beyond your textbook

Library

Having access to the right information – and plenty of it – is critical when it comes to completing college-level assignments. Equally important is the ability to find, process and use that information effectively. At Drew, our University Library offers a wealth of scholarly materials as well as expert assistance in their use. Our three-building library complex provides an environment in which students can dig in and learn – in surroundings that accommodate a wide range of study preferences. In the following Q&A interview, Andrew Scrimgeour, Dean of Libraries, explains the unique aspects of our library and its role in helping Drew students succeed.

How big is University Library?
Drew’s library collections are larger and deeper than that you will find at most small liberal arts colleges. Our book collection is about a half-million volumes, and we subscribe directly to 1,300 scholarly journals. We also provide more than 23,000 full-text electronic journals.

What kind of help is available to students when they use the library?
We have a reputation for having some of the best reference librarians in the field. These are the people that provide direct assistance for our students, helping them to retrieve information successfully and evaluate it critically. They are available to students when they visit the library and also regularly give classroom presentations on developing research skills. All of our librarians are exceedingly responsive, helpful and cordial.

Does the environment differ from a “traditional” library?
Most who use it would agree that University Library is more student-friendly than many others. For starters, we are open long hours (until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday) to accommodate late-night study. Additionally, while many other facilities forbid or discourage beverages, we recognize that most of us like to have something hot or cold to drink while we work. So we not only allow beverages, we offer vending machines that provide them. Taking that one step further, we also know that when people are studying they may not have the time or desire to go someplace else to eat. To that end, we are adding a café at the entrance to the library, where students can purchase food and drinks, and even study and converse there.

What is the study environment like at the library?
The physical complexity of our buildings enables us to provide a wide range of study areas to accommodate people who want privacy and quiet as well as those who thrive in the midst of activity – and everything in between. We have tables and individual carrels both in central areas and hidden away in the stacks, as well as rooms reserved exclusively for group study.

Does University Library have any other distinguishing factors?
One of our great sources of pride lies in the many special collections and archival collections that are housed here. For example, if you want to study the various editions of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass,” Drew is one of the few places that has most of them in their original published forms. People come from all over to visit our United Methodist Archives Center, because it is one of the top three places where people can look at the history of Methodism around the world. Some colleges discourage the use of this type of primary source material by undergraduates, but Drew encourages it. In fact, many classes have assignments that enable students to explore these incredible treasures.

What is the best way to look further into what University Library offers?
Prospective students certainly should visit our Library Web page and explore it deeply. There are many resources and research directions that they will find useful in their work as high school juniors and seniors. At the same time, they will get a good feel for the kind of library resources available to them at Drew.