Reference Department

Conveniently located near the 2nd floor entrance, the Reference Department contains a multidisciplinary collection of over 28,000 reference books. The Reference Desk, staffed by professional Librarians provides centralized reference assistance to meet the needs of Sam Houston State University students, faculty, staff and the general public. Reference Desk

Reference Desk
The Library Reference Desk is staffed during all hours of operation. Librarians will assist you in finding sources of information, articles, books, and other documents. In addition, Librarians can demonstrate how to search the Library catalog and databases and help you design research strategies. Each of the Librarians provide general reference assistance, but also specialize in specific subject areas.

For questions, contact the Library Reference Desk at (936) 294-1599 or 1-866-NGL-INFO (toll-free). You may also ask questions via e-mail and Virtual Reference.

Reference Collection
Over 28,000 books including encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, dictionaries and guides make up the Reference Collection. These materials are an excellent starting point for research and contain background information for many subjects. Reference materials do not circulate, but you may make copies for your own use in the Copy Center located on the first floor of the Library.
Reference Collection  

Reference Area Computers
Reference Computers The 20 workstations located in the Reference Area are reserved for students doing Library research. Members of the general public may sign up to use a computer if one is available. Access for the general public is limited to the Internet, with no word processing or printing privileges.

Law Collection
Law Collection The Library's Law Collection Includes the United States Code Annotated, United States Statutes at Large, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Supreme Court Reporter, National Reporter System, Vernon's Texas Codes Annotated, and West's Texas Forms, and many other relevant legal-related materials.

Careers/Grants & Scholarships Area
The Career Area contains job hunting and interviewing guides, resume and coverletter handbooks, and job-specific books.

The Grants and Scholarships section provides information on government and private grant applications and multiple scholarship listings. 		Careers/Grants & Scholarships

Accounting Alcove
Accounting Alcove The Accounting Alcove contains materials specifically relevant to tax accounting including the Federal Tax Coordinator, Internal Revenue Bulletin, CCH Standard Federal Tax Reporter, U.S. Tax Cases, Tax Court Memorandum Decisions, and Tax Management Portfolios.

Atlas Collection
The Atlas Collection covers geographic regions at the world, country, and regional levels. Specific atlas topics include not only geographic, but also topographic, political, demographic, historical, and natural resources information. Atlas Collection

Adaptive Technology Area
Adaptive Technology Area The Adaptive Technology Area provides visually impaired students with resources such as large-screen monitors, scanners, a Braille printer, Zoom Text magnification software, and screen reading technology such as JAWS.

Library Instruction Sessions
Teaching faculty can schedule instructional sessions, designed specifically for their courses, covering such things as library research strategies, subject specific database instruction and general information literacy skills.

To find out more about Library instruction sessions or to schedule an instruction session contact the Reference Desk at at (936) 294-1599 or 1-866-NGL-INFO (toll-free).		 Library Instruction Sessions

Virtual Reference
Virtual Reference Virtual Reference allows users to chat online with a Reference Librarian/Assistant. With Virtual Reference, users will: Be directed to reliable and accurate information for papers and projects. Receive assistance in identifying and using databases appropriate for research. Find out if the Library has a particular book or journal.

Chat online with a Reference Librarian/Assistant during the following hours: Sunday - Thursday: 7 PM - 10 PM and Saturday: 2 PM - 6 PM.

Ask-a-Librarian E-mail Service
You can e-mail reference questions to the Newton Gresham Library Reference Department. This service is for use by the students, faculty, and staff of Sam Houston State University.

Librarians will provide brief answers to factual questions or suggest locations and sources which might help in your research. If you need assistance with an in-depth research project, please come to the Library Reference Desk or call at (936) 294-1599 or 1-866-NGL-INFO (toll-free) to schedule an appointment with a librarian.

Librarians on Location Outreach
Librarians on Location Librarians on Location is an outreach program designed to provide research assistance to students from convenient locations across campus. With laptops and wireless technology, Librarians can assist you in finding sources for your papers and projects. Get help finding journal articles and books by learning how to search the Library catalog and databases. Make our Librarians your first source for information. Call the Library at at (936) 294-1599 or 1-866-NGL-INFO (toll-free) for more details.

One-to-One Research Consultations
A program designed to provide individual assistance to doctoral students (and master's students engaged in thesis research) in utilizing Library resources. Students are assigned one Librarian who works with them during their entire course of study. Ask at the Library Reference Desk or see One to One for more information. One to One

Subject Guides
Subject Guides Subject guides provide basic information on how to get started with research in a specific discipline. Created by Librarians, the subject guides contain a list of major reference books, suggested journals, pertinent databases and webpages within an area of study. A list of subject guides are available online. All guides are also available in print at the Reference Desk.

This webpage created by Joe Hardenbrook and Lynn McMain, July 2004.