Guide to the Brown-Daniel Library

Welcome to the Brown-Daniel Library. The following information will acquaint you with services available to users of our resources.

Fall and Spring Semester Hours:

  • Monday-Thursday             7:30 a.m. - 11:45 p.m.
  • Friday                               8:00 a.m. -  4:30 p.m.
  • Saturday                          10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  • Sunday                             2:00 p.m. - 11:45 p.m.
Any change of hours will posted on the front door of the library and indicated on the library homepage. This includes holidays, midterm and final examinations, along with any weather-related closings.

Circulation

Books may be borrowed for three weeks. Fines are 10 cents per day, per book. There is a five-day grace period. On the sixth day after the book is due, the fine will be 60 cents. Courtesy overdue book and fine notices are sent to patrons. At the end of the month, if materials are still overdue, a hold will be placed on the patron's account. Library records must be cleared in order to register for classes or graduate. Please note that students, faculty, and staff must have a University ID to check out materials. A maximum of 10 books may be checked out at a time with your University ID. Community patrons, with a valid Tennessee driver's license may check out 4 books. Telephone renewals are encouraged. Reference, reserve, government documents, and special collections materials are to be used in the library only. The circulation desk closes at 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 4:15 p.m. on Friday, and 5:45 p.m. on Saturday. Please observe library schedules and allow time for checking out materials.

Reserve

The Reserve Department, located on the first floor, is at the circulation desk. This collection contains undergraduate and/or graduate level material placed on hold by teaching faculty for class assignments. Circulating copies of TSU theses and dissertations are also housed in this area. A valid University ID card is required to use these items.

Reference

This department, located on the second floor, contains a variety of online and print materials. Online resources in this area include computer workstations used to access online databases available through the library homepage such as ERIC, InfoTrac, Lexis-Nexis, OCLC FirstSearch, and other resources. Print materials include periodicals, indexes, and abstracts, general and specialized reference books, and government documents. In addition, microforms and reader/printer machines for viewing/photocopying are available in this area.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan (ILL), is a service provided for students, faculty, and staff of the university. If the library does not own a needed book or does not have a specific journal article, the ILL staff will request the item from another library. If there is a charge for borrowing the item, the user will have to pay the charges. Overdue fees and/or other unpaid charges for interlibrary materials must be cleared to prevent other consequences to borrowers. Interlibrary services are part of the Reference Department. Please contact this area for additional information.

Gateways to Information

Tennessee State University Libraries and Media Centers provide access to the Libraries' online catalog, other library catalogs and numerous databases through gateway software provided by the Data Research Associates (DRA) and the University Computer Network. Most terminals and workstations in the Libraries are connected to this system, and the campus network provides access to databases around the world via the Internet and the World Wide Web. Some of these electronic resources may be accessed from off-campus sites by users with valid TSU ID cards and/or network accounts with passwords. Search results may be printed or downloaded on personal floppy disks; some sites only allow viewing of information.

Special Collections

Special Collections contains archival material about Tennessee State University as well as materials on African/American and Tennessee history, literature, arts, and culture. Located on the third floor of the library, it is open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:15 Monday through Friday. For more information concerning the resources located in Special Collections, please visit the Special Collections & Archives homepage or call (615) 963-5219.

Miscellaneous Information

Food and drinks are not allowed in the library. Please be considerate of others, and refrain from making any unnecessary noise. On-campus and off-campus calls may be made from designated telephones in the library entrance area. In addition, please note that as a general rule, the library does not include textbooks for current courses in the circulating collection.

There are two typewriters and several computers with Internet access for student use located on the second floor; these computers are not designated for word processing applications. Computers with Microsoft Word and WordPerfect are located in the computer laboratory on the third floor. Although  paper is provided for printing, users must furnish their own disks for downloading. All of the computers and the typewriters are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Persons found to be in violation of the TSU Code of Academic Computing Practice will be asked to discontinue use of the resources.

The library is also equipped with a security system and surveillance cameras. At closing time, patrons and students are asked to leave the building promptly. Persons attempting to leave after the security system has been set will be subject to fines and disciplinary action.

Library at Avon Williams Campus

The library at the Williams Campus is located on the first floor of the building, located at 10th and Charlotte Avenue in downtown Nashville. Hours are as follows: 8:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 Friday and Saturday, and 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, please visit the Library at the Avon Williams Campus Homepage or call (615) 963-7188.