libguides.furman.edu

Furman University Libraries uses its LibGuides site (libguides.furman.edu) to surface two kinds of content beyond standard research help: current library news and events, and special collections and archival material. The home page carries a "What's Happening" section and a "Library News" feed, while the main navigation links to Special Collections & Archives, Digitized Furman Collections, and Furman Scholarship. Use these entry points if you want to know what is going on at the libraries or find primary-source and university-produced material rather than general databases.

News and events: What's Happening and Library News

The Libraries Home Page includes two distinct areas for time-sensitive information:

• What's Happening — a section for current activities and announcements.
• Library News — a news feed with a "View all news" link and a loading area for the latest library news items.

Both sit on the same home page as the core service links (Hours, Ask, Account, Search, Donate), so you do not need to navigate into a separate guide to see recent updates. The page also lists a "Last Updated" date, which tells you how current the guide itself is.

If you want the full news archive rather than the latest items, follow the "View all news" link from the Library News section.

Special Collections & Archives

Special Collections & Archives appears twice in the site structure: once in the main navigation under "News" and once again under "Our Spaces." This is the entry point for archival and rare material held by the libraries. The home page does not describe individual collections, access rules, or hours for this unit, so treat it as a starting point and follow the link for specifics on what is held and how to consult it.

Digitized collections and Furman Scholarship

Two related resources sit under "Find Resources":

These are separate from the general "Books, Articles, and More" and "Databases" links, which cover licensed and catalog content. If your interest is university history, primary sources, or work by Furman authors, start with these two rather than the general search.

How to reach these sections

1. Go to the Libraries Home Page at https://libguides.furman.edu/library/home.
2. For news, scroll to the What's Happening and Library News areas; use View all news for the archive.
3. For archives, select Special Collections & Archives from the main menu.
4. For digitized and scholarly material, select Digitized Furman Collections or Furman Scholarship under Find Resources.

The home page also provides direct links for Find your librarian, Find a study room, Print in the libraries, and Activate news resources — the last of these is relevant if you want ongoing news access through the libraries.

What the home page does not tell you

The home page does not state hours, access conditions, or appointment requirements for Special Collections & Archives, nor does it list what specific news items are currently displayed (the news area loads dynamically). For those details, follow the individual links rather than relying on the home page summary.

Furman University's LibGuides site (libguides.furman.edu) puts research help in one place: a Research Help section with guides on citing sources, copyright, and evaluating sources, plus a Find Your Librarian tool for subject-specific questions and an entry point to RefWorks for citation management. You can reach all of it from the Libraries Home Page without logging in to browse — the site's own navigation lists these links directly under "Research Help" and "Find Resources." Use this page when you need to know where to click, what each guide covers, and how to get from a general question to a person or tool that answers it.

What the Research Help section covers

The home page navigation groups research support under a Research Help heading with these entries:

• Citing Sources — guidance on formatting citations and references
• Copyright — information on copyright as it applies to research and course materials
• Evaluating Sources — how to judge whether a source is credible and appropriate
• Find More Recent Sources — strategies for locating newer material when your current sources are dated
• Find Your Librarian — contact routing to the librarian for your subject or course
• Getting Started — an orientation entry point for beginning a research project
• RefWorks — the citation management tool the libraries point to
• Share Your Research — options for making your own work available

Each of these is a separate guide page. The practical sequence for most students is: start with Getting Started if you're new to a project, use Evaluating Sources and Find More Recent Sources while gathering material, then Citing Sources and RefWorks when you write and format.

Finding the right librarian

Find Your Librarian is the fastest route from "I have a question" to "I have a person." Librarians at Furman are assigned by subject or course, so this link is how you identify who handles your discipline rather than emailing a general address.

Use it when:

• Your question is specific to a subject area, database, or assignment
• You need help shaping a topic or search strategy
• You want to know which databases matter for your field

For general or directional questions, the home page also lists Ask in the main menu, alongside Hours, Account, Search, and Donate. The site footer gives the libraries' phone number (864.294.2190) and mailing address (3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613) if you prefer to call.

Research tools and related guides

Beyond the Research Help block, the home page navigation points to resources you'll use alongside it:

Guides by Course, Subject, Topic is worth checking before you contact anyone — a course- or subject-specific guide may already answer your question, and it will tell you which librarian owns that area.

Step-by-step: from question to answer

1. Open the Libraries Home Page at libguides.furman.edu/library/home. The page is titled "Libraries Home Page: Home."
2. Check whether a guide already exists. Use Guides by Course, Subject, Topic if your question is tied to a class or discipline, or scan the Research Help list if it's about citing, copyright, or source quality.
3. Open the matching guide. For citation formatting, go to Citing Sources; for judging a source, Evaluating Sources; for stale sources, Find More Recent Sources.
4. If the guide doesn't resolve it, find your librarian. Follow Find Your Librarian to identify the contact for your subject, then reach out with your specific question.
5. For citation management, use RefWorks. The link sits in the Research Help group; set up your account there if you haven't already.
6. Verify access before you rely on a resource. Some links — for example Databases, Course Reserves, and article full text — may require a Furman account. The home page shows Account and Login options, so expect authentication for licensed content rather than assuming open access.

Expected result: you either land on a guide that answers the question directly, or you have the name and contact route for the librarian who owns your subject area.

Common snags

• Treating the home page as the whole site. The home page is a hub; the actual guidance lives one level down in the Research Help and Find Resources guides.
• Skipping the subject guide. Contacting a librarian before checking the course or subject guide can slow you down — the guide often covers the same ground.
• Assuming everything is open. The site lists Account and Login options and a Donate link, and it references Request Purchases under Borrow & Request. Licensed databases and full-text access typically sit behind a Furman login; browsing guide text does not.
• Using an outdated bookmark. The site notes a "New BS5 Site" and the home page carries a "Last Updated" date, so if a link looks wrong, return to libguides.furman.edu/library/home and navigate from there.

Quick reference

• Home page: https://libguides.furman.edu/library/home
• Research help topics: Citing Sources, Copyright, Evaluating Sources, Find More Recent Sources, Getting Started
• Find a person: Find Your Librarian
• Citation tool: RefWorks
• Phone: 864.294.2190
• Address: 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613

Furman University Libraries provides several categories of on-site spaces and equipment that students and visitors can use: a café and study lounge, group study rooms and reservable spaces, printers and computers, and two branch libraries — the Maxwell Music Library and the Sanders Science Library. The main library's LibGuides home page lists these under "Our Spaces," with a direct entry point for reserving a study room. Use the guide below to see what exists and how to get to each service.

Spaces Listed on the Libraries Home Page

The "Our Spaces" section of the LibGuides home page groups the physical facilities into these entries:

The home page also carries a "Find a study room" link alongside "Databases," "Journals," and "Find your librarian," which is the quickest route to room booking.

Reserving a Study Room or Space

1. Open the Libraries Home Page on LibGuides.
2. Select Find a study room (or the Reserve Rooms & Spaces entry under "Our Spaces").
3. Follow the reservation system that opens to pick a room, date, and time.

The home page confirms that room reservation is a supported service, but it does not publish room capacities, loan periods, or eligibility rules. Check the reservation page itself for those details before you rely on a specific room.

Printing and Computer Access

The Printers & Computers entry under "Our Spaces" is the starting point for on-site technology. The home page also lists a Print in the libraries link in its quick-links row, so printing instructions are reachable directly from the front page rather than only through the spaces menu. The guide does not state costs, page limits, or whether guest printing is allowed — confirm those at the service point.

Branch Libraries

Two named branches appear in the spaces list:

• Maxwell Music Library — the music-focused branch.
• Sanders Science Library — the science-focused branch.

Both are listed as separate destinations, so if your subject is music or a science discipline, check the branch page for its own hours and floor layout rather than assuming the main library's arrangements apply.

Hours, Access, and Account Actions

The site's top navigation includes Hours, Ask, Account, Search, and Donate. Use Hours before traveling, since the home page does not display current opening times in the captured content. Ask is the contact route if a space or equipment question isn't answered on the guide.

Practical Notes

• The home page was last updated Sep 29, 2026, so treat listed services as current but verify time-sensitive details like hours.
• "Request Purchases" and "Digitization Services" appear under Borrow & Request — these are request services, not walk-in equipment, so don't confuse them with the printers and computers entry.
• For research support rather than facilities, the same guide links "Find your librarian" and "Getting Started."

LibGuides at Furman University (libguides.furman.edu) is the library portal for Furman University's Libraries. It serves as the main entry point for library services and resources, including borrowing, database access, research help, and space reservations. It is primarily designed for Furman students, faculty, and staff, though visitors can also use it to explore library offerings and contact information.

Who Runs It and What It Covers

The site is maintained by Furman University Libraries, located at 3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613. The homepage is titled "Libraries Home Page: Home" and organizes content into several core areas.

Main Service Categories

Key Features on the Homepage

The homepage provides quick-access links to frequently used tools:

• Databases – Search the library's database collection
• Journals – Locate specific journals
• EBSCO Articles – Search across EBSCO article content
• Find your librarian – Connect with a subject specialist
• Find a study room – Reserve a group study space
• Print in the libraries – Access printing services
• Activate news resources – Enable access to news databases

Guides by Course, Subject, and Topic

Beyond the homepage, the LibGuides platform hosts research guides organized by course, subject, and topic. These guides are curated by librarians to help users navigate resources for specific disciplines or assignments. You can browse them through the "Guides by Course, Subject, Topic" link in the main navigation.

Who Should Use This Site

• Furman students – Access course reserves, book study rooms, get research help, and find subject-specific guides
• Furman faculty – Request purchases, place items on reserve, connect with subject librarians, and share research through Furman Scholarship
• Visitors – Explore Special Collections & Archives, check library hours, and find contact information

Practical Notes

The site includes a "Donate" option in the main menu, indicating the library accepts donations. A "Request Purchases" link under Borrow & Request suggests users can ask the library to acquire materials. The site was last updated September 29, 2026, and is built on the LibGuides platform (Springshare), as indicated by the "Login to LibApps" footer link.

For direct assistance, the library phone number is 864.294.2190. The site also links to accessibility information and the university's main homepage.

The Furman University Libraries LibGuides homepage (libguides.furman.edu/library/home) is the starting point for nearly every library service. The page organizes everything into a top navigation menu — Hours, Ask, Account, Search, Donate — plus a set of quick-action links and three main service sections: Borrow & Request, Find Resources, and Research Help. If you know which category your need falls into, you can go straight there; if not, the quick links near the top of the page cover the most common tasks.

Quick actions on the homepage

Below the main menu, the homepage surfaces several one-click entry points:

• Databases — jump directly into the library's database list
• Journals — locate a specific journal title
• EBSCO Articles — search across EBSCO article content
• Find your librarian — identify the subject librarian for your department
• Find a study room — book a reservable room
• Print in the libraries — printing instructions and locations
• Activate news resources — set up access to news databases

These links exist because they answer the most frequent questions at the desk. If your task is on this list, you don't need to dig through the menus.

Borrow & Request

This section covers anything involving physical materials or requests:

• Borrow From Other Libraries — interlibrary loan and similar borrowing arrangements
• Checkouts & Renewals — your account, due dates, and renewing items
• Digitization Services — requesting digital copies of materials
• Request Purchases — asking the library to buy something

Use this section when the item you need isn't on the shelf, when you need to extend a loan, or when you want the library to acquire something new.

Find Resources

This is the research side of the site:

• Books, Articles, and More — the general search
• Course Reserves — materials your instructor has placed on reserve
• Databases — the full database list
• Digitized Furman Collections and Furman Scholarship — local and institutional collections
• Get Article Full Text — help when you have a citation but not the PDF

If you're starting a paper or looking for a known item, start here.

Research Help

This section is about doing research well, not just finding things:

• Citing Sources and Copyright — formatting and reuse guidance
• Evaluating Sources and Find More Recent Sources — judging and updating what you find
• Find Your Librarian — subject specialists
• Getting Started — orientation for new researchers
• RefWorks — citation management
• Share Your Research — for publishing and depositing your work

Guides by course, subject, or topic

The site's core function is its guides. You can browse Guides by Course, Subject, Topic to find a page built for a specific class or discipline. These guides typically collect the databases, reference works, and citation formats most relevant to that area, so they're often a faster route than searching the general database list.

Spaces and other services

Beyond research, the homepage links to:

• Café & Study Lounge, Floor Plans, and Reserve Rooms & Spaces
• Printers & Computers
• Maxwell Music Library and Sanders Science Library
• Special Collections & Archives

Getting human help

The Ask link in the top menu is the general contact route. For subject-specific questions, Find your librarian connects you to the librarian responsible for your department. The site also lists a phone number (864.294.2190) and a mailing address (3300 Poinsett Highway, Greenville, SC 29613), and the About Us section includes contact information, personnel, and employment listings.

A practical path

If you're unsure where to start: use the quick links for databases, journals, or your librarian; use Borrow & Request for anything involving physical items or requests; use Find Resources for searching; and use Research Help when you need guidance on citing, evaluating, or managing sources. Course- and subject-specific guides are usually the most efficient entry point for a specific assignment.