GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

Government Information

The Government Documents Room is directly past the photocopiers. The United States Government prints a wealth of information on subjects of interest to the public.
	Documents from this collection may be checked out for three weeks. To find valuable information in this room either search the library catalog or visit GPO Access (MOCAT), the catalog of the U.S. Government Publications. You'll find a link to GPO Access on the library web-page.

Reference Room

Just to the right of the Government Documents Room, the Reference Room is the place to visit when writing papers or looking for information on a topic. Here, you'll find encyclopedias, statistical resources, computers with access to electronic sources and, of course, the Reference Desk.

Librarians at the Reference desk answer questions like "How do I use the computer to find books, articles....?" and "Where is HD1492.S65.C66 1986 ?" or just about any other question you may have. By the way, the latest editions of the APA Publication Manual and the MLA Handbook are located at the Reference Desk.

Reference Desk

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Directly above the general encyclopedia on bookstands is a series of books that contain words; no sentences, no definitions, just words. These words describe all the books in the library.

So when you search by "Subject" in the library catalog, these are the words to use as search terms.

Library of Congress Subject Headings Volume

Encyclopedias

Located on low shelves in the middle of the Reference Room between the columns are the general encyclopedias. In addition to The World Book and Britannica, the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology is located in this area.

Library Instruction Lab

This room is to your right as you enter the Reference Room. It contains computers and other equipment for library instruction purposes. In this facility students may actively participate during instructional sessions and follow along on a projection screen. Another Instruction Lab is in room 115

Research Assistant

Writing a paper? Stop by the library and use the Research Assistant program on the computers just outside the Library Instruction Lab. This program guides you through the steps of writing a paper; from selecting a topic, to citing your sources. And, of course, librarians will be happy to help you use the program.

Unified Workstations

These computers are used to search the library catalog and databases. Almost all of the databases may be searched from computers with Internet connections regardless of location. Many of the resources contain full text articles. To gain access to the databases you will need a password. For copyright security reasons, you'll need to stop by the Reference Desk to receive the code.

Index Tables

Print indexes are located to the right of the encyclopedias on a row of tables. Indexes are collections of citations (publication information like what month, issue, date) about a topic or subject or a particular publication. You'll find titles like the Humanities Index, Social Services Index and The New York Times Index. After you find an index that covers your topic and record your citations. Check the library homepage for the NSU Journal List to see if the library has a print or electronic copy of the article

At Watson Library there are lots of places for studying, doing homework and research, and just thinking about the cosmos.

First Floor Reference Stacks

The reference stacks contain the majority of the reference books in the library. The books are arranged by call number. Use the Library of Congress Classification System to find the subject area useful to you.

Second Floor Stacks

Circulating books are here

Student/ Faculty Reading Room

On the second floor you'll find the Student / Faculty Reading Room; a good place to relax during long hours of studying and research. The Reading Room contains a collection of current popular fiction and nonfiction bestsellers. These books may be checked out for three weeks.

InterLibrary Loan

InterLibrary loan is a system of borrowing and lending resources used by libraries throughout the United States and worldwide. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) allows NSU students and faculty to obtain books and articles not available locally from other libraries for teaching, learning, research and recreation. You go to our web home page and click on Interlibrary loan to request materials. When it arrives, we'll email you and you can pick the materials up here in the second-floor ILL office.

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