Reference Services

The James E. Tobin Library supports the goals of students and faculty by providing an environment conducive to academic learning. Reference services are available from librarians via chat, text, email and in person. For more information visit the Ask a Librarian page.

The JET Library is open 84 hours per week. Reference librarians and virtual Chat services are available during these hours for research assistance to anyone on or off-campus. On the main campus a minimum of two degreed librarians are always available to provide individualized assistance to students and faculty. There are a total of twenty full time and adjunct librarians utilized in order to support three shifts across multiple service points.

Outside of the JET Library, reference services during fall and spring semesters are available four days per week in the Information Commons; two evenings per week at the Suffolk Extension Center located in Farmingdale, NY and in the recently built Barbara Hagan Center for Nursing, an embedded Health Sciences Librarian is on-site six hours per week.

Instructional Services

 Customized instruction sessions are designed to serve the needs of any given class. Over 200 instruction classes are taught each year by librarians; some designed to target the FST initiative while others are specific to assignments, level of student (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, Ph.D.) or a particular discipline. Classes can be conducted in our instruction rooms, in a professor's classroom or virtually through Canvas.
A professor can request an instruction session via the Library Class Session Request form.

One-on-One appointments:  Students and faculty can sit down with a librarian for a half-hour to an hour for individualized appointments. Appointments are conducted in the JET Library, the Suffolk Center or virtually. Student appointments can focus on difficult research assignments, learning a new resource, or exploring library services. Students can request sessions via the One-on-One Library Student form. Faculty appointments can focus on compiling reading lists, supporting faculty research, or learning new resources. Faculty can request sessions via the One-on-One Library Faculty form. Last year, the library conducted 100 personalized one-on-one appointments.