Services and Policies

(Click on a subject to read more information.)

Alumni Services
Audio-Visual Equipment
Borrowing Privileges at Other Libraries
Circulation Information
Computers
Course Reserves
Disability Services
Doctor of Ministry Student Services
Faculty Services
Gifts and Donations
Group Study Room
InMinistry Student Services
Interlibrary Loan
Library Cards
Mailing Library Material
Requesting Materials Currently Checked Out
Requesting Materials from Other Libraries
Seminary of the East Student Services
Visitor Services

Alumni Services

Bethel Seminary Library provides the following services to alumni:

Use of the library. Alumni are welcome to use the resources of the library onsite.
Borrowing privileges. Alumni may register for a library card that will allow them to check out material from Bethel Seminary Library.
Access to the CLICnet catalog. This is the online catalog of the holdings of Bethel Seminary Library.
Access to the ATLASerials® database. Click here to register for online access. Other databases are available for use in the library. Remote access to other databases may be available through your local public library.
Research help. Click on the Ask the Librarian button on any page to contact the library by email. Librarians are available to assist you in your research.

Audio-Visual Equipment

The library has VCR/DVD players for use in viewing videos in the library. Ask a librarian about access and availability. Cassette players and headphones are available at the circulation desk. These may be used for listening to cassette tapes and CDs in the library. (St. Paul and San Diego)

The seminary library does not have audio-visual equipment available for check-out. Students, faculty, and staff on the St. Paul campus may contact the Audio-Visual Department at Bethel University Library

Borrowing Privileges at Other Libraries

Special agreements are in place to request material from CLIC, Minnesota Theological Library Association (MTLA), Southern California Theological Library Association (SCATLA), as well as Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library Association (SEPTLA).

Bethel Seminary St. Paul students, faculty, and staff have borrowing privileges at Luther Seminary, St. Paul Seminary, and United Seminary libraries. Please know and honor the policies of any library from which you borrow materials.

Circulation Information

St. Paul and San Diego
All items taken out of the library must be checked out at the circulation desk. Reference materials and periodicals do not circulate.

All borrowed material must be returned to the circulation desk so that it can be checked in properly. There are book return slots located at each library. Please use these slots only when the library is closed.

You may renew materials online using the MyAccount feature in the CLICnet catalog. Materials may be renewed twice as long as no one else has requested them. The library reserves the right to recall an item that has been renewed if someone requests it.

Circulation Information:

    Books - 6 weeks
    Audio-Visual Materials - Differs on each campus
    Reference Materials - Non-circulating
    Periodicals - Non-circulating

Bethel Seminary of the East
All materials may be taken out of the library. Each item must be checked out of the library. If a librarian is not available to provide this service, complete the self-checkout form and deposit it in the box provided for completed forms.

All borrowed items must be returned to the book cart or book drop (if available) so that they can be checked in properly. Please do not reshelve any items which have been removed from the shelves.

Circulation Information:

    Books - 6 months
    Audio-Visual Materials - 6 months
    Periodicals - 1 week

Computers

St. Paul and San Diego
Computers are located throughout the library for both students' and public use. A computer lab is also available for students and classes to use. A notice will be posted when the computer lab is reserved for a class. All the computers are connected to a network printer. The library provides the printer for educational purposes only.

Wireless network access is available in the St. Paul and San Diego libraries. In St. Paul, the wireless access point is located in the main building and on the first floor of the library addition. In San Diego, the wireless access point is located on the third floor of the library and the range covers most of the library. Click here for wireless configuration information.

The Information Technology Services (ITS) Help Desk is available to answer computer questions. Users must abide by the ITS Acceptable-Use Policy. Computers are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please be considerate of others' needs.

The library houses the computers, but the library staff is not responsible for dealing with computer hardware or software issues. Contact the ITS Help Desk Online or call 651-638-6500 (1-800-255-8706 x6500) if you have questions or problems regarding the computers.

All students using the on-campus computer network must log in to use the printing resources. Each student receives 500 free pages per academic year and every page printed will be counted. Each page printed beyond the free allotment will result in a charge of 11 cents to the student's account. See Frequently Asked Questions About Printing for more information.

St. Paul students click here for instructions on using the network printers located in the seminary library.

Information about computer accounts and services is available on the ITS website.

Seminary of the East
Contact the ITS Help Desk Online or call 651-638-6500 (1-800-255-8706 x6500) if you have questions or problems accessing Bethel resources.

Information about computer accounts and services is available on the ITS website.

Course Reserves

Professors often put books, audio-visual material, or periodical articles on reserve in the library in order to ensure that they are accessible to all of their students. The professor designates the loan period for each item: 2 hours, 2 days, or 1 week. You may search course reserves by the professor's name or by the course name/number.

Disability Services

St. Paul
Please click here for services available at Bethel Seminary St. Paul Library.

San Diego
Please click here for services available at Bethel Seminary San Diego Library.

Doctor of Ministry Student Services

Bethel Seminary Library provides the following services to its Doctor of Ministry students:

Access to the CLICnet catalog. This is the online catalog of holdings of Bethel Seminary Library and the CLIC consortium.
Access to online databases. These databases provide indexes to journal articles and several include full-text journal articles. Because these databases are available only to Bethel Seminary students, you must sign-up for access.
Library materials. You may request books and journals articles to be mailed to you using the online forms.
- To request books listed in CLICnet, just click on the red Request button. Enter your name and barcode number. It is very important that you select BETHEL SEMINARY (ST PAUL) as the pickup location.
- To request journal articles or books not available in CLICnet, please use the appropriate online request form.
Research help. Click on the Ask the Librarian button on any page to contact the library by email. You may schedule an appointment with a librarian to assist you in your research. You may also consult the Doctor of Ministry research guide.

Faculty Services

Bethel Seminary Library provides the following services to seminary faculty:

Access to the CLICnet catalog. This is the online catalog of holdings of Bethel Seminary Library and the CLIC consortium.
Access to online databases. These databases provide indexes to journal articles and several include full-text journal articles. Because these databases are available only to Bethel Seminary faculty, staff, and students, you must sign-up for off-campus access.
Audio-visual services provided by the Audio-Visual Department at Bethel University Library (St. Paul Campus)
Copyright information
Course reserves. St. Paul faculty may submit requests for course reserve material online. San Diego faculty and Seminary of the East faculty may contact their local library for information on reserve material.
Interlibrary loan service
- To request books listed in CLICnet, just click on the red Request button. Enter your name and barcode number, then select a pickup location.
- To request journal articles or books not available in CLICnet, please use the appropriate online request form.
New books added to the library in St. Paul, San Diego, and Seminary of the East.
Research help. Click on the Ask the Librarian button on any page to contact the library by email. You may also schedule an appointment with a librarian. Librarians are available to assist you in your research.
Teaching resources. A list of teaching resources available in the library and links to Internet resources.
Your reading recommendations. Submit suggested readings for students and other library patrons. Your recommendations will be posted on our "What's New" page.

Gifts and Donations

Bethel Seminary Library in all its locations gratefully accepts gifts and contributions for the development of its collections. Click here for the library gift policy.

Group Study Room

St. Paul
Room 16 in the basement of the library addition is available for group study. The room is available on a first-come, first served basis unless it is reserved. Please call 651-638-6184 to reserve the room.

InMinistry Student Services

Bethel Seminary Library provides the following services to its InMinistry students:

Access to the CLICnet catalog. This is the online catalog of holdings of Bethel Seminary Library and the CLIC consortium.
Access to online databases. These databases provide indexes to journal articles and several include full-text journal articles. Because these databases are available only to Bethel Seminary students, you must sign-up for access.
Library materials. You may request books and journals articles to be mailed to you using the online forms.
- To request books listed in CLICnet, just click on the red Request button. Enter your name and barcode number. It is very important that you select BETHEL SEMINARY (ST PAUL) as the pickup location.
- To request journal articles or books not available in CLICnet, please use the appropriate online request form.
Research help. Click on the Ask the Librarian button on any page to contact the library by email. You may schedule an appointment with a librarian to assist you in your research. You may also consult the Children's & Family Ministry research guide or the Transformational Leadership research guide.

Interlibrary Loan

Bethel Seminary Library offers interlibrary loan (ILL) services to current students, faculty, and staff in order to provide access to materials for research and study which are not available through the REQUEST feature in CLICnet. Click here for more information on using interlibrary loan.

Other Libraries: click here for Interlibrary Loan Forms and Policies

Library Cards

Bethel and CLIC patrons must present a valid ID card in order to check out material. Luther Seminary, United Seminary, and St. John's School of Theology-Seminary patrons may register for a library card at no charge. Please present two forms of identification, including a current ID card from your institution, when registering for a library card.

Other patrons may apply for a library card by coming to the library and filling out a registration form. The card may only be used at Bethel Seminary Library. There may be a limit on the number of items that can be checked out. Please call for current costs of library cards.

St Paul: 651-638-6184
San Diego: 619-582-8188, ext. 120
Seminary of the East: 612-812-4142

Mailing Library Material

St. Paul and San Diego
The library will mail books to Bethel Seminary students who do not have access to campus. Copies of journal articles will be delivered electronically. The library staff automatically mails material requested by InMinistry and Doctor of Ministry students unless we receive other instructions. Books are mailed at library rate. Students are responsible for returning books to the library either in person or by mail. A return address label is provided. The only cost for this service is the cost of postage for returning the books.

To request books listed in CLICnet, just click on the red Request button. Enter your name and barcode number. It is very important that you select BETHEL SEMINARY (ST PAUL) as the pickup location.
To request journal articles or books not available in CLICnet, please use the appropriate online request form.

Bethel Seminary of the East
Please call 612-812-4142 for information about the cost of mailing books and printing journal articles.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Requesting Materials Currently Checked Out

If an item is currently checked out, you may click on the red Request button in CLICnet to have it held for you when it is returned. You must enter your name and 14-digit library barcode number. You will be notified by email when the item is returned. Any item that has a request on it may not be renewed.

Requesting Materials from Other Libraries

If an item is available at a CLIC library, you may click on the red Request button in CLICnet to request it. You must enter your name and 14-digit library barcode number. You will be notified by email when the item available.

To request an item not available in CLICnet, see information about interlibrary loan.

Seminary of the East Student Services

Bethel Seminary Library provides the following services to Seminary of the East students:

Access to the CLICnet catalog. This is the online catalog of holdings of Bethel Seminary Library and the CLIC consortium.
Access to online databases. These databases provide indexes to journal articles and several include full-text journal articles. Because these databases are available only to Bethel Seminary students, you must sign-up for access.
Library materials. You may request books and journals articles to be mailed to you using the online forms.
- To request books listed in CLICnet, just click on the red Request button. Enter your name and barcode number. It is very important that you select BETHEL SEMINARY (ST PAUL) as the pickup location.
- To request journal articles or books not available in CLICnet, please use the appropriate online request form.
Research help. Click on the Ask the Librarian button on any page to contact the library by email. Librarians are available to assist you in your research.
For detailed information on using all of the library resources, refer to the Bethel Seminary of the East Library Handbook.

Visitor Services

Bethel Seminary Library provides the following services to visitors:

Borrowing privileges. Visitors may register for a library card that will allow them to check out material from Bethel Seminary Library.
Access to the CLICnet catalog. This is the online catalog of holdings of Bethel Seminary Library and the CLIC consortium.
Access to online databases. Visitors are welcome to use the online databases in the library. Remote access to online databases may be available through your local public library.
Research help. Click on the Ask the Librarian button on any page to contact the library by email. Librarians are available to assist you in your research.

Visitors to the St. Paul Library please note: if you will be coming to the library after 6:00 pm, please call 651-638-6184 to make arrangements for your visit.

Send mail to s-oslund@bethel.edu with questions or comments about this web site.