REFERENCE SERVICES. Professional reference staff is available to assist patrons with study and research. Patrons may expect assistance from the Reference Librarian in using the computer catalog, microforms, periodical indexes, and reference and bibliographical tools, whether they are located in the Reference Room or elsewhere in the general collection. The Reference Librarian is trained in theological research and welcomes the opportunity to help you plan and conduct your study projects.

A few Reference Room reminders:

• Books and periodicals may not be removed from the Reference Room except for photocopying. Please return them to the book truck in the Reference Room.
• Materials should not be reshelved either in the Reference Room or in the stack areas but left on the book truck in the center of the Reference Room.
• There may be duplicate copies of Bibles, commentaries, and other reference materials in the stacks, in case you would like a circulating copy. Also, remember that we keep only a small sample of commentaries in the Reference Room -- there are many additional titles available in the stacks.
• Please do not bring food of any kind into the Reference Room; drinks must be in covered, spill-proof containers.
• We try to maintain a quiet environment in the Reference Room. Please do not carry on conversations there (the building contains many group study rooms for people working together). Cell phones should be turned off or taken outside.

COMPUTER RESEARCH TOOLS. The ATLA Religion Database is the most important tool for identifying periodical articles, book reviews, articles in festschriften, essays, and other materials in the field of religion. The library provides access to the ATLA Religion Database through links on our website (go to the Online Databases page). You will also find there other important indexes in religion. These online resources may be used by all patrons within the Library. They may also be used from computers off-campus by students, faculty and staff of BTSR and UPSem with a valid user ID and password.

SERIALS. The library subscribes to over 950 periodicals. In addition to currently received periodicals, the library maintains large runs of journals, which have ceased publication, including important Presbyterian newspapers. Inquiries concerning periodical holdings should be made to the Reference Librarian or Catalog Librarian. All periodicals on display in the Reference Room are to be used only in the Reference Room. Periodicals may be taken to a photocopier, but should be returned immediately to the book truck in the center of the Reference Room. Please DO NOT reshelve them. Our Library's website contains a link to our Electronic Collections. Here you will find access to more than 6000 titles in full-text electronic form available through an E-Journals A-Z list, as well as those which can be found using the ATLAS and EBSCO databases (or our Library's catalog).

INTERLIBRARY LOAN. ILL service for books or periodical articles is available to faculty, staff and current students of UPSem and BTSR. Students are allowed to have up to five ILL book requests in process at any given time.

To place your request, please contact Lisa Janes by email, or come to the ILL location in the Instructional Resource Center, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm., Mon-Fri. You may phone her at 278-4315. You may also place your request using the ILL form available in our online catalog. For instructions on doing this, click HERE.

There is a shuttle service two days a week which brings resources from other local institutions to our library. Materials received by mail from distant libraries may take longer.

Students may also obtain passes (called RALC slips) which allow the holder to visit certain other academic libraries in the Richmond area and borrow a limited number of books. These passes are available from the Reference Librarian, or at the Circulation Desk.

For further information, please read the ILL FAQ page.

ARCHIVES AND RARE BOOKS. The Library maintains a significant rare book collection relating to John Calvin and the Reformation, as well as extensive Archives housing historical records and manuscripts related to Union Presbyterian Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, the Presbyterian School of Christian Education and the Presbyterian Church, particularly in Virginia.  For further information, please see Special Collections.

Selected books, periodicals, and records of Presbyterian churches in Virginia are maintained in microform only. Increasingly, both periodicals and monographs are being placed on microfiche or microfilm for the purpose of preservation. The library has approximately 31,000 microforms which are accessed through the public catalog; the historical Records of the Synod of Virginia on microfilm have their own printed index.  For help with these records, please contact the Reference Librarian.  For a list of the PCUS records on paper that have been moved into secure storage, click HERE.

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE CENTER (IRC). The Library maintains an extremely rich audio-visual collection which includes over 20,000 sermon and lecture tapes, church-school curriculum, videotapes, digital video discs (DVDs), slides, compact discs (CDs), posters and banners. In addition, the IRC distributes the recorded lectures of Reinhold Niebuhr and Paul Tillich, which are available for purchase. For detailed information, please see Instructional Resources.

THE LOLLEY CENTER. The Lou and Randall Lolley Baptist Studies Center was opened on 30 May 2003. It is located on the third floor of the Library, in Room 302. W. Randall Lolley was president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (1974-87), then served as pastor of First Baptist Church of Raleigh, N.C. He was moderator of the North Carolina chapter of the CBF (1997-98) and is a trustee at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C. In 1994, Lolley co-authored a Smyth & Helwys book, Servant Songs: Reflections on the History and Mission of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1950-1988. Lolley serves as honorary editor of the periodical Review & Expositor. The Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond dedicated the Center in honor of the Lolleys, to provide resources for the study of Baptist history and heritage.

ACQUISITIONS. The Acquisitions Department is on the second floor of the library in Room 218, and it is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is the point of origin for all orders, both print and non-print materials. The department also receives the ordered materials and begins initial processing. Items that are on order or in processing do appear in our catalog. If you would like to see an item that is not yet on the shelf and ready for use, please consult the staff in our Cataloging Department.

PUBLIC CATALOGS. The Library provides an online catalog for the searching of books, periodical holdings, microforms and media resources in our collections. (Most of the Library's materials are included; however, some items have not yet been entered into the online catalog, mainly certain microfilms, archival collections and some church records pertaining to presbyteries and synods.) Online catalog terminals are located in the Atrium, the Reference Room and in stacks areas on the lower, second and third levels. The Library catalog can also be accessed from any internet-capable computer through our Library's public website. A tutorial designed to teach you to use the online catalog effectively may be found HERE.

Please note : for help with your login, please contact the Circulation Desk, or consult our public website. For research assistance, please contact Reference, or consult our online Tutorials.

Phone (804) 278-4310
Library Fax (804) 278-4375
IRC Fax (804) 278-4374
Website : http://library.upsem.edu
Address : 3401 Brook Road, Richmond, Virginia 23227
For a map of our campus location, click HERE.