Hutchins Library News Blog

Library Services: Research consults

If you need reference and research assistance, you have some options:

• You can visit the Reference Desk during the library's regular hours.
• You can contact us via phone at 859-985-3109.
• Via email at reference@berea.edu
• You can use our online virtual chat. The widget is available on the library website.

If you need in-depth reference and research assistance, you can schedule an appointment with one of the professional librarians. You can use the "Schedule an Appointment" link on the library website.

To schedule the appointment, use the form under "Schedule an Appointment."

• On the form, you can choose a specific librarian, or you can just schedule with any librarian based on availability.
• The request form will ask for your name, your e-mail address, and for you to describe your question and/or assignment. The more information about your question and/or research need you provide, the better the librarian will be able to prepare for the appointment.
• Once you confirm the appointment,  you get a confirmation e-mail, and the librarian gets a prompt for their calendar.
• Usually you can do appointments virtually via MS Teams or in person. Do check this availability as not all librarians offer both options.
• An appointment typically lasts about 30 minutes, but can go up to an hour depending on student need and topic complexity. 
• You can schedule multiple appointments if needed. In fact, for upper level classes, multiple meetings with a reference librarian are common.

When preparing for an appointment, the librarian will put together various materials to help the student. These can include reference books, other books, and articles popular and academic. We strive to teach students how to do research and empower them to answer their question. We also work to provide them with materials to get them started, so they can walk out of the appointment with some materials in hand. Librarians are also able to help with things like finding statistics, using government documents, and accessing other materials. We can also help you narrow down a topic and come up with research strategies to help you with the research process.

The one thing the librarians cannot do is read your paper, proofread it, or anything related to the writing process. If you need help with your writing we will suggest that you visit Writing Resources (link to their website, which includes their calendar) and schedule an appointment with them.

By the way, faculty and staff can also schedule research consults if they need help finding and accessing the resources the library offers.