Collections
The library at Southwestern contains approximately 140,000 print and electronic book volumes and 56,000 journal titles available in print and online. The library's main web page at library.swau.edu is the starting point for most research at Southwestern. Patrons search these collections using the library's online catalogue, individual journal databases, or the combined discovery service, which includes most of these materials. The list of full-text journals provides serious researchers with access to specific journal issues. Additional collections of audiovisual material, microforms, maps, artwork, and archival resources expand the library's main holdings.
Southwestern's library encompasses three specialized collections that support academic programs. The Adventist Heritage Center Collections include substantial primary source materials chronicling the establishment of the Seventh-day Adventist church and the presence of the Adventist movement in the Southwest. Items include rare books, photographs, and manuscripts, as well as reproductions of similar materials. The Ruth King McKee Curriculum Library serves Southwestern's education program by providing examples of curriculum and instruction materials used in the K12 setting.
Services
Negotiated agreements, consortial memberships, and evaluated websites link Southwestern's scholars to thousands of academic, special, and public libraries within the United States and beyond. Students, faculty, and staff who need resources outside Southwestern's holdings may procure them through the library's document delivery / interlibrary loan service. On-demand delivery of research materials is made possible through TexShare, and can be initiated through completing the request form found on the library's webpage. Also, current students and faculty are invited to request a TexShare borrowers' card at the library's front desk, which grants individual borrowing privileges at most Texas university and public libraries.
The library's professional staff members provide necessary resources and assist faculty and students in retrieving materials for research purposes. Instruction and individual research consultations are available by request. Online subscription databases provide access to extensive resources, which are equally available on and off campus. Students using licensed subscriptions off campus will be asked to authenticate their connection to Southwestern with their Campus Portal login.
The Write Spot
Though physically located within the library's instruction classroom, this initiative represents a campus-wide commitment to ensuring that students have support in developing strong written communication skills. It is open to the campus approximately 25 hours per week during fall and spring semesters. Faculty and students who staff this facility are trained to serve as tutors.