Suffolk University - Summary of Services

Summary of Services

The Mildred F. Sawyer Library serves the College of Arts and Sciences and the Sawyer Business School and occupies three levels of the 73 Tremont Street (Rosalie K. Stahl Center) Building. The collection includes more than 128,000 books, 68,000 e-books, over 11,000 print periodical volumes, over 19,000 electronic journal titles, 144,000 microform documents, and a variety of other print and computerized research tools. Reach us via email at sawlib@suffolk.edu or check out our web page at www.suffolk.edu/sawlib/sawyer.htm for more info on schedules, services, and links to online resources.

Your Library Card

You must have a valid Suffolk University ID card to enter the library or to use any of its materials or resources. It is the University Identification Card issued to you by Suffolk University Police. The barcode imprinted on the ID card is used to borrow books; the seven digit ID card number is your "ID number" and is used when logging onto the Sawyer Library subscription-based databases when off-campus.

The Online Catalog

The library’s online catalog -- Archer -- is the best tool to use when searching for books and journal titles shelved in the Sawyer Library. You may search by author, title, keyword or subject. This is a combined catalog that also identifies materials at other Suffolk libraries like NESAD and the Law Library. back to top^

Off-Campus Access to Electronic Resources

Library Resources such as our high-quality databases and e-books may also be accessed from off-campus using a Web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. You must be a current member of the Suffolk College of Arts and Sciences/Sawyer Business School student body or faculty to access these resources. And you must be authenticated by entering your name and the ID number on your Suffolk University identification card. back to top^

Library Layout

Level 2 (entrance level)	Circulation, Reserve and Reference desks, research workstations for access to the catalog, periodical databases and other computerized resources, new books, reference books, Granary and King's Chapel Reading Rooms, flash print stations, laptop printers, and two photocopiers. There are restrooms on this level, right outside the library entrance. University classroom TR-2100 is also located on this level.
Level 3	Periodical and newspaper collection, including microfiche and microfilm, photocopiers, restrooms, Allegra copy center, 6 group study rooms, study tables and carrels, Granary Reading Room, Poetry Center, Zieman Poetry Collection/Rare Book Room, and Library Instruction Room.
Level 4	Library Circulating Book Collection, 14 group study rooms, study tables and carrels, Granary and King's Chapel Reading Rooms, photocopiers, restrooms, snack and drink machines. This is a QUIET study floor--Please, no cell phones, open meetings or conversation.

Books and Book Borrowing

The general circulating collection of the Sawyer Library includes more than 128,000 print volumes covering a wide range of subjects supporting the undergraduate and graduate curriculums.

The library’s print collections are arranged by the Library of Congress (LC) call numbers; the circulating print collection is located on the fourth floor while the Reference collection is shelved on the second (entrance) floor.

The Sawyer Library also has over 68,000 electronic books -- e-books. E-books are also searched through the online catalog in the same manner as print materials. However, unlike their print counterparts, e-books are not shelved in the stacks, but are accessed through a link on the catalog record.

Books shelved in the general stacks may be borrowed for 28 days. To borrow books, you must have a valid Suffolk ID. The due date is indicated on the card in the back of the book. There is a substantial fee charged for materials not returned by their due date. Periodicals and reference books do not circulate. Use Archer, the online catalog to identify the books Sawyer library owns. Questions? Call the Circulation Desk (617) 573-8535.

Renewing Books

You may renew library books checked out from the Sawyer Library via the Web. You may renew your books electronically, twice; you must bring the books back to the Sawyer Library if you want to renew them a third time. back to top^

Reserve Materials

Required textbooks for all College of Arts and Sciences and Sawyer Business School courses are kept at the Reserve Desk. Other readings and materials placed in the library by professors are also kept at Reserve. These materials may be used for two hours within the library. You must have a valid Suffolk University ID to use reserve materials. There are also a small number of items like University Yearbooks and Course Evaluation Notebooks kept on Permanent Reserve. CD-ROMS and videos, which may be checked out for longer periods, are also kept at the Reserve Desk. Also available are a limited number of YMCA swim passes and MFA passes for faculty and staff . Students get free admission tothe MFA and a 10% discount on Musuem shop purchases on presentation of a valid university photo ID. Questions? Call the Circulation Desk (617) 573-8535. back to top^

Journals, Periodicals and Microforms

The Sawyer Library has subscriptions to 11,000 bound journals volumes, and access to more than 19,000 journal titles in electronic format via our online catalog or via our eJournal Locator.

Our print journals are shelved on the third floor, arranged alphabetically on the shelf by title. Large size periodicals, such as newspapers, are located in the hanging folders at the end of the alphabetical ranges. Back files of a few bound journals are located in the third floor Granary Reading Room.

Additionally, many of our journal titles are available in microform. Periodicals and journals in miroform are organized in microfilm and microfiche cabinets located on Level 3 are in order by the title of the journal or newspaper. Microform requires specific equipment; the Sawyer Library has two digital microform readers for reviewing articles. Both digital microform readers are attached to printers. A computer is also attached to the microform reader/printer to enhance the microform image and store the image file to a USB drive or burn it to a CD-ROM to take with you.

To find out what periodicals Sawyer Library owns, what format each is in, and where it is located, you may search the online catalog. Additionally, one may search for electronic journal titles using the "eJournal Locator," " or articles in "Databases by Subject" or the "A-Z List of Databases."

Periodicals cannot leave the library but may be photocopied. Questions? Call the Periodicals Office (617) 573-8414.

Audio/Visual Resources and Playback Media

The Library has a small collection of videotapes and DVDs. These may be borrowed at the Reserve Desk on Level 2 for use in the library or at home for a 48 hour loan. Use the online catalog to identify the videos Sawyer Library owns.

Each of the twenty group study rooms in the Sawyer Library includes a playback unit attached to a flat panel television for VHS tapes and/or DVDs. Remotes for both the playback unit and the television are available for loan at the Circulation/Reserve Desk. Additionally, the research computer workstations on the main floor and the library's laptops available for loan are configured with DVD playback drives.

Reference

A major strength of the Sawyer Library is its Reference Department. Five full-time reference librarians provide help in using the library’s many materials and services. For assistance in using the databases, or in finding information or locating materials, ask a reference librarian at the Reference desk on the entrance floor. A librarian is on duty most of the hours the library is open.

The Reference area has a strong collection of special encyclopedias, directories, handbooks, dictionaries, manuals, almanacs, data collections, business services, and periodical indexing and abstracting services. The research computer workstation area is adjacent to the reference librarians so that you may easily request their help. These 17 workstations are specifically configured to access the library’s web-based electronic resources including databases and e-books. Computer reference tools include full-text periodical and newspaper databases and business directories.

The Reference Area also houses two reading areas, a new book shelf, a photocopier, a flash/disk printstation and laptop printer area. Research questions? Call the Reference Desk at (617) 573-8532, or email us at sawlib@suffolk.edu.

Help Guides and Tutorials

Sawyer Library reference librarians have created dozens of help and research guides for student use when undertaking a research project. These list databases, print materials and reliable web resources. Visit our LibGuides collection at http://suffolk.libguides.com/

Additionally, the Mildred F. Sawyer Library offers in-class sessions and Web-based, self-paced instruction modules to help students effectively and efficiently search, retrieve and evaluate information, and use it ethically. We encourage faculty to contact us about Library Instruction for any class including a research component.

Study Areas

The library has seating for about 450 students in several seating areas and seating styles. Individual study carrels and tables are located throughout the library on a first come, first served basis. Carrels and tables provide easy access to an electrical outlet and a wired network jack for each seat.

There are twenty group study rooms on the third and fourth floors; the thirteen six-seat group study rooms can be reserved via a reservation link from the library's home page. Video (VHS/DVD) technology and dataports are available in the group study rooms. Go to the Circulation Desk if dry erase markers and erasers are needed for the whiteboards in the rooms. A limited number of projectors for use inside the group study rooms is available from the Circulation Desk.

There are also reading areas with comfortable seating throughout the library. The Granary Reading Rooms, located on each floor, includes lounge seating and working fireplaces, with views of the adjacent burial ground and Tremont Street.

Level 4 of the library is for quiet study. Talking is permitted on Levels 2 and 3 and in the 20 group study rooms.

Library Laptops

The Library has more than 60 laptops to loan for use within the library. The laptops include productivity software (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access) and use the library’s wireless network from any seat to print to the six networked printers located on the 2nd (main) floor, and to access the Web. (You may also use the wireless network for web access and printing using your own laptop while in the library. Consult Circulation for instruction sheets.)

Library laptop computers may be borrowed for in-library use at the Reserve Desk on Level 2. You must have a valid Suffolk University ID to borrow one. Library staff cannot provide instruction in using software. Staff at the College of Arts and Sciences Computer Labs (Fenton and Donahue Buildings) and the Sawyer Business School Computer Lab on the 5th floor of the Sawyer Building will provide instruction in using software and technical support. Specialized software, such as statistical packages and programming tools are only provided at the appropriate campus Computer Lab only. Additional tech support is available through the University ITS Help Desk.

Personal Laptops

Students are encouraged to bring their personal laptops. The Sawyer Library provides an 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless network throughout the library which is maintained and supported by the University’s Information Technology Services department. To access the wireless network, students must logon using their Suffolk University email name and related password. Students may also print to one of the six wireless networked printers located on the libary's main floor. Instructions for configuring personal laptops to access the library’s printers are available at the Circulation/Reserve Desk on the main floor.
back to top^

Photocopiers

The University has contracted with Allegra Print and Imaging to provide photocopier service in the library. Two photocopy machines and a bill changer are located on Level 3. There are also two photocopiers available on Level 4 and one on Level 2 as well. There are scanning services and color photocopying available in the Allegra office. The bill changer will make change for $1.00 and $5.00 bills. A small amount of additional change is available through the Allegra Copy Center attendant. Any problems with the photocopiers, including lost change, paper jams, etc., should be reported to Allegra staff at their office on Level 3, or by calling them at (617) 523-3355. back to top^

Fax Machine

The copy center has a fax machine now that students and others can use to send or receive faxes. However, it is only available when the Copy Center office is open, and there is a charge. Rates are posted above the photocopiers located on the third floor of the library. back to top^

Library Instruction Room

There is an electronic instruction room located on Level 3, reserved for library instruction classes. Faculty are encouraged to consult the Reference staff if they are interested in scheduling an instruction session for their students. back to top^

Moakley Law Library

The Suffolk University Law Library entrance is located on the sixth floor of the Sargent Building on Tremont Street. College of Arts and Sciences and Sawyer Business School students may use materials and check out books. However, College and Sawyer students must present their valid University ID to enter the Law Library or use their materials. back to top^

Fenway Library Consortium

Suffolk belongs to a cooperative of area libraries. Member libraries include Simmons, Emerson, Lesley, Emmanuel, Mass Art, Wheelock, Wentworth and UMASS/Boston. Suffolk students may use these collections and check out circulating books from them with their Suffolk University IDs. See FLC list at http://www.fenwaylibraries.org/ to get directions to member libraries or link to their online catalogs.