information for faculty

The Samuel C. Williams Library is committed to providing excellent resources and services to Stevens faculty who teach courses both on and off campus. Below you will find useful information for faculty.

library instruction
research assistance
reserve material
deposit accounts for document delivery
linking to articles in library databases
creating a Moodle library search box
developing the library collection
citation searching and impact factor
circulation services policies for faculty

library instruction

We offer both general and discipline-specific library research training sessions for students, faculty, and staff, in order to familiarize them with library resources and give them an introduction to basic research techniques.  Training can be held in the library training room, in your classroom, or even at a satellite location.  We can also meet online via WebEx/eLearn.  Sessions held during your regular classtime will reach the most students and we will target sources and services for your particular needs. 
We are happy to meet with faculty members to create a session tailored to the specific research needs of any course or department.  Please contact a Reference and Research Services Librarian for information.  To arrange for a library research session, please use the course instruction request form.

research assistance

We are happy to meet with students and faculty individually to discuss research resources. Please contact one of the Reference and Research Services librarians to arrange a meeting.
We can help you to identify appropriate resources for your research and familiarize you with helpful techniques and tips for searching for information on your subject, topic or field of interest.
(Please note that we are also available to visit faculty-members' offices for assistance, since most of our resources can be accessed remotely.)

reserve material

Reserve Books
Certain items that prove to be high-demand/high-usage are housed separately from the regular collection and have a shorter borrowing period to facilitate fair access. Selected titles are entered into the Reserve Collection at the request of faculty or Library Staff and are shelved behind the Circulation Desk. Reserve books can be borrowed for 2 hours and can only be used in the Library. Faculty seeking to place Library Books on reserve must complete a Reserve Book Form. The Library will then take care of either pulling books from the shelves or ordering them if necessary. Forms should be completed as thoroughly as possible. Forms and material should be sent to the attention of John Cruz, Circulation Services Manager.
Reserve Course Materials
Reserve course materials include homework assignments, examination questions & answers, old examinations, etc., that faculty have placed on Reserve in order to provide convenient access for their students. These materials, arranged by Course #, can be borrowed for 2 hours and can only be used in the Library. Faculty wanting to place course material on reserve should complete a Course Material Reserve Form and submit it along with the material being sent to the Library. Please note that it is important that all items on the form be completed as thoroughly as possible. Forms and material should be sent to the attention of John Cruz, Circulation Services Manager.
Reserve Periodicals
A small number of popular periodical titles are kept at the Circulation Desk for a current rolling 3-month period. Reserve periodicals can be borrowed for 2 hours & can only be used in the Library.
Online Reserves
Online material for a course is not handled by the library, but should be put into eLearn for the specific course.  

deposit accounts for document delivery

The Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Service provides quick access to documents that are not available from the Library's online databases or onsite collection of material. It is recommended that active researchers set up a deposit account to allow for online ordering and facilitate the prompt delivery of documents. This can easily be done with a transfer of funds from a department or grant account to the Library account.

Please contact Mary Ellen Valverde to set up a deposit account or to inquire further about ILL/DDS.

linking to articles in library databases

It is fairly easy to link to articles in library databases for use in Moodle or on a website.  For information on creating links, see our instructions for creating links.

creating a Moodle library search box

You can create an HTML block in Moodle that will show a search box that will go to oneSearch, which searches most of the library databases and the catalog. This block also contains links to the library website and our subject guides.
To create an HTML block in moodle:
1. With editing turned on, go to the BLOCKS section and choose to ADD an HTML block.
2. The new block will be displayed with the title "(new HTML block)". Choose the CONFIGURATION icon.
3. Add a Title to your Block, such as "Library Research".
4. Hit the "<>" icon, "Toggle HTML Source", to enter the HTML editing mode.
5. Copy the HTML below and Paste it into the HTML editor.
6. Hit "Save Changes".

Your library search box should now be displayed in your Moodle Course! A short video tutorial is available demonstrating the above steps. Create a block and give it a test search, and if you encounter any problems, please feel free to contact one of the Librarians at the Library.

developing the library collection

The Library depends on faculty to build a collection of the most useful books to support the Stevens curriculum. After careful consideration, please send your requests for new titles with our Recommend Books for your Library form.  If you have any questions about recommending books, please contact Scott Smith.

citation searching and impact factor

A citation search is required of professors by the Promotion and Tenure committee to demonstrate impact in one's academic field. The number of cites an article receives can provide an indication of the importance or significance of an article.  Professors may also need to demonstrate the impact factor for journals in which they have published.  The library does not provide citation searching services, but we can help you learn how to use the right databases.

To perform a citation search, you're encouraged to use the following three databases to gather the information you need:

Google Scholar

Scopus

Web of Science

Professors wishing to perform citation searches can use the Scopus database to find citations of their work for papers published between 1994 and the present.  Helpful information about using the Citation Tracker feature in the Scopus database is available, and the Reference and Research Librarians are available to help researchers learn how to use the Scopus database.

Professors can use the Web of Science database to perform cited reference searching, as well as utilize the Journal Citation Reports database to find information such as the impact factor for specific journals.

At this time, it is suggested that a thorough citation search should include the use of the Scopus and Web of Science databases, in addition to Google Scholar, as each database provides varying, and also overlapping, coverage.  Furthermore, the combination of searching the three databases does not necessarily guarantee that you've obtained every citation in existence for a particular paper.

The Scopus database and the Web of Science database are both available for use by faculty, students, and staff through the Stevens library website.   Google Scholar is available for free on the web. 

The Reference and Research Services Librarians are available to your answer questions about citation searching.  We also provide a guide about citation searching and bibliometrics.

circulation services policies for faculty

I General:

1)    This policy will apply only to faculty and non-matriculating researchers.

II Loan Periods:

1)    The loan period for general circulating books is 120 days.

2)    The loan period for new circulating books is 120 days.

3)    A book can be renewed ten times through the library online catalog (iLink) on the library web site, unless there is a recall or hold placed on the book.  For additional renewals, the book must be presented at the circulation services desk.

4)   Faculty members may borrow up to 15 items at any given time (this restriction may also be waived upon individual request. Contact John Cruz if you need to check out more items at one time.)

III Recall Policy:

1)    Anyone whose borrowing privileges are in good standing can request that a book be recalled to general circulation or to the reserve shelf.
Users can place a hold on a book when it is checked out to someone else to ensure it is returned by the due date.
A hold prevents the book from being renewed by the original borrower, and requires that it must be returned by the due date.  Once a book "on hold" has been returned to the library, the requester will be notified through email that the book is ready for pick-up.
 Users can place a recall on a book when it is checked out by someone else only if the book has been renewed at least once prior by the original borrower, to ensure that the borrower has had adequate time to use the book.  The original borrower will be notified of the recall and the new due date.

IV Fines:

1)    The fine for overdue books is $0.25 per day, beginning the first day past the due date.  The fine is withdrawn if the book is returned within 2 days of the due date.  After 28 days past due, the book is considered lost.

2)    The fine for recalled books is $1.00 per day beginning the first day past the revised due date.  At 28 days past due the book is considered lost.

2)    All fines will continue to accrue over weekends and holidays, including days the institute is closed.  

V Loss of Library Privileges:

1)    Any borrower who "loses" a book entrusted to them will have their library borrowing privileges revoked until all fines and fees are paid.

2)    "Loss of Library Privileges" includes the right to borrow and renew books and place materials on the "Reserve Shelf."

VI Notices and Replacement Charges:

1)    Faculty will receive two reminder notices that their books will be due within one week.

2)    An overdue notice is to be sent once a week for three weeks after a book is due.
 
3)    Once an item is considered lost, a final e-mail notice is sent and then a hard copy letter is mailed out stating the replacement costs.  The replacement cost for books with a publication date prior to the previous five calendar years will be $100 plus a $20 processing charge plus any overdue fines that have accrued. The library will not accept replacement copies of lost books purchased by the user responsible for the lost item.

4)    If a lost item has not been recovered or the fees have not been paid after 28 days from the final notice, the department will be charged for the lost book.

VII Questions:

1)    For questions regarding the particulars of this policy, contact the Circulation Services Manager, John Cruz, at Juan.Cruz@stevens.edu or 201-216-5334.

For further information about Circulation Services, please see the CirculationServices/Policies page.