2016-2017 Catalog

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Adams Library

The James P. Adams Library provides:

  • Access to information in print and online.
  • Reference services in person and through use of several icons, such as  “Text Us” and “Email” on the library homepage.
  • One-on-one research consultation.
  • Public computers for use throughout the building.  
  • Laptops, iPads and Nexus 7 tablets for loan.
  • Gate count for 2014-15 was 511,510.

The library collection today includes 153,307 eBooks, 51,159 journals in electronic format and 152 databases, all of which are accessible both on and off campus. Print holdings include 621,734  items and 194 periodicals. The library also has a collection of technical reports, newspapers and government publications, a DVD collection of films and documentaries, a variety of music CDs and a rotating collection of popular fiction and non-fiction books for recreational reading.

In order to access the full range of library services, students are required to have a RIC ID card activated for library use. Activation can be done in person at the circulation desk, over the phone by calling 456-9617, or online at www.ric.edu/librarycardactivation. During the 2014-15 academic year, 65,834 items from the library’s collection were circulated.

Library faculty collaborate with college faculty to create library instruction for specific courses focused on the discovery, use and evaluation of library resources and information on the web. This year the library will provide 158 library instruction sessions which will be attended by 2,609 students. These sessions are conducted by the reference librarians, who also answer about 7,141 reference questions a year.

The library’s participation in the Higher Education Library Information Network (HELIN) allows the RIC community to borrow from academic and hospital libraries throughout the state with a click of a button in the online catalog. Users can request items not available in the HELIN consortium through the library’s Document Delivery Service. During the past year the RIC library borrowed 5,182 items from other libraries and lent 4,319 items, for a total of 9,501 items.

The College Archives, a rich depository of the history and records of Rhode Island College, as well as faculty and alumni publications and student theses, are located in the Special Collections Department. Special Collections includes a number of subject collections consisting of papers, books, manuscripts and other resources that document the state’s education, ethnic and socio-political history. A growing number of student theses and honor projects, faculty publications and Special Collections materials are also accessible electronically in the Digital Commons.

The Curriculum Resources Center, housed within the library, provides instructional material and curriculum development resources for teachers and teacher education programs.

Information about library hours, services and resources can be found on the Adams Library website at www.ric.edu/adamslibrary and by linking to Resources and Services for Students at http://digitalcommons.ric.edu/handbooks/3/

The college is currently planning for the re-purposing of Level 1 of the Adams Library by having two student services, the Office of Academic Support and Information Services and Learning for Life, move into the building from other locations on campus. In addition, Room 401 will be renovated for the use of the Veteran’s Resource Center.