Hiebert Library offers a wide array of resources to support the classroom, research, and recreational reading needs of the Fresno Pacific University community. Some of these resources are located in the library building, while others are available online or by courier delivery service. Resources available through the library include:
No matter what you're looking for, start your search at the Hiebert Library web page, where you'll find a Search box in which you can type your search terms. This takes you to the library's Discovery Service, where you will see your results and can enter additional search terms as needed. You can also bypass the library web page by going straight to the library discovery page.
The following categories are good ones to use when entering keywords in the search box:
You may combine as many of these categories into a single search as you wish.
Depending on how detailed your criteria were, your results may run to hundreds of thousands of items -- far too many for anyone to handle. You'll need to find a way to filter your results so that you find as much of what you want -- and as little of what you don't want -- as possible. There are three primary ways to sharpen the focus of your search: 1) Be as specific as possible in your search terms; 2) Use the Refine Your Search options to narrow your search results; and 3) use the Advanced Search screen.
1. Be as specific as possible
Try not to use overly-broad or vague terms when searching. A search for "chemistry," for example, will give you a ridiculous number of results (try it and see!). Instead, use more than one word, and enclose phrases in quotation marks. Both techniques will provide a more manageable list of better results.
2. Refine your results: If you didn't request a more specific set of records, the discovery service will give you every possible type of record -- print, audio-visual, digital, and anything else we might have. Depending on your search, you may prefer one of those types more than the others, or would at least prefer to look at them one at a time. You can narrow your search by using the gray "Refine Your Search" box on the left side of search results screen. If you're accessing the discovery service with a smart phone or other small screen, you will need to press Filters in order to see the refinement options.
Each of the items in that box can be used to limit your search results to items meeting that criterion. You can select as many items as you want. Here's a list of some of the most useful ones, with a description of what they do:
Full Text Online: Displays e-books, online articles available through databases such as EBSCOHost, JSTOR, and SpringerLink, as well as streaming audio and video resources.
Scholarly & Peer Reviewed: displays only online articles that were published in peer-reviewed journals.
Content type: Options in this section allow you to see only the specific type of resource you choose.
Publication date: If you're looking for items published recently or during a certain time period, use this option.
Explore other items as you wish, but the list above will generally be the most useful.
3. Use the Advanced Search screen
There are two ways to activate advanced search. From the library home page, an option for Advanced Search appears below the search box. If you're already on the results page, click the Options link on to the right of the search box.
Advanced search allows you to sharpen the focus of your search in several ways. Many of them are the same as the options available in the Refine Your Search section, but there are a few new ones.
You can specify the exact field in which you want to search. For example, a search for books written by Barbara Tuchman will be most successful if you search for her name only in the Author field. If, on the other hand, you'd like to find things written about Barbara Tuchman, then search for her in the Subject field.
Another powerful tool found here is the ability to link several terms together in a single search. At the top of the Advanced Search screen you'll see two search boxes separated by the word AND. If you prefer, the linking word can be change to OR or NOT. You may add as many search fields to this page as you wish by clicking the + sign to the right of the search boxes.
This feature allows you to perform more sophisticated searches, such as the following:
The Hiebert Library does have print copies of most theses and dissertations written by FPU students here in the library. They’re searchable via our Library catalog (they can be found through our Discovery Service).
To start from the Discovery Service search box, type Fresno Pacific University and the word dissertations and whatever theses or dissertations we have will show up. They will either appear as print books in the library or as eBooks. Don't forget to add in some of your own keywords to tailor the search to your own specific topic. For increased control in searching, the librarians recommend you enter all these things in Discovery Service's Advanced Search and work from there.
Remember that after you've entered your search terms in the boxes and clicked to search, you should choose the "Catalog" limiter on the left side panel. This makes it certain that our discovery services filters out entries for outside dissertations and theses and only brings up those written by Fresno Pacific students. Remember that if you decide to use the Advanced Search first you can always click over to "Catalog" once you're done.
If the dissertation or thesis is available electronically, there will be a link in the full record to the full text. If it is only available in print you will need to come into the library with the call number to access it.
Can't find the book you need? Try Link+
If you can't find a particular book in Hiebert Library (or if our copy is checked out), you may be able to request it through Link+, a consortium of over 60 libraries across California. It provides quick courier-delivery access to almost 7 million unique items. Items can be delivered to Hiebert Library or any FPU regional center. There is another library guide that gives step-by-step instructions on how to use Link+.