Faculty Handbook

 Mission of Miller Library

The Miller Library staff strives to support Cornerstone University’s mission by assisting members of the university community to acquire knowledge by offering access to, instruction in and interaction with information resources.
To accomplish this, the staff of the library will:

  • Be highly qualified and flexible, committed to continuous learning, leadership development, and integration of Christian worldview;
     
  • Maintain active collection development, maintenance, and organization to assure library users of relevant and accessible information resources;
     
  • Provide and facilitate user access to the library’s information resources;
     
  • Stimulate and instruct library users in developing information literacy, critical thinking, and Christian worldview formation;
     
  • Engage in Christian leadership and stewardship in administration, planning, assessment, and budgeting. 

Hours of Service

Monday - Thursday....7:30 am - 12:00 midnight

Friday.........................7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday...................10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday.......................1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Hours vary over breaks and holidays. If you have any questions please contact the circulation desk at 616-222-1458 or consult the library's website.

Liaison Librarians

Librarians are assigned subject areas for collection development and bibliographic instruction. They serve as liaisons to the various academic departments.

Gail Atwood: Kinesiology, Mathematics, Music, Science
Gina Bolger: Curriculum Center, Education, Junior Library
Eric Bradley: PGS, Business, Communication, English
Fay Bush: Social Work, Sociology, Psychology
Fred Sweet: Bible, Religion, Ministry, Philosophy, Foreign Languages, Theology, History

The normal circulation period for faculty/staff is one semester. All materials are subject to recall. If another patron places a “Hold” on an item, it is to be returned to the library within one week. If the item is not returned within a week, a fine is generated. If a “Hold” already exists on an item at the time it is checked out, the loan period is seven days. Faculty/staff are exempt from overdue fines, except in the case of items with “Holds.” 

Reserves

The Library circulation department offers a reserve collection service for faculty who desire to make certain resources available to their students on a limited circulation basis. Only items for which heavy demand is expected should be placed on reserve.

A Reserve informational notice will be posted to the CUBE on Eagle's Nest approximately 3 weeks before the beginning of each semester. Reserve forms are available on Eagle's Nest under Academics>Miller Library Forms. If you have any questions completing the Reserve forms, please email Circulation or contact the Circulaton Supervisor at 616-222-1451.

Interlibrary Loan

When a book or journal is not owned by Miller Library, patrons may use our Interlibrary Loan Services to obtain the material from another location. The lending library mails the material and it will be available for pick-up here at our circulation desk. To order a book or journal article, create a request online through the Miller Library website. Click on "Interlibrary lLoan" and then on "Logon to ILLiad" to create/get into your own ILLiad account. Faculty and Staff should plan ahead as most materials arrive within 1-2 weeks from the request date.

MeLCat

Miller Library participates in MeLCat, an online catalog that combines the catalogs of 386Michigan libraries, including academic, public and K-12 school libraries. Students, faculty and staff of Cornerstone University may borrow items free of charge from any of these libraries using the MeLCat link. Items generally arrive within 3 days or more using the MeLCat system.
 

Scheduling Class Visits

Faculty may bring a class to the library for research or for bibliographic instruction. Librarians are also available to come to your classroom for instructional sessions.Please give the library staff a minimum of two class days notice before bringing a class to the library. All reservations are to be made through the Instructional Services Librarian. No more than one class will be scheduled at any given time. When contacting the Library, please be prepared to give the following information:
 

  • Name
  • How best to contact you
  • Class name
  • Class size
  • Date and time of visit
  • Purpose of visit

Research Assistance

The staff of Miller Library is available to assist library users in finding information, instruction in using the library's online catalog and the many subscription electronic databases. The Research Desk can be consulted in person, by phone (616-222-1458), by email, or using the Ask-a-Librarian form.

University Archives

The archives room in Miller Library houses diverse collections: 1- Historical records of CU since its inception, including yearbooks, presidential papers from all of CU’s presidents, significant transitions, accreditation and committee reports, CU publications such as the Herald (1966-present), thousands of photographs, etc; 2- Collections of various organizations and individuals related to CU (such as the handwritten sermons of Dr. R. Ketchum); 3-A small collection of rare books and historic journals. An index to the various collections can be found on the Library website. Archive materials may not be checked out and researchers must have an appointment to use the room.

Requests for Library Acquisitions

Faculty members may request that specific items be added to the library’s collections. All requests should be submitted to division chairs who will then forward them to the liaison librarians. Requests may be submitted by using the form on Miller Library's website (Library Services>Suggest an Item), marking the items in catalogs or other promotional material, returning the “Choice” cards distributed to faculty, or by e-mail. Please include as much bibliographic information as possible to ensure accurate and timely orders. If any problems occur while obtaining item, the requester will be notified. Otherwise, the requester will be notified when the item is available for use. Requests for periodical subscriptions should be directed to your liaison librarian. Most periodical purchasing decisions are made during the summer, with new subscriptions beginning in January of the following year.
 

Faculty/Staff Copy Card

Miller Library has a copy card which will allow you to charge your copies to your department. It is available upon request at the circulation desk.

Off Campus Access

Most of Miller Library’s eResources can be accessed from off campus by members of the Cornerstone Community. Click on the eResource you wish to access and enter your name and your Cornerstone Disciplenet account username .Your Disciplenet username consists of your first initial (lower case), number zero and the last six digits on your Student/Faculty ID card. For example Joe Smith - j0123456.
 

Policies

Other policies are located on the library's website under "About The Library."

Staff and Contact Information

See the contact page.

Updated October 16, 2009

 

Loan Periods