Library Services

We're Here to Help

Library Services reference librarians and circulation staff are here to help you. Contact your subject librarian, the reference desk, or the circulation desk for research assistance, database questions, study room reservations, book renewals, and more.

Quick Links

Instruction and reference

Library instruction

Do your students need help with library and online research?

  • "Why can't I use this website?"
  • "What do you mean by a scholarly journal?"
  • "The library doesn't have any books about that!"
  • "What's a primary source?"
  • "I can't find any information about that."
  • "I looked in JSTOR but there wasn't anything."
  • "What's APA?"
  • "When do I have to cite something?"
  • "How do I get a research topic?"

...bring them to the library for a research instruction session. Contact Amy Stewart-Mailhiot, Instruction Librarian, at 535-7506, or submit a library instruction request form.

Topics covered in library instruction:

  • Defining and refining a research topic
  • Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, and when to use each
  • Scholarly and non-scholarly periodical literature
  • Authoritative reference sources
  • Avoiding plagiarism
  • Source citation
  • The library catalog
  • Accessing course reserves
  • Using subscription databases and periodical indexes for research
  • Getting the most out of Google Scholar
  • Interlibrary Loan
  • Evaluating information

Reference and research consultation

Librarians are available for quick questions, research assistance, and in-depth consultation at the library reference desk, via phone, e-mail, or online chat, and by appointment. Contact your librarian now.

Assistance creating library research assignments

We can help your students develop good research habits and familiarity with the library's collections and resources by:

  • Updating old library research assignments to reflect currently available periodical, monograph, and other resources
  • Helping you develop research assignments tailored to your students' prior library experience, and your course's subject matter, pedagogy, and curriculum
  • Recommending particular periodical indexes, periodical databases, and reference sources that contain the best material for your students' projects
  • Suggesting ways to break out the literature-searching component of a larger project into its own assignment

Contact your librarian now.

Assignment alert

Let the library reference team know that your students are working on an assignment involving library research. This helps us prepare for their questions and have the best resources ready to hand when they come to the library.

You don't have to fill in every field on the form, but the more information you can provide, the better prepared we'll be to help your students. We'll also have suggestions for additional books, journals, and other resources useful to your students, and are happy to make recommendations, consult with you on designing an assignment, or teach a research workshop to your class. Contact us now!

Exam proctoring

PLU reference librarians are available on a limited basis to proctor exams, by appointment only, for eligible individual students (sorry, classes can not be accommodated). Below is a list of eligibility and requirements.

Eligible students (listed in order of priority):
Currently enrolled PLU students
Students who will be matriculating to PLU

Proctoring exam appointments:
Appointments required with a minimum prior notice of 48 hours. A specific date and time for the exam will be negotiated.

When proctoring is available:
Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm
Friday 8am-3pm
(No weekend proctoring is available)

Location of exam:
Must take place within the library.