2012-2013 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
University Libraries
University Libraries
Administration
Dean: Lee Van Orsdel
Associate Dean of Research and Instruction: Julie Garrison
Associate Dean of Technology and Information Services: Carlos Rodriguez
Director of Special Collections and University Archives: Robert Beasecker
Director of Planning and Organizational Resources: Lynell De Wind
Website
www.gvsu.edu/library
Mission
The Grand Valley State University libraries enrich the educational mission of the university by advancing intellectual growth and discovery. Through the acquisition, application, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge, we promote teaching, learning, and active scholarship.
Library Services
Grand Valley State University is the proud recipient of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2012 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, www.ala.org/acrl/awards/achievementawards/. The University Libraries offer dynamic and diverse opportunities for research, collaboration, and individual study. From four unique locations (the James H. Zumberge Library and the Seidman House, both in Allendale; the Steelcase Library at the Richard M. DeVos Center in Grand Rapids; and the Frey Foundation Learning Center in the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences in Grand Rapids), the libraries serve the entire Grand Valley community. Each librarys collection is tailored to its location and the programs it serves, with daily deliveries of physical materials between all University Libraries locations. Opening in the fall of 2013, the Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons will connect students, resources, and technology and change the face of education at Grand Valley.
The University Libraries house a robust collection in multiple formats that support the research and scholarship activities of students and faculty members. They have 616,571 volumes and 557,000 electronic journals and books. The Grand Valley library also is a United States Government Depository.
The libraries provide a number of services that support student research and increase student efficiency, including desktop delivery of journal articles across campuses, an interlibrary loan service that borrows materials from other institutions for our students use, and electronic course reserves for required class readings. Research help is available through email or chat (www.gvsu.edu/chat), by phone, or in person at any of our locations.
Technology in the Libraries
PCs, laptops, iPads, and printers are available for use in all Grand Valley libraries.
Government Resources
Grand Valley State University is a depository for United States government documents. The library has been a selective depository in the Federal Depository Library Program since 1963 and currently receives approximately 44 percent of the documents distributed by the program.
Curriculum Materials Library (CML)
Located in the DeVos Center on the Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus, the center has current, high-quality instructional materials for preschool through grade 12 and provides spaces where education majors can preview resources, develop lesson plans, create media for the classroom, and try out teaching aides.
Special Collections
Seidman House on the Allendale Campus contains both the University Archives and the libraries Special Collections. The latter includes substantial numbers of rare books, Michigan novels, the Harvey Lemmen Collection on Lincoln and the Civil War, the Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives, and the papers of acclaimed Michigan author Jim Harrison, among others. Overlooking the ravine, Seidman House also offers a quiet study area during business hours.
Digital Collections
Grand Valley State University Digital Collections contain a selection of photographs, correspondence, diaries, interviews, and publications from the holdings of the Libraries Special Collections and University Archives, and other university entities. This expanding resource makes unique or rare materials from Grand Valley collections available electronically to students, faculty members, administrators, researchers, and the general public.
ScholarWorks@GVSU
ScholarWorks@GVSU is an online repository of research and scholarly output selected and deposited by individual university departments and centers on campus.