web page serves as a gateway to the World Wide Web as well as the online catalog, local databases of videotape and slide holdings, and many other databases provided by the University Library, including Wilson Select Full Text, Lexis-Nexis, and ERIC. The Library web page also contains locally developed guides to Internet search tools, class assignments, and reference sources on the Web.

A core collection of education journals are located in the staff lounge. A small collection of professional education monographs is kept behind the circulation desk in the Library.

Library materials can be renewed directly through the online catalog, by Uni Library staff, or by calling the University Library Phone Center at 333-8400. Materials from any of the departmental or consortial libraries can be returned to the Uni High Library. Overdue notices are sent by e-mail. University Library policy requires a minimum replacement fee of $125.00 for each item not returned ($300 for periodicals). These charges are removed when materials are returned.

For detailed University Library circulation policies and procedures, go to http://www.library.uiuc.edu/library/circ/

Instructional Services

The Library's instructional role is to teach students to make wise choices in a complex information environment and to be intelligent consumers of information. This knowledge is best taught in context, integrated throughout the curriculum. Some Library instructional units consist only of a short classroom presentation and handout; others involve several days of hands-on experience in the Library spread over the course of several weeks. Class time in the Library must be reserved to ensure adequate staffing and to avoid conflicts with other classes.

The Library also provides resource support for specific assignments, including the compilation and formatting of bibliographies. Library staff can pull relevant materials from the collection and put them on a special shelf for student use. We are happy to create research guides for students either as web pages which link them directly to online resources (see examples) or as paper handouts. Even if no direct library instruction is required, please notify Library staff of any upcoming assignments which will require library research. With notification, the Library can forestall student frustration by providing more informed help or by placing limited resources on reserve.

The Librarian offers occasional inservice sessions for faculty on the use of the online catalog and other Library resources. Sessions for individual teachers are always invited and can be scheduled at any time.

Collection Requests

The Library encourages requests for collection purchases from faculty members. We can usually accommodate book requests and most video requests. Because periodicals represent a recurring expense, a justification of long term need may be solicited. The Library materials budget cannot be used for textbook purchases, multiple copies of items for reserve use, or items purchased solely for classroom use.

Reserves

To place materials on reserve, ask a Library staff member. Faculty typically bring in personal materials or ask staff to pull books from the collection. Teachers can specify the borrowing period for materials they place on reserve. Typical reserve loan periods are overnight and "library use only." Overnight reserves may be checked out after 3 PM and are due by first period the next day. Uni High Library can also borrow a single copy of a book from other UIUC campus libraries and place them on reserve for Uni students.

Audiovisual Equipment and Services

The Uni High Library has a varied collection of audiovisual equipment for faculty and student use. Some items, such as overhead projectors and cassette players, can be loaned to a department or a classroom on a yearly basis. VHS VCRs are in most classrooms. Slide projectors, camcorders, CD players, and other items are also available. Equipment is reserved in the Library office on a first-come, first-served basis. Please let us know if you need equipment for more than a day. Otherwise, return it by the end of the class day so others may use it. VCRs are available for class period checkout only.

The Library staff tapes, within copyright guidelines and for instructional use, programs broadcast on television. Please make taping requests at least a day in advance. We also, again within copyright restrictions, copy videotapes. We are not equipped to handle a very high volume of tape duplication; please ask if you are in doubt.

Uni High Library does not have the staff to deliver or operate equipment for teachers in their classrooms. Faculty need to pick up the equipment in the Library or send a student with a signed note to do so. If you are unfamiliar with the operation of a machine, we will be happy to give you some advance assistance. If a bulb is burned out or a piece of equipment is damaged or inoperable, please tell a Library staff member.

Table of Contents Service

Uni High Library distributes copies of table of contents pages from our professional journal subscriptions. At the beginning of the year, faculty members who are interested in this service are asked to select titles from our list of holdings. Library staff will also photocopy selected articles at teachers' request.

For Further Information

Please refer to our web page for further information about the Uni High Library. The web page contains links to more specific Library policies and to a host of information services. Uni High Library services are also governed by University Library policies, which can be found at http://www.library.uiuc.edu/geninfo/policy.htm.