The Reference Department at the Ottenheimer Library is actually a "catch-all" for a variety of library services available to the UALR community. The Reference Department handles not just Reference Services, but Library Instruction, Government Documents, Collection Development, and our Faculty Liaison Program. We can be reached at (501) 569-8806 or toll-free at 1-800-340-9367.

                Mission | Services | Collection | Who we are

Mission (as adopted in 1993)

The Reference Department of the Ottenheimer Library is committed to quality service for the University community (faculty, staff, students, and administrators) and for the general public.

• We strive to administer fair and objective service policies.
• We strive to provide prompt, unbiased, and knowledgeable responses to requests for assistance, placing patron's needs above other library duties.
• We strive to protect each user's right to privacy with respect to information requested and materials consulted.
• We strive to offer assistance and access to all collections and services for persons with disabilities.
• We strive to listen attentively and respond courteously to library users' suggestions and comments.
• We strive to know and understand the location and organization of library departments, services, and collections.
• We strive to instruct library users on the arrangement of library materials and the location of needed information.

Services

Reference Services

During scheduled hours, librarians are available at the Reference Desk to help you use the library efficiently and effectively. We can help you locate information and resources, demonstrate how to best use the various online periodical databases, catalogs, and the web. Assistance is on a first-come, first-served basis. Individuals with complicated information needs may consider an appointment with a discipline-specific librarian.

The Reference Desk is staffed during regular semester hours as follows:

• Monday-Thursday 8am to 9pm
• Friday 8am to 4:45 pm
• Saturday 11am - 3:00pm
• Sunday 2pm-6pm

Call the Reference Desk for off-site assistance or additional hours at 1-501-569-8806 or toll-free at 1-800-340-9367.

Reference questions may also be answered via our Ask a Reference Librarian service.

Instruction Services

Library instruction services support members of the University community in the development of information literacy and library skills. The instruction librarian or liaison librarian can recommend and arrange a library course to accommodate your needs. Students are highly encouraged to talk to their instructors if they feel that library instruction would be beneficial for their class research needs.

Librarian Created Subject Guides

Librarians have prepared subject guides, bibliographies, and handouts (link here to Research Assistance Page...) to help locate appropriate sources for conducting research in specific disciple areas, or answering more general how-to kinds of questions. Librarians have also selected and evaluated various Internet sites for you to use in your research.

Government Documents

The Ottenheimer Library is a depository for Arkansas , U.S. and European Union documents. The federal collection is only a partial federal depository, receiving about 32% of the material available. The Arkansas and European Union collections are full depositories, receiving 100% percent of the materials distributed. Most of our government documents are in the library's catalog and many can be checked out. Please contact our Government Documents Librarian (email to: kmruss@ualr.edu) or go to our Government Documents page for further information and assistance.

Subject Area Liaisons

Discipline-related reference services, individual training and classroom instruction are available by librarians. Each reference librarian works with their designated departments to assist the students and faculty for that area.

Services for Patrons with Disabilities

Individual assistance is available at the Reference Desk by appointment and upon request. Services include assisting in the use of the online catalog, indexes and electronic databases. The Reference area is now equipped with a workstation loaded with specialized software with specific disabilities in mind. Reference librarians may direct patrons to other departments depending on their needs. Extended help is handled by appointment.

Workshops

Every semester the Reference Department offers a variety of workshops for students and faculty. Check the library's events calendar (link here) for upcoming workshops. A few of our workshops include how to use the ILLiad system to borrow non-UALR items, how to utilize RefWorks for bibliographic management, how to search specific databases, and getting started with your research paper. Please feel free to recommend a new workshop topic.

Reference Collection

In-house Reference Collection

Comprised of over 12,000 titles the Reference Collection is located on the 1 st floor and represents those items that are unavailable for check-out. Here you will find numerous dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, and atlases. The collection also consists of very specific subject encyclopedias, bibliographies, test reviews, statistical, and biographical sources. All items may be found by using the library's catalog (link here) and then by limiting your search to the 1 st Floor Reference Collection.

Online Reference Resources

With the increase in the availability of online reference products and the demand by our students and faculty for off-site access we continue to move our traditional print reference sources to their electronic counterpart. A few examples include the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford Reference Online, and the American National Biography. For a complete listing of the library's electronic article and database products please visit our Articles and Databases page (link here).

Who we are

Brent Nelson, PhD - banelson@ualr.edu - (501) 569-8807

Assistant Professor of Library Science since 1979

Liaison to Applied Science, Chemistry, Construction Management, Engineering Technology, Earth Science, English, Mathematics and Statistics, Philosophy and Liberal Studies, Physics and Astronomy, and Systems Engineering. Dr. Nelson is also the library’s contact for information about RefWorks.

Carol Macheak, MLS - cimacheak@ualr.edu - (501) 569-8809

Assistant Professor of Library Science since 1989 and Instruction Coordinator

Liaison to Speech and Audiology, English, Health Sciences, Health Services Administration, Rhetoric and Writing, Speech Communication

Karen Russ, MLS - kmruss@ualr.edu - (501) 569-8444

Assistant Professor of Library Science since 1996 and Government Documents Coordinator

Liaison to Art, Audiology and Speech, Counseling and Adult Rehabilitation Education, Educational Leadership, Health Sciences, Mass Communication, Nursing Rhetoric and Writing, and Speech Communication.

Linda Stipsky - lbstipsky@ualr.edu - (501) 569-3121

Reference Services Research Assistant since 2005