Library

Merrill-Cazier Library

Dean of Libraries: Richard W. Clement
Location: Merrill-Cazier Library 250
Phone: (435) 797-2631
FAX: (435) 797-2880
WWW: http://library.usu.edu

Associate Dean for Public Services: John A. Elsweiler, Jr., (435) 797-2636
Associate Dean for Technical Services: Betty Rozum, (435) 797-2632
Associate Dean for Special Collections and Archives: Bradford R. Cole, (435) 797-8268
 
Cataloging: Cheryl H. Adams, (435) 797-2667
Collection Development: Jennifer Duncan, (435) 797-8148
Digital Initiatives: Cheryl D. Walters, (435) 797-2623
Government Documents: John S. Walters, (435) 797-2683
Library Systems: R. Todd Hugie, (435) 797-2638
Materials Acquisitions: Kevin K. Brewer, (435) 797-3961
Patron Services: Vicki Read, (435) 797-2914
Reference and Instruction Services: Flora G. Shrode, (435) 797-8033
 

Business Manager: Becky Olson, (435) 797-2639
Administrative Assistant: Trina Shelton, (435) 797-2631

The Merrill-Cazier Library is a full-service academic library with a mission to connect people with information. The state-of-the-art library features an inviting, spacious, and comfortable setting for learning. There is a wide variety of study spaces, including more than 35 group study rooms, two digital media suites, an Information Commons with 150 workstations, a café, and ample seating in study lounges and at study tables and carrels. Expansive windows afford patrons an abundance of natural light and great views of Logan Canyon and the surrounding mountains.

The Merrill-Cazier Library maintains an extensive collection of research materials, including more than 650,000 print books and 397,000 electronic books. The Library has more than 47,000 print and electronic journals, as well as 200 electronic databases. As a designated regional depository of government documents, the Library has one of the largest collections of federal/state documents and maps in the intermountain region.

The Library is rich in technology and resources. There is wireless connectivity throughout, and laptops are available for check out. The Merrill-Cazier Library features an automated storage and retrieval system (known to users as The BARN), which uses robotics to house and access 600,000 volumes with a capacity for 1.5 million.

The Library’s Special Collections and Archives division provides a significant body of primary source materials, including manuscripts, photographic images, maps, and rare books focusing on art, literature, and the history of the Intermountain West. Collections of particular note include one of the foremost collections of materials pertaining to Jack London, a nationally recognized collection of literary and artistic works relating to the Beat movement in American art and literature, the Prestini Design Collection, and the acclaimed Fife Folklore Archives. Through an on-going project, the Library is making many of its unique and rare materials available as digital collections (see http://digital.lib.usu.edu/).

The Library launched DigitalCommons@USU (see http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/) our Institutional Repository, in 2008, which provides open access to scholarly works, research, reports, publications, and courses produced by Utah Stated University faculty, staff, students, and others.  The repository houses over 20,000 papers and just recently reached the milestone of having over 500,000 items downloaded from it. 

The Library’s faculty and staff members are invaluable resources for students, faculty, and researchers. They provide expertise in locating, evaluating, and using information. Librarians routinely work with faculty, selecting the best materials, teaching classes, and consulting about information needed in research.

Among the services provided to connect users with information, the Library offers the following:

1. Course Reserves/Electronic Reserves. Faculty members often assign course materials that they have placed “on reserve.” The Library makes many of these available online, while others are available on-site for a limited borrowing period.
2. Information/Research Assistance. The staff at the Information Commons Desk is ready to serve the information needs of patrons on demand. Patrons can also chat with a librarian online and submit questions by e-mail.
3. Instruction Services. Librarians team up with faculty in a wide range of disciplines to teach students about research processes and information sources. Many tutorials and research guides are available online.
4. Interlibrary Services and Document Delivery. If the Library does not have a book or journal that a patron needs, the staff can borrow the item from another library. Patrons make their request online; most copies of journal articles are delivered to them electronically.
5. Library Media Collections. An extensive collection of video tapes, CDs, DVDs, and other media are available for loan and for viewing on-site.
6. Peer Mentor Program. The Peer Mentor Program trains students to assist their fellow students in locating and using information.
7. Research Consultation. For personal help or for in-depth assistance with a research question, students and faculty can work individually with a librarian who has expertise in the discipline and in finding and using information.

The Merrill-Cazier Library, in both its physical facility and its services, enhances the experiences of students and faculty alike. As the intellectual center of the University, the Library provides an engaging environment for learning.