Throughout the Library, from more than 200 computers, patrons have access to the FIU Libraries online catalog on WebLUIS and the World Wide Web. WebLUIS also provides access to many of our databases and other electronic resources.
Large group study rooms are available for groups of 2 or more on a check out or reserve basis (patrons must go to the circulation desk on the 2nd floor to reserve study rooms). These rooms are located on the corners of floors 3, 5, 6, and 7. The small rooms along the walls of floors 3 through 7 are individual research carrels which are assigned to faculty and graduate students. Applications for the individual research carrels are available in the Library Administrative Office on the 8th floor or through individual departments and colleges.
The staff at the Information Desk
Location 2A, can provide general Library information, basic WebLUIS assistance,
and answer questions about the Library. General Library handouts are also
available at this desk. A courtesy phone for calling anywhere on campus
is available here and on most floors next to the elevators. Pay phones
are located on the first floor of this building, by the lakeside entrance.
Computers are located throughout the Library for your use in locating FIU Libraries' materials, including books, AV, government documents, archives, and other resources. WebLUIS provides Internet access to the FIU Libraries' online catalog, which is available to you from the FIU Libraries homepage. The LUIS in WebLUIS stands for Library User Information Services. WebLUIS provides quick and easy access to information on FIU Library materials including their locations. It also provides access to our databases which can help you to identify magazines and journals with articles on your research topics.
Using the FIU Libraries homepage, library patrons can gain access to a wide variety of research databases which support academic disciplines throughout the university. You can also use the Library homepage to find information about the Library hours and services, as well as about the collections of other libraries throughout the U.S. and the world.
Basic database instructions and introductory information are available at the Information or Reference desks or in display shelves in the Electronic Research Center. We encourage you to sign up for 1 1/4 hour sessions such as "Introduction to Research", "Netscape Basics", "Beyond the Basics" and "Term Paper Workshops". Training dates and times and sign up sheets are available at the Reference Desk.
The Reference Desk, Location 2B, is usually staffed by professional librarians or by senior library technical staff. Staff at this desk can provide you with general reference and research assistance. Among its many services, the Reference staff can assist you in making the best use of the Library's resources and can instruct you in their use. If you don't know where to start, this is the place.
Reference Collection, location 2C.
In this collection you will find reference items like encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, handbooks, and manuals. The first row contains general encyclopedias such as the World Book Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia Britannica. The end of each row has a label showing the call numbers for books shelved in that row. Also located in this collection are specialized microfiche, including Hunam Relations Area Files and Business microfiche (e.g., annual company reports). A microforms reader/printer is available for patron use, and printing is free of charge.
Abstracts and Indexes (A&I), location 2E.
In A&I, you'll find subject and author indexes which lead you to journal articles and other materials on various subjects. The word Abstracts refers to the summaries of these articles. Now, take a look at the volumes along any aisle in A&I. Notice the label on the spine or side of the volumes. The letter below A&I represents the subject area. Many of these indexes and abstracts are now electronic databases available on WebLUIS but the older volumes are available here. To the back of A&I is the Curriculum Collection for education students and teachers. This collection contains, among other materials, textbooks and juvenile literature. The Curriculum Lab is a collection of special materials for teachers and students in the College of Education. Included in this collection are some of the textbooks and exams used in the Dade County Public Schools. The Juvenile Collection, consisting of both fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults, is also located here. Note that signs and instructions are posted on the sides of the shelves in this collection to facilitate the retrieval of materials.
Located between A&I and the Reference Collection are the Ready Reference, Business Reference and Legal Collections, location 2D. Ready Reference is shelved on the first few shelves next to the start of the Business Collection. The library also has a guide to Internet Sources for Ready Reference and a guide to Internet Resources for Business Research and Studies.
Legal Reference contains many local, state, regional, and federal legal materials. We also have a guide to Law and Legal Websites. You may want to consult with the staff at the Reference Desk before using the Legal Collection. If you need more in-depth legal or business research assistance, ask to speak with the Business and Legal librarian or schedule an appointment with him at the Reference Desk.
Electronic Research Center (ERC), location 2F.
The ERC provides access to the FIU Libraries homepage, WebLUIS, and the rest of the World Wide Web. Computers in this area also provide access to CD ROM databases covering various subject areas. To identify databases that may be of interest to you, go to the Reference Desk or take a look at our alphabetical or subject lists of databases and other electronic resources. Documentation for most databases is available to help you get started. To use a computer in the ERC, you must sign-in and out at the ERC Desk. To utilize the printers in the ERC and printers located throughout the library, you'll need to purchase a copy card in the copy rooms on the second floor or third floor. Consult your map for copy room locations to find a Debit dispenser. If you need further information about the ERC ask at the ERC Desk.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL), location 2H.
Our Interlibrary Loan service is available to current FIU faculty, staff, and students to obtain books or articles that the FIU Libraries do not own. The service is free, and it takes an average of 2 weeks to receive an item you've requested, so be sure to start your research early. To request an item through ILL, pick up a request form there or at the Information Desk or do it online. To pick up and return Interlibrary Loan items you'll need to go to the Circulation Desk.
Circulation and Reserve Desks, location 2L.
The Reserve Desk has books and other materials reserved by professors throughout the University for the use of their students. If your professor tells you that he or she has put articles or books on reserve, those items will be located here. You will need your current FIU ID card and a reserve call number in order to check out items on reserve. Course reserves are listed on WebLUIS. Most materials on reserve can be checked out for only 2 hours. Reserve items cannot leave the Library!
The Circulation Desk is where you check out books. Items may be checked out for 21 days and then renewed. You may renew them online. You will need a current FIU photo ID card in order to check out books. If a book is already checked out, this is the desk where you may request that the book be recalled. You may also ask staff at this desk for a search for missing items. And, all current FIU faculty, staff, and students should be sure to inquire about a SEFLIN card which allows you to borrow materials from many local libraries.
A similar service to Interlibrary Loan is provided for items located at the Biscayne Bay Campus Library. This free service is called Intercampus Loan (ICL). Intercampus Loan forms are available at the Circulation Desk and online. It usually takes about 3 days to receive a book or photocopied article through Intercampus Loan.
The Circulation Desk is also where you return books. Be sure to use the return slot under the counter. If you need to return books when the Library is closed, please use the book return box located at the breezeway entrance to the Library.
Government Documents location 2M.
The staff at the Documents Desk can provide assistance in using the materials in this collection. This area contains items published by the U.S. government, the state of Florida, Miami-Dade County, and some other South Florida municipalities and agencies. The Library also has a collection of international documents including those of the United Nations. In addition to in-house resources, several government documents databases are accessible from the FIU Libraries homepage. Documents staff can help you to locate information using these databases as well as others, which are accessible from the computers in this area. ERIC education microfiche are also housed in Government Documents. Four microforms reader/printers are available for patron use. Printing is free.
Here and throughout the library you'll find ample study space in the form of study cubicles and tables as well as comfortable chairs. If you need a very quiet place to study, the quiet study floors are 3, 6, and 7.
Other locations on this floor include areas such as theInformation Teaching Centers, at locations 2G & 2I, where the library provides library instruction classes in a hands-on electronic environment. Also, the GIS Teaching Center, at location 2J, or the GIS Research Center, at location 2K. This floor, and floors 3 and 5 also have a copy room with photocopiers and Debit dispensers.
Periodicals Collection, location
3A
The Periodicals Collection contains journals, magazines, and newspapers. There are over 7,000 periodical titles in this and other Library collections. Look around at the volumes on the shelves. Although they look like books, they are actually journals and magazines bound together with a hard cover. We call them Bound periodicals. Bound periodicals are older issues of magazines and journals, and are shelved by call number. Consult your map to determine the call number arrangement for periodicals. Current periodicals are shelved with bound periodicals with the same LC call number.
Be sure to note the area called Preshelving at location 3C. Preshelving contains shelves where our staff sorts out materials throughout the day before placing them back on the regular shelves. If you cannot find the item you need on the shelf, check preshelving. You'll also find a preshelving area on the 6th floor. Usually, we keep the latest month's worth of newspapers before they are microfilmed. If you require assistance, ask at the Periodicals service desk.
The Library also subscribes to the full-text of more than 2,500 online electronic journals. You may want to take a look at our List of Electronic Journals.
Special Collections at location 4C
Special Collections houses a variety of materials, for example, student theses and dissertations, rare books, and University archives. The rare books collection includes both old and fragile books, prints, as well as a large Caribbean collection. The archives are papers and other documents produced by the university. Most of the materials in this collection are located in areas that are accessible to staff only. For more information or assistance, ask inside the Special Collections area.
Law School Administration/Faculty Offices, location 4B.
General Collection locations 6A and
7A.
The General Collection actually begins on the 7th floor with the letters A through H and then continues on the 6th floor until it finishes the LC call numbers with the letter Z. The Music and Fine Arts and Architecture sections (LC call numbers M and N, respectively) of the General collection are located on the 5th floor where the art slides and music listening areas are located. Consult the map to see the range of General Collection call numbers shelved on each floor. Almost all books in the General Collection may be checked out for 21 days (faculty/staff and graduate students can check-out books for longer periods).
Also located on the 6th floor is the Oversize
Collection, location 6B. The Oversize Collection contains General Collection
books that are too tall to fit on standard shelves. Before books are placed
back in their proper place on the shelves, they are arranged by call numbers
in Preshelving location 6C. If you
don't find a book on the shelf, preshelving is a good place to start your
search for the book.
Audiovisual Service Desk, location 5A
The Audiovisual Collection (A/V) has a wide variety of materials for your use, including videotapes, art slides, multimedia kits, compact and laser discs, records, computer software, books on tape, and 16mm films.
To the right of the A/V counter there are networked PCs that you can use for word processing or with the Library's multimedia CD-ROM collection. However, usually you must sign up in advance at the service counter to use these stations. For policies and procedures concerning the materials and equipment in A/V, please ask staff at the counter. In the alcoves on this floor and most other floors, there are computers which provide access to the FIU Libraries online catalog on WebLUIS. Remember, the FIU Libraries online catalog includes the audiovisual collection.
Also to the right of the AV Desk is the Architecture and Fine Arts section, location 5B. This section of the General Collection includes call numbers beginning with N. The Architecture and Fine Arts Collection houses general works for art and architecture students and faculty, including many drafting manuals and other unique resources.
To the left of the A/V service counter, location 5C, is the Music section of the General Collection, which includes call numbers beginning with M. This section contains general books on music, including music theory and music history. This area also houses many musical scores. Note: Bound and current periodicals in Music and Fine Art and Architecture (LC call numbers beginning with Mand N) are now on the fifth floor.
Also in this general area, listening and viewing equipment is available for individual use and room 523, the multimedia experience room, is available for large groups. Instructors can reserve this room in advance to show multimedia to their students. Reservations should be made with A/V. For more details, ask at the service desk or call 348-2817.
Although the Library has been designated as a non-smoking, non-eating, and non-drinking area, sports bottles are allowed. As for noise, we ask that you refrain from loud conversations while you're in the Library. In particular, remember floors 3, 6, and 7 are quiet study areas. Please help us keep the Library a pleasant place in which to study. Cell phones and beepers should be turned off or put on vibrate mode inside the Library.
This completes the tour of the Steven and Dorothea Green Library. We hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. Remember that the Library staff is here to serve your academic needs. Feel free to ask anyone of us for help at any time.
If you would like to make any comments or suggestions about this tour, leave a message at the A/V desk or at the Reference desk. Once you're done with the tour, please return the cassette recorder and the headset to the A/V staff. Thank you!
-- Reference Staff, August 2001.
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