Mission | What to Expect | What Librarians Can Help With | Services | Conduct | Confidentiality | Evaluation
McNairy Library’s Ask a Librarian service provides the University Community with prompt assistance in discovering, evaluating, and transforming information including using the library’s resources and services. Users can choose to Ask a Librarian a question through chat, phone, email, or in-person for immediate assistance or schedule an appointment for a later date. Librarians can help with quick how-to questions and in-depth research questions and everything in between.
You can expect that librarians will...
Engage you in conversation to understand your unique information need(s)
Demonstrate interest in you and your question(s)
Treat you with respect
Use current information literacy practices and active learning to empower you to find your own answers
Share up to date knowledge of library resources and services
Check your understanding and encourage follow-up questions
Refer you to additional support as needed
Librarians can help you...
Develop and refine a sufficiently focused research topic
Create effective search strategies to identify relevant books, articles, videos and other resources
Access resources including items not available in McNairy Library’s collection
Adopt evaluation practices that critically examine information resources
Advise on the ethical use of information including citing sources appropriately, considering copyright status, and investigating open access options
Hours: Sunday: 5pm-8pm, Monday-Thursday: 9am-8pm, Friday: 9am-12pm (hours vary during university breaks)
Chat is most effective for quick questions or trouble-shooting, but can be used for more in-depth questions if you’re not in a hurry. Click below to chat with a librarian.
Email is handy when we’re not online, when you don’t need an immediate answer, or for questions requiring investigation. We will try to get back to you within 24 hours, but it may be longer over weekends and holidays. You can email us directly at research.help@millersville.edu or fill out the form linked below.
When emailing, please provide us with as much information about your question as possible. For research questions this may include the name of the course, course assignment information, and/or what you have already tried.
The phone is great for complex questions that may require more explanation. Call us at 717-871-7110.
Meeting in-person is often easiest for complex research questions or when you would like to work with us on finding information using our databases. Stop by McNairy Library to talk to us in-person. The arrow white-board by the library’s main desk will direct you to an available librarian. Not sure where to go? The student employees at the desk can direct you or have a librarian come and meet you.
If you don’t have time now to talk to a librarian, you can click below to make an appointment. Appointments are great for more in-depth questions and can be scheduled when you have time. Appointments can be made based around your availability and with a specific subject librarian. Most librarians can do Zoom appointments as well as on-campus appointments. Follow the directions at the link below to make an appointment.
Use of any of the Ask a Librarian services is subject to applicable federal and state laws, local ordinances, Millersville Judicial Affairs Handbook – Section B: Student Code of Conduct, Millersville Policy for Responsible Use, the McNairy Library and Learning Forum Code of Conduct, and other University policies that guide behavior on the campus.
Violations of any of the above-mentioned codes of conduct may result in the following:
Verbal/Written warning
Request to leave the building or discontinue phone call or chat
Block from using the Ask a Librarian chat service
Report to the police
Disciplinary action by the university
Legal action
All Ask a Librarian interactions are confidential and individual rights to privacy are respected. Transcripts of chats and e-mail questions are maintained for a limited period before being permanently removed.
Library faculty will regularly evaluate Ask a Librarian services using internal statistics and any available user feedback.
McNairy Library • Millersville University • 9 North George St., Millersville, PA 17551 • (717) 871-7111 • Comments? Let us know!
© Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved. Millersville University is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Institution. A Member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
