Skip to Main Content

New Faculty Orientation 2025

Access the Library

Library Access

  • Your campus login is your library login
  • Your campus ID (HootLoot Card) is you library card
  • Digital materials are available 24/7
  • Library hours vary throughout the year, please check the Library homepage for today's hours

Circulation (Borrowing)

How Do I Check Out Library Material?

Present your University I.D. at the Circulation Desk. Most print material circulates for an entire semester. Media items circulate for one week, with one renewal.

Faculty can check out a maximum of 50 items from our library. Our library doesn’t charge overdue fines but other CSCU libraries may charge for overdue materials.

You can renew your material by calling the Circulation Desk, emailing AccessServices@southernct.edu or online at SouthernSearch MyAccount, sign in, and click on the “My Account” tab. 

ELECTRONIC SERVICES

From the library's catalog, SouthernSearch, you can access the following library services after you sign in with your SCSU email and password: 

  • Check your library record, see what items you have out and renew items;
  • Request items from any library in the CSCU library system; and
  • Access full-text electronic reserves or online resources.

Interlibrary Loan

Our Interlibrary Loan policies are available at http://libguides.southernct.edu/ill

You can request books and articles from other CSCU libraries from SouthernSearch. Most requests are received in 3-5 business days.

For materials from other libraries, you will have to fill out the form at: https://southernct.illiad.oclc.org/illiad

The first time you login, you will need to establish a patron profile. Once a profile has been established, you will be able to place ILL requests, track the progress of your requests, renew online, and update your citations or requests. Most items are received within 2 weeks. Most articles will be delivered electronically within one business day.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at InterlibraryLoan@southernct.edu or (203) 392-7038.

Off campus Access & Logging in

If you are logged into Microsoft Office365 in another browser tab you will be seamlessly logged into the Library's services. If you are not logged on you will see this Microsoft login screen.

microsoft login screen

Acquistions, Serials, and Collection Development

Serials

The Library subscribes to approximately 145 print serials, approximately 600 electronic serials and serials packages, and 5 print newspapers. We also provide access to tens of thousands of additional full text titles through a variety of archives such as JSTOR and aggregators such as EBSCOHost Academic Search Premier. What we don’t subscribe to can be made accessible through our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service.

The print serial and microform collections are located in the ground floor of the Library. The Microform Reading Room also houses the Library’s public microform scanner from which you can read articles or save them to a USB drive. Online access to our electronic journals is available from on and off campus.

 

Acquisitions

The Library acquires non-serials materials in all formats to support the learning, teaching and research of our students and faculty from a variety of vendors and sources. The total annual Library Materials budget for all resources in all for-mats is approximately $1.6 million. We proactively collect award-winning books, as well as more than 100 series on standing order. We also provide access to several thousand electronic books, and dozens of online streaming videos. Formats we acquire include:

  • Audio/Music CDs
  • DVD and streaming videos
  • Microforms (microfilm, microfiche)
  • Musical scores
  • Print and electronic books

 

Databases

The library provides to access to 282 databases. Coverage includes a variety of content types, such as journal articles, news sources, and audio-visual materials.To recommend a new database for consideration, please contact your designated subject librarian or Serials & Electronic Resources Librarian, Hayley Battaglia, at battagliah1@southernct.edu.

 

How to Request a Library Purchase

Serials

The Library purchases journal titles on an annual subscription basis, and maintains a “wish list” of requested journal titles to consider for future purchase as funding permits. To request that a journal title be added to the “wish list” please send the title to your Subject Librarian or directly to the Serials & Electronic Resources Librarian (battagliah1@southernct.edu). Please note: even if the Library cannot subscribe to a particular journal we provide access to articles from journals for which we do not have full text access via Interlibrary Loan services.

Books, etc.

Academic departments vary in how they handle book and other collections purchase requests. Please contact your department’s library liaison for more information about how your department handles book and other collections purchase requests. 

Streaming video

Per the library’s collection development policy, we only subscribe to streaming video content at the request of faculty for films that are assigned in online or hybrid courses.  Please note, however, that due to budgetary limitations we may not be able to fulfill all requests. Additionally, not all films are available through platforms from which the library can purchase access, but we can provide you with information about other access options that may be available for students to purchase individually or, in some cases, access for free.

We currently provide access to more than 43,000 film titles through the Films on Demand database, as well as just over 1,000 films through Swank Digital Campus. We also subscribe to a limited number of films on the Kanopy platform. Additionally there are films available through Digital Theatre+, and Psychotherapy.net. All of the films for which we provide access are cataloged by title and are accessible through Southern Search as well as through the links in the library’s Database A-Z list.

All streaming video requests should be submitted to Kari Swanson, Associate Librarian, Acquisitions & Collection Development Coordinator.

Requesting Scans of Microfilm & Serials

digitizationRequest e-delivery for our print and microfilm collections.

You can request e-delivery of print journals and microform content if you are students, faculty, or staff at Southern Connecticut State University.

After filling out the request form (see below), you will receive a pdf of the content you need through email.  You must have a valid SCSU email to submit a request.

microfilmThe service will be available on weekdays.  Requests made over the weekends and on holidays will be addressed on the following business day.  All weekday requests will be responded to within 48 business hours.

To submit a request, fill out the form here.

You can also access the request form directly from a print journal or microform record in SouthernSearch.   Just click "E-Delivery Request" next to the volume you need.