Librarians
The Vise University Library has full-time professional librarians. Although we do other work related to the library, our main responsibility is assisting you in finding and evaluating the information you need to complete your coursework. You can find a librarian by asking at the front desk. We are always glad to help you!

The Online Public Access Catalog, or OPAC, is the database that you use to locate resources in the library. You may search the database by subject, author or title; you will find most of the items discussed on this page in the library's catalog. Using the OPAC is an excellent place to begin your research, as it will give you a general idea of the different kinds of material the library has on your topic. Click here to begin using the OPAC.

Books

Why use books?

• Books give more detailed information on a topic than many other sources such as magazines and newspapers.
• Books that libraries collect are more reliable than many of the resources you will find on the Internet.
• Books often provide a more thoughtful and broader perspective on a topic than other resources.
• Even in today's electronic society, there is still much information that is only available in books.

The library has a collection of about 35,000 books. Details about the two main kinds of books are below.

Circulating Collection : The books in the library's circulating collection are located in tall stacks on the south side of the library. They include books on a wide variety of topics and may be checked out with a current Cumberland University ID.

Reference Collection : The books in the library's reference collection are located in the short stacks in the middle of the library. They include books such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other items that are typically consulted for brief information. These items are not available for check out, but you may use them in the library or photocopy from them.

eBooks
The library has a large collection of eBooks accessible through the OPAC. These are books that are available in full-text online. They are not a free Internet resource, but are instead a collection of quality titles that the library pays for you to access. You will need to set up an account from a computer on campus the first time you use an eBook, but once the account is created, you may access eBooks 24 hours a day from any location where you have access to the Internet. Please see a librarian about setting up your free eBook account.

Print Periodicals (magazines and journals)
The library subscribes to over 300 print magazines and journals. These will be found on the west wall of the library and are arranged alphabetically by title. You may also identify periodicals on your topic by searching the library's OPAC by subject. Periodicals may not be checked out, but you may read them in the library or make photocopies from them.

Online Articles
The Vise University Library provides Cumberland University students with access to thirty-four different online databases that provide both full text and indexing for millions of magazine and professional journal articles in every field. This means that you can access the text of articles meeting your research needs online twenty-four hours a day from any location where you have an Internet connection. Like our collection of eBooks, these articles are not a free Internet resource, but are instead a collection of high quality material that Cumberland University pays for you to be able to access.

Newspapers
The library receives several newspapers, including The Tennessean, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times , and several local papers. Current issues are kept on a rack adjacent to the video section along the west wall of the library. Back issues are stored in the southwest corner of the library. Like periodicals, newspapers may be read in the library or you may make photocopies from them. They are not available for checkout.

Videos
The library has a collection of about 1,500 video tapes and DVDs. They are located on the west wall of the library near the restrooms and are available to be checked out with a Cumberland University ID. You may search for videos on your topic by using the library's OPAC.

The Internet
You may access the Internet from any of the University Library's ten networked computers or from any of the campus' computing labs. Because there is no standardization of the Internet and because anyone can make material available there, we encourage you not to use the Internet as your sole source of information, but to consult a wide variety of sources available through the library . Carefully evaluating the reliability of the information you find on the Internet is important, especially when using it as part of your class requirements.

Interlibrary Loan
There is no library anywhere in the world that has the capacity to own every resource that a student might need. For this reason, libraries have banded together in an agreement to share their resources with one another for the benefit of their students. Cumberland University participates in the largest international network of libraries that provide interlibrary loan (ILL) services, as well as an ILL consortium of Middle Tennessee Libraries. Over time, we have found that Vise University Library loans out as much material to other libraries as it borrows on your behalf.

If, after checking the catalog and working with a librarian to identify your needs and our corresponding resources, you have found a particular book or article you would like to use and we do not have it in our library, would be glad to request it for you from another library. To make your request, go to the Interlibrary Loan page. Fill out the online form and we will process your request.