Walking Tour of Kent Library

Welcome to Kent Library!  Kent Library is the library at Southeast Missouri State University.  This tour will introduce you to some of the key areas and services within the Library.  It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.  If you have questions as you take the tour, just ask for assistance at the Reference Desk or any other service desk.

This tour is arranged by floors.  Tour stops and key information about each stop are listed below. Most areas in the Library are marked with large signage.  As you take the tour, look for red, white, and black signs and signs above doorways to guide you to the various tour areas. Each floor has a standing lighted floor map by the main staircase as well.

There are activity questions throughout the tour to help you become more familiar with the Library. 

►  This tour begins and ends at the Reference Desk, located on the third floor.

Third Floor

Reference Desk & Computer Lab Area

• The Reference Desk is the best place to get help!  Information Services Librarians and staff are at this desk during many of the hours the library is open and are there to assist you.
• Help is also available on our website (http://library.semo.edu/learn/askus.shtml), by phone (573-651-2230), by e-mail (kentreference "at" semo.edu), by chat, and by text (573-200-6542).
• The computer lab area is a convenient place to use the Library's online catalog, our library subscription databases and other web resources. You also have full access to Microsoft Office and other software.
• There is a lab assistant on duty for technical help.
• There is a color copier/printer available as well as a scanner.
• Acceptable cell phone use areas are stairwells along the southeast and southwest corner of the floor. Please speak in a low voice. 

Reference Collection  (large sign reads Reference Collection)

• Contains print subject & specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, statistical sources, and more.  Good place to start a research project!  Ask an Information Services/Reference Librarian for suggestions.
• Books are arranged by subject, using the Dewey Decimal System, and have an R (stands for Reference) in front of the call number.
• These books may not be checked out.

►Activity #1   Find the reference book with the call number R 200.321 En19 2005.  Write down the title.
 

Special Collections & Archives  (double doors near reference collection)

• This area contains books, photographs and other historical materials about the University and the surrounding region, and provides access to the collections housed in the Rare Book Room.
• Material housed here does not check out.
• Special Collections & Archives hours vary, so check their website before you visit.

►Activity #2    Locate the large sign on the entrance to Special Collections & Archives.  This sign describes the type of materials located in this area of the Library. Write down one item from the bulleted list.


 

Quiet Reading Room  (glassed-in room)

• This area offers relaxing space for groups to gather and work and for individuals to engage in quiet study.
• Food and drink are permitted here and throughout the Library.

• Group study rooms area available on a first-come first-served basis.  Room 335 can be reserved. Ask at the reference desk.
• Soft seating, tables for group and individual work, and portable white boards are located throughout the 3rd floor. Outlets for laptops and other electronics are present on many of the tables.
• There is a wireless network here and throughout the Library with laptops available for three-hour checkout at the Circulation desk.
• Food and drink are permitted here and throughout the Library.

Multimedia Center (sign reads The Heather MacDonald Greene Multimedia Center)

• The multimedia center supports students, faculty or staff with collaborative or individual projects.
• It has the capability for group PowerPoint presentations, video and photo editing, screen captures, VHS to DVD conversion and more. 
• Users have access to Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Audacity, Camtasia Studio, Microsoft Office, Windows Movie Maker and more in three production rooms within the multimedia center.
• If you would like to use the multimedia center, visit the center's website to reserve a production room or stop by!

Stay on the third floor and continue across the library, in front of the staircase and left down the hall.  Note!  This is an acceptable cell phone use hallway.  Please speak in a low voice.
 

Instructional Materials Center (sign reads Instructional Materials Center)

• The Instructional Materials Center houses the Library's collection of educational videos, current & classic feature films on DVD and video, video games, textbooks, curriculum material and children's books.
• Video cameras and digital projectors are available here for check out.
• Over 10,000 videos and DVDs - your on campus movie center and it's free!
• A charging station for laptops, phones, etc. is available.

►Activity #3  Go to the Browsing Bin for DVDs, video games, and audio books. Select a title that sounds interesting to you. Write down the name of that title.

 

Just outside the entrance to the Instructional Materials Center you will see a narrow set of stairs leading to the fourth floor.  Take these stairs to the Writing Lab /Center for Writing Excellence.  A fourth floor entrance is also available for those unable to use the stairs.

 Center for Writing Excellence (includes Writing Lab)

• Provides face-to-face writing support. Located in room 412.  Writing Lab hours are different from regular Library hours.

 Restrooms & Bulletin Boards

• Restrooms are located along the back west wall on both the 3rd and 4th floor.
• Bulletin Boards are available on the 3rd & 4th floors for your use. They are located near the elevator.  Post any University-related activity information here.  No pre-approval needed! 

Continue the tour to the 4th floor via the main central staircase or the elevator, located in the small hallway underneath the main central staircase. 

Fourth Floor

General Book Collection (Stacks)

• Often referred to as stacks, this collection is the circulating collection (library speak for "you can check these out") of the Library and is organized using the Dewey Decimal System. Oversize or large books, called Q's for quarto, are also shelved on this floor.
• A popular paperback collection is housed here for in-library reading or for check out.  Walk towards the orange carpeted seating area where these books are located and notice the variety of titles.
• This is a quiet floor.  Speak in a low voice.
• Food and drink are permitted here and throughout the Library.
• Acceptable cell phone use areas are in the southeast and southwest stairwells on this floor. Please speak in a low voice.

► Activity #4  At the top of the stairs on the pillar you will see a white sign for the Dewey Decimal Schedule. What number section in the 700s is dedicated to photography?

Government Documents  (sign reads Government Documents)

• Print copies of United States and Missouri government materials are shelved in this area.
• The Library is an official U.S. Government Document Depository.
• Information Services/Reference Librarians can assist you in using this collection.

►Activity #5 In the Government Documents area, find a chart labeled "How to find a U.S. Government Publication."  Which agency in the federal government issues publications with the call number beginning with LC?
 

Continue the tour down to the 2nd floor (Main Floor) via the main central staircase or you can use the elevator.

Main (second) Floor

Note!  The main floor of the library is the 2nd floor.  The ground floor, or basement, is the 1st floor.

Main Floor Corridor  (no sign)

• Contains the Library Director's Office, library staff work space, public restrooms, on-campus telephone, and the original staircase to the 3rd floor.
• The Rare Book Room houses the University's Faulkner collection and other historical or rare works.  You must have an appointment to use the room.
• Information Literacy Classroom (Room 215) is a computer classroom used mainly by librarians to teach information literacy classes. This is not an open lab.
• This hallway is an acceptable cell phone use area.  Please speak in a low voice.

Circulation & Reserves Desk  (sign reads Circulation & Reserves)

• Check out, renew, return & place holds on books.  Books can be kept for 21 days.
• Check out articles & books your professor has placed "on reserve" for your class.  Return "reserve items" to this desk & on time!  Fines on overdue reserve items can get expensive.
• Interlibrary Loan is located here. This service obtains books & articles from other libraries for your use.
• Pick up books obtained from other libraries via MOBIUS (the state-wide library catalog for colleges and universities) or Interlibrary Loan.
• Library lost & found located here.
• Check out laptops for three-hour use in the building.

Southeast Missouri Mural (no sign)

• Located on wall opposite the Circulation Desk in main entrance lobby area.
• Painted by Jake Wells, Southeast art professor.
• Depicts the heritage of Southeastern Missouri.

Sadie's Place & Kent Coffee Cart  (no sign - look for loads of comfortable seating)

• A comfortable place to gather with friends and classmates to work on projects.  Grab a snack, coffee, or a fruit drink at the Coffee Cart (hours of operation are posted).
• Checkers anyone?  Various board games are available for relaxation.  Look for them around the area and in boxes along the wall by the hanging newspapers.
• There is a wireless network here and throughout the Library with laptops available for three-hour checkout at Circulation, or bring your own.
• Several computers and a printer are also scattered throughout the area for use.
• Two group study rooms are available on a first-come first-served basis.  Two more group study rooms are located on the south wall (Rooms 249a & 250).  Checkout whiteboard markers at the Circulation Desk.
• Sip a drink, relax, and read today's newspaper or grab a current magazine or journal. Over 90 popular titles are displayed on the shelves and newspaper racks.
• Pick up a lapdesk out of the bin and work comfortably in a lounge chair.
• Best sellers!  This is the place to pick up a best seller for a relaxing read.
• New books!  Recent additions to the collection are housed here for several weeks after their arrival for casual perusal.
• Wii!  There is a Wii available for patron use. Ask at the Circulation Desk for available hours and to check out controllers.
• Acceptable cell phone use areas are in the southwest and southeast stairwells nearby.  Please speak in a low voice.
   

►Activity #6   Go to the Best Sellers section. Select a title that sounds interesting to you. Write down the name of that title.

 

Indexes / Abstracts Area  (sign reads Indexes / Abstracts)

• Indexes & abstracts help you find articles in periodicals.
• "Periodical" is a library word meaning magazines, journals, and newspapers.
• Use paper indexes & abstracts to find older articles and subject areas not covered by library subscription databases.  Not everything is online!

Periodicals Desk  (sign reads Periodicals)

• The staff at this desk helps you find periodicals and assists you with using photocopiers and other machines.
• Current issues of some newspapers are kept at this desk, others are located in Sadie's Place.  Just ask for what you want!
• You can check out & return general library books at this desk and the main circulation desk.

Current & Bound Periodicals  (signs read Current Journals and Bound Journals)

• The most current print issue of a magazine or journal, usually the latest year or volume, is located in the current periodicals area.  Older years are "bound" together in a book-like manner and are called bound periodicals.
• Periodicals are arranged alphabetically by title.
• Periodicals do not leave the library.
• Current issues of some frequently used titles are kept at the Periodicals Desk, while others are located in Sadie's Place.  Just ask for what you need!

►Activity #7   Browse through the Current Periodicals section (metal shelves near the Periodicals Desk).  Select a title that seems interesting to you that begins with the letter S.  Write down the name of the title.

 

►Activity #8   Locate the journal Civil War History in the Bound Periodicals section.  What year was volume 28 published?

 

Microform Area & Copiers  (no signage - area is located near the Periodicals Desk)

• "Microform" refers to microfilm (reels of film) and microfiche (cards).  Many libraries, like ours, keep older periodicals on microfilm and microfiche. Some books, government documents, and education-related materials are also on microfiche or microfilm.
• Machines, called microform scanners, let you read, save, and/or print from microfilm and microfiche.
• Copies at photocopiers are $.10. Printing from the microform scanners costs $.07 with a SE key.
• Change machines located in this area let you get change.  The Periodicals Desk can make change for big bills.
• Staff at the Periodicals Desk can help you locate and use materials & machines in this area.

Continue the tour to the down staircase underneath the main central staircase or to the elevator in the hallway.  It is not necessary to go downstairs to see the following items and locations, but you are welcome to.

First Floor (basement)  

• Pepsi / soda vending machine.
• Southeast Textbook rental center. No entrance from inside of the Library.
• Computer classroom run by the Information Technology Department.
• Testing Services.
• Serves as the building's emergency shelter. 

Do you remember?

Summary Questions
(you're almost finished!)

►Activity #9  On which floor are computers available to use Microsoft Word?

 

►Activity #10  On which floor can you find the popular paperback collection?

 

►Activity #11   On which floor can you find the following book? 370.114 M7922

 

Complete the tour by returning to the Reference Desk on the 3rd floor using the main central staircase or the elevator. 

UI100 students - Bring your completed activity questions to the Reference Desk for grading.

The End

Thanks for visiting us!  Come back soon.

 

created 2002, C. Ruediger
updated July 2012 l MO
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