LIBRARY SERVICES: Reference Services
Reference Services: Content
The Reference Services staff is here to assist with your information needs. The Reference Desk in each library is staffed by librarians during these times. Librarians are also available for assistance with research assignments through in-depth in person individual research appointments for or virtually through the LiveHelp chat service. Reference staff can recommend which electronic and print resources to use for a particular research topic and assist in the use of them. Need help finding a book, a journal article, searching a database, or starting a research paper? Contact us using the methods below in Reference Help.
- In person (Reference Desk)
- Phone (contact information)
- LiveHelp chat and RefQuery email help
- Individual research appointments
- Research Guides (self-help subject area guides) and Video Tutorials
- Blackboard: Library help discussion boards (for faculty)
Having problems with your research? Not sure where to start or at an impasse? We would be happy to have a librarian meet with you to discuss your research options. Schedule an appointment to meet with us, let us know the scope of your research question then we will let you know of the potential resources and services that you may be able to utilize in your research.
You may also schedule an appointment if you need a refresher on how to do library research, basic database searching, formating citation styles or requesting material outside of the library's collections. For more involved projects it is highly recommended that you phone ahead and schedule an appointment so the librarian can do preparatory research.
If you would like to speak with a librarian about available resources & services regarding your research, please contact us.
In an effort to reach students in Blackboard, we offer “Library Help Discussion Boards” in Blackboard for faculty members. For those interested, we assign a librarian to monitor a designated discussion board within the specific course the faculty member is teaching. Using this discussion board, students can post any research questions they have and a librarian will directly address them. If you are interested in getting more information about Library Help Discussion Boards, please contact the library.
The Mortola and Beekman Libraries each maintain a Technical Help Desk in the library. The desks are primarily staffed by trained student employees who can assist you with a variety of basic technology troubleshooting measures. From the Technical Help Desk you can also borrow various technology (see below) as well as get help on setting your personal laptop up on the wireless network, how to print from your laptop to the library printers, or reserve a group study room. In the Beekman Library the Technical Help Desk is located on the 2nd floor in the Collaborative Learning Room and in the Mortola Library it is located on the main floor across from the Reference Desk.
Some of the technology available at the Technical Help Desk for you to borrow are laptops, netbooks, digital cameras, camcorders, tripods, rulers, calculators, Kindles, dry erase markers/erasers and headphones. Most of the technology is only available for short term loan within the building (3 hours) but some technology such as cameras and camcorders are available for multiple day loans.
At the Technical Help Desk you can get help on how to set up your personal laptop to print directly to the Pace network printers or you may get the print driver client directly from ITS and install it yourself. Color printing is currently only available from the student workstations within the library.
At the Technical Help Desk you can also get help on how to get your laptop set up on the Pace wireless network or you may set it up on your own using the directions provided in the ITS web page.
The Collaborative Learning Room on the second floor of the Beekman Library is an ideal place for groups to meet for study and project preparation. The room provides an exciting space in the library that will foster an engaging learning environment for students in a relaxed atmosphere that is complete with the latest technological opportunities. The space is infused with readily available technology that includes multimedia production workstations, laptops, cameras, voice recorders, and camcorders that are all available for borrowing through the room’s Technical Help Desk.
The space contains two meeting rooms, one equipped with Smartboard technology and the other containing videoconference equipment that will allow students in the Beekman Library to collaborate with students in the Mortola Library on the Pleasantville campus. The Collaborative Learning Room also has audio visual projection capabilities that will allow groups to work together to prepare and practice their presentations before having to make them in the classroom.
Technical Assistants located within the room will support students with their technological projects and needs. All of this takes place in a space created with student friendly and cutting edge interior design work. The Collaborative Learning Room is hoped to serve as an initial phase in the development of a Learning Commons for the Pace Library.
The Mortola Library Research Assistance Center offers a teaching and learning space for research-related consultations, workshops, student group collaboration, and meetings. The room also known as the ‘Blue Room’ and is located under the main stairwell on the first floor of the Mortola Library.
This facility has a two computer workstations, plug-in and sound modules and a large flat screen TV with videoconference meeting capabilities (to the Collaboraive Learning Room in PNY) and work space for up to 10 participants. Students can reserved the room for up to three hours at a time, twice a week, and up to two weeks in advance through the Technical Help Desk or by contacting Steve Feyl at: sfeyl@pace.edu The hours of use are 9:00AM to 11:00PM during the semester and as posted during inter-session and summer sessions. Users are expected to keep the room clean and free of refuse. Be sure to review the ‘Blue Room’ policies and hours posted on the door.
METRO referral cards are available for current Pace University affiliated faculty, staff, and students. METRO referral cards allow for on-site access to materials available in many New York metropolitan libraries. A demonstrated need for access to a specific resource or subject area not available at Pace may be required in order to obtain a referral. Please visit a Pace University Library Reference Desk to apply for a referral card or to get more information about accessing other New York area libraries.
The Pace University Library welcomes alumni. Alumni must obtain an alumni ID card from the Alumni Office. After you receive your card, the Alumni Office will provide you with a username and password that will allow you to log in to any of the computers in the library or computer labs. You can also use your user name and password to gain access to the wireless network from your personal laptop. Alumni are also given a printing allotment of $3.00 (equivalent to 50 black-and-white pages) per semester, free of charge. You are entitled to on-site use of library materials. At this time, no circulation privileges or remote access to library databases are available to alumni.
Researchers from outside the Pace University community must contact the library in advance to request access. Access may be granted to visitors with legitimate research needs for temporary, on-site use of our collections. Please email: Eloise Flood to apply for research access. In all circumstances, priority access to materials, services, and facilities will go to current Pace University affiliates. Visitors may be required to relinquish use of resources in certain instances. Access to certain computer resources may also be limited to current Pace University affiliates and may not be accessible to the general public. All resources are for on-site use only.
The Mortola Library maintains an open access policy for the local community and no appointments or advance preparations are required. As with our other libraries, however, priority access to materials, services, and facilities will go to current Pace University affiliates. Visitors may be required to relinquish use of resources in some instances. Access to computer resources, or the wireless network from personal technology, is limited to current Pace University affiliates only, and not available to the general public. All library materials are for on-site use only.
The Pace University Library Reference staff is dedicated to providing the best possible traditional and automated library services for the entire Pace University Community. We will promote academic research, support classroom instruction, and further the current and future personal development of all Library users.
We will support this mission by:
- Providing a knowledgeable, skilled, and diversified staff of professionals who are client-focused, team-oriented, and committed to excellence. This staff will receive ongoing training to maintain and improve their skills to meet the ever-changing needs of the information world.
- Insuring appropriate staffing levels that will allow for personalized assistance and follow-up when needed.
- Making Reference Services easily accessible by offering a variety of access points including in-person, telephone, and online options.
- Teaching information retrieval and evaluation skills to our users. We strive to enable our users to become more independent when approaching their current and future information needs
- Guiding our users to the appropriate resources that will best address their research requirements. We will also offer a variety of options for retrieving information available outside of the Pace University Library.
- Developing the library’s print and non-print collections so that they are responsive to the curricular needs of the University.
- Listening to our users and delivering courteous, patient, timely, and unbiased assistance for all questions.