About Shipman Library

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Shipman Library (built in 1963, and renovated and expanded in 2000), offers a complete line of academic information services. The renovated building is a large, attractive space with accommodations for individual and group study as well as leisure reading. It is named in memory of Dorothy Middlebrook Shipman, a distinguished library director and friend to Adrian College students. The collection contains more than 125,000 print books and 250,000 e-books, as well as access to over 100,000 periodicals. More than 100 research databases are available from on or off-campus, many with full text. The media collection includes more than 3,500 physical audio and video recordings and a streaming video collection with over 70,000 titles.Two professional librarians are available to assist you in person, or online via email, text, or instant message. The library reference area contains 37 computers that are available for research, and the building also houses the eSports facility. Our interlibrary loan service allows students, faculty and staff to borrow books, articles and other materials from college and university libraries nationwide. Two notable special collections are held at Shipman Library: the Piotrowski-Lemke Lincoln Collection and the Detroit Conference Methodist Historical Collection. The library is open to all members of campus, and the local community.

Visiting the Library:

We are located on Williams St. between Madison St. and Charles St. The library entrance is on the south side of the building, away from Williams St. If you park on Williams St. you will need to walk around the building to get to the entrance. You may also park in the Dawson Aduitorium lot off Charles St. across from the Merillat Sport and Fitness Center. From there it is a short walk across campus to the library entrance.

Mission Statement:

Shipman Library seeks to provide the facilities, resources, and services necessary to support the educational mission of Adrian College. We seek especially to help students become skilled users of information and contributors to an informed society.

Objectives:

Facilities

Shipman Library will seek to develop a physical environment conducive to the achievement of its mission. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to the provision of:

  1. a space that is safe, inviting, and accessible to all users;
  2. adequate space for library technology and print resources;
  3. adequate space for both individual and group study;
  4. signage that maximizes efficient use of that space;
  5. a space that facilitates intra-campus communication;
  6. convenient hours of access.

Resources

Shipman Library will seek to develop resources conducive to the achievement of its mission. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to the provision of:

  1. a knowledgeable and approachable staff that is able to furnish or act as a guide to desired information;
  2. a collection that primarily seeks to support the curriculum, and which is therefore developed in collaboration with the faculty;
  3. a collection that secondarily seeks to support the broader objectives of a liberal arts education, as well as cultural career, health, and recreational interests;
  4. a collection that seeks especially to support understanding of the world's different cultures, including their interdependence;
  5. a collection that is representative of people of diverse origins, backgrounds, and views;
  6. a collection that emphasizes current and highly relevant information, and which is there examined and weeded on a regular basis;
  7. materials in a wide variety of formats, including those available through remote electronic access, that address both the range of information needs and individual learning styles;
  8. equipment and technology that is both sufficiently current, and kept in good repair.

Services

Shipman Library will seek to develop services conducive to the achievement of its goals. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to the provision of:

  1. reference and referral services, including database searching services, that emphasize teaching students how to become independent users of information;
  2. a comprehensive library instruction program that seeks to help students become skilled at locating, evaluating, and using information;
  3. interlibrary loan services that emphasize supplying students with necessary resources in an efficient and timely manner.