University Library Resources, Services, and Facility
Students turn to the Christopher Center Library to reach a level of independence in finding resources and in understanding the mechanics of information; utilizing computers for retrieval; and reading, interpreting, and writing citations. They learn informationseeking skills, including how to articulate their research needs. Most importantly, students learn how to evaluate information, find different viewpoints, and recognize the biases of any author through customized assistance. The library faculty provide course-specific, assignment-based information literacy instruction in collaboration with each academic college, as well as through individual student research appointments.
The Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources has an important place in student academic achievement. It is home to all University library faculty and staff, services, resources, and materials; the publicly accessible Help Desk for Information Technology; the Academic Success Center; the Access and Accommodations Resource Center; the campus Writing Center; and the University Archives and Special Collections. At 105,000 square feet, the building provides a comfortable atmosphere for research, inquiry, discussion, and study. With 178 public computers, 30 charging stations, three fireplace lounges, a gourmet coffee shop, and dozens of group study spaces, students will find the Christopher Center to be a modern, state-of-the-art campus facility to meet their research needs. It can hold a total of 600,000 library volumes, both on open bookshelves throughout the building and within its robotic high density storage and retrieval system.
The Library plays an important role in scholarly communication by organizing print and electronic information for easy retrieval. Accessible via the Library’s home page, library.valpo.edu, the Library offers access to scholarly information across academic disciplines within more than 55,000 journals, 150,000 e-books, and approximately 190 electronic databases. The Library’s discovery tool (Summon), searches most of the library’s paid content (articles, books, etc.) on one platform. An online public catalog of its holdings, primarily books in print and electronic format, is searchable in a variety of ways. The Christopher Center holds the Moellering Collection, which is comprised of more than 340,000 volumes, adding approximately 4,000 new print volumes each year. In addition, the campus community may access over 8,800 e-books through the catalog. Students may request interlibrary loan service for articles and books that are not held locally. New services and resources are continuously evaluated for selection, acquisition, and organization to support the mission of the University.
Information Technology
The Office of Information Technology (IT) coordinates and manages all aspects of technology on campus. From servers and data networks to communications systems and classroom technology, IT assists the campus community in a multitude of ways.
The Valparaiso University Network
IT manages services which provide secure email, websites, administrative data, shared file space, network printing, general productivity software, discipline-specific applications, and many other functions.
Residence hall rooms, offices, classrooms, laboratories, and special-purpose computer labs are connected to the Valparaiso University network via wired or wireless access. This network provides access to the internet, printing, network storage space, library resources, and a variety of other applications. For those living off campus or away from campus, the department has provided opportunities to connect to campus computers that may contain important software programs to which users might not otherwise have access.
Computer Access for Students
While students are welcome to come to campus with personal computers, laptops, tablets, personal printers and mobile devices, they also have access to computers and printers all across campus. Each residence hall has a computer lab open 24 hours per day for residents with multiple workstations and network printer access. All residence hall rooms have both wired and wireless access available, allowing those who bring their own computers and/or smart-TVs to connect to the campus network. For non-residential students, there is a computer lab in the Harre Union that is also available 24 hours per day through access with their Valpo ID (OneCard). Other computer labs and printers are located across campus in academic buildings and the Christopher Center (Library). Many campus printers can be accessed wirelessly from personal computers using our PaperCut system as well, which allows students access to an established quota from which they may print all year.
Assistance with Resources
The IT Help Desk, located on the first floor of the Christopher Center, is managed by professional staff and student consultants who will answer technology-related questions and route service requests (ITickets) to technical staff. The Help Desk should be the first stop for assistance with campus technology, and is accessible in a variety of ways, including online (valpo.edu/IT), email (helpdesk@valpo.edu), phone (219.464.5678), and in person.
The IT staff can assist with questions regarding email, web browsers, anti-virus/anti-malware applications, printing, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, desktop publishing, an online course management system, an online registration and records system, statistical analysis software, presentation graphics, mobile device connectivity, and more. If a campus member needs assistance with technology, the IT team is there to help!
In addition to the above-mentioned services, the IT department also provides access to the entire online learning library of LinkedIn Learning. This personal and professional resource provides 24-hour access to thousands of video-based courses on business, technical, and creative topics for learners of all levels via any device connected to the internet. We encourage all students, faculty and staff to check out this free resource to gain new knowledge and support developing passions!
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