Temple University switchboard: 215-204-7000
TDD: 215-204-5919
Temple University Home Page -- Undergraduate Bulletin Main Page
Maureen Pastine, University Librarian
(215) 204-8231/8211
The Libraries of Temple University form an extensive network of services and resources that supports the educational and research needs of the University's students and faculty. The Libraries support nine University schools and colleges on the Main Campus, Temple University Ambler, Tyler School of Art, and Temple University Center City. The Health Sciences Center Libraries serve the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, and Pharmacy, the College of Allied Health Professions, and the Temple University Hospital at the Health Sciences Center. The Law Library supports the faculty and students of the School of Law on the Main Campus. The University also provides library services for students attending Temple University Harrisburg Center, Temple University Rome and Temple University Japan.
Computer technology plays a crucial role in identifying and locating the vast array of resources owned by the University's system of libraries. An Online Catalog lists library holdings and course reserves and their circulation status. The Scholars Information Center network links SIC workstations on five University campus locations: Main Campus, the Health Sciences Center, Temple University Center City, Tyler School of Art, and Temple University Ambler. From the SIC workstation, users conduct research using CD-ROM and online databases; access local and external computing facilities using local, regional, and international networks; and manipulate and analyze retrieved data using popular software packages for word-processing, database management, and spreadsheet and presentation design.
Expert assistance in exploring the resources of the library system is provided by reference staff. Students are introduced to basic library skills through a self-paced workbook, the completion of which is a requirement of the University's Core Curriculum for all incoming freshmen and transfer students. Students test the accuracy of their work using the computerized Learning Library Skills Program in the Scholars Information Center. Librarians also provide advanced library instruction classes tailored to individual courses.
The combined collections of the Temple University Libraries include more than 2.4 million volumes and 15,000 current serial subscriptions, as well as extensive collections of microforms and cartographic, graphic, and audiovisual materials. The University participates in the Federal Depository Library Program, through which it receives 60 percent of the publications issued by the U.S. Government Printing Office. Special collections include the Urban Archives Center, which documents the social, economic, and physical development of the Philadelphia metropolitan area since the mid-19th century; the University Archives; the Rare Books and Manuscripts, Contemporary Culture, and Science Fiction and Fantasy collections; and the Blockson Afro-American Historical Collection.
When local holdings do not supply needed material, faculty and students may choose to access the collections of other universities and colleges, either directly or indirectly. The University's participation in the Research Libraries Group (RLG) provides for reciprocal on-site access to the libraries of approximately 30 major U.S. academic institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Rutgers, Penn State, Columbia, and New York University. Students and faculty may also request books and copies of journal articles through Interlibrary Services. These requests are filled using an international network of cooperating academic, public, and special libraries. The Libraries also offer a fee-based service that can supply copies of journal articles from commercial sources on a cost-recovery basis.
The resources of the University Libraries are housed in Paley Library and in ten separate facilities serving specific disciplines and campus locations. These are:
Reading rooms and libraries are also maintained by several academic programs. The following facilities are located on the Main Campus.
Whether you want to write a term paper using a personal computer, conduct research by accessing electronic databases, explore the Internet, send electronic mail, or perform complex statistical analysis, Temple University has the resources to meet your computer needs.
More than 30 computer labs are located throughout Temple's campuses. The Student Computing Center, located on the ground floor of Wachman Hall, has Windows-based and Macintosh personal computers. The computers offer word processing, spreadsheet, and database software as well as access to the Internet. The labs are open day and evening hours.
Students are eligible to obtain an account on one of Temple's large-scale Unix systems. These systems are connected to the Internet. Using the Internet, you can send and receive electronic mail, participate in discussion groups, browse the World Wide Web, and create your own web page. You can access the Internet and your account either on campus or from your home computer via a modem. Temple also has a 3090Q IBM mainframe for statistical research and programming. Programs include SAS, SPSS, BMDP, and Minitab.
Computer Services also offers a "Help Desk" for technical assistance and provides free seminars on many computer topics. Course descriptions are listed in the Bits & PCs newsletter. Bits & PCs is published four times a year to keep you informed about computing at Temple.
Temple's Computer Guidebook, available in campus computer labs and from the Computer Services Department on the 7th floor of Wachman Hall, is a reference book that provides full details about computers at Temple. The Computer Guidebook, along with specific information about using computers at Temple, is available online on the Computer Services web site at http://www.temple.edu/computer_services/.
This web version written by Mary England 1/98
Comments and questions concerning this web version of the bulletin or requests for adding reference marks for linking to subsections of a page may be sent to Mary England.