B.D. Owens Library
B.D. Owens Library is a service-oriented library in a 116,000 square foot facility designed to meet the varied learning and research needs of Northwest students, faculty, and staff. The library collection and services support scholarly research and provide current information that promotes student competencies concerning lifelong learning, critical thinking, communication and research.
The library’s website provides on-campus and remote access to thousands of journal titles and eBooks for currently enrolled students and current faculty. The library’s robust online catalog returns search displays with resource summaries and availability/location of resources. Course-focused guides and tutorials along with reference and citing assistance are also available. Reference service includes a broad array of delivery methods, including walk-in, by appointment, email and phone. The library’s very popular “Help with Research” program provides students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to receive personalized research assistance on a specific, well-defined topic.
The library building houses over 368,000 books, documents and bound periodicals. Nearly 30,000 periodicals are available in electronic format. Approximately 58,000 eBooks are available through the library catalog with additional access to over 24 million items through the statewide catalog maintained by the Missouri Consortium of Academic Libraries (MOBIUS). MOBIUS items arrive at Owens Library in 2-3 working days. Interlibrary loan service is available for materials not available within the state.
Owens Library is home to several key facilities and services widely used by the University community that complement the library’s instructional support mission. On the first floor, campus Information Services maintains and staffs a large computer laboratory. Upper floors house the Electronic Classroom and the Training Room, which serve as instructional and presentation areas with computers at each student work station and a Presentation Lab to enable students to practice giving presentations and recording them for review and critique.
Many vital instructional support service areas are also available on the second floor including The Writing Center, which offers writing across the curriculum tutoring, and the Talent Development Center, which offers free tutoring and academic support across the curriculum. The Center for Informational Technology in Education (CITE), which administers and supports the University’s instructional technology needs including online courses, course management software, and faculty professional development, is also housed on the second floor. The Teaching Resources Area on the second floor addresses the needs of the University community for curriculum materials, for educational audio-visual materials (CDs, DVDs, and VHS videos), and the Juvenile book collection.
Throughout the library, areas for private study and reading are available along with spaces and resources that facilitate student group and team project development. Owens Library is fully wireless.