Why has Regent invested so much to ensure you have access to an amazing library full of resources, librarians, and staff?
From ALA (American Librarian Association):
Academic libraries serve colleges and universities, their students, staff, and faculty. Because larger institutions may have several libraries on their campuses dedicated to serving particular schools such as law and science libraries, academic librarianship offers a great opportunity to utilize subject expertise. Professional status varies by institution, but many academic librarians have faculty status including tenure.
Today’s academic librarians are involved in a variety of challenging activities. They may:
consult with individuals in analyzing, identifying, and fulfilling their information needs
create campus-wide information literacy programs and deliver classroom instruction to strengthen information literacy skills
select, organize, and facilitate access to information in a variety of formats
keep abreast of technological advancements and develop strategies to take advantage of them
plan, implement, and administer computer-based systems, electronic database design, and manage Web sites
collaborate with classroom faculty, computer specialists, and instructional developers
contribute to effective teamwork among colleagues
participate in and lead public relations efforts to promote and raise funds for academic libraries
A librarian liaison simply means your department has an assigned librarian who has taken the time to understand your program and the resources commonly associated with it. When you have research needs, while any of the librarians are more than happy to assist, your liaison likely has heard many similar questions already and has an established pathway to get you where you need to be in a timely manner.
Access to a librarian is available in several ways.
*Click “Ask a Librarian” on our homepage library website to see all the ways you can connect.
*Read Regent University’s Vision and Mission Statements, below:
America’s Premier Christian University
From its inception, Regent University’s focus has been on transforming the world. The motto of the school, Christian Leadership to Change the World, points to our desire to impact lives across the globe. Regent is accomplishing this vision by consistently delivering excellent graduate and undergraduate programs both online and on campus in order to prepare Christian leaders for lives of significant purpose and service. With the university’s stature as an institution of excellence ever-increasing, we humbly but expectantly move to an even higher level of academic quality and global influence.
Vision: Our vision is to be the most influential, Christian, transformational university in the world.
Mission: Regent University serves as a center of Christian thought and action to provide excellent education through a biblical perspective and global context equipping Christian leaders to change the world.
The Vision, Mission & Values of Regent University Library:
Vision: The Library's vision is to support Regent University in becoming a leading global Christian university by empowering our students, staff, and faculty with the research skills to be self-sufficient, life-long learners.
Mission: The Library's mission is to support Regent University in preparing future Christian leaders to change the world for the glory of God by providing outstanding information resources, services, and instruction.
Values: Christ-centeredness–The Library fosters a Spirit-filled environment in which prayer occupies an important role. We adhere to the words of Christ that “without me, ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Excellence–Like Regent University, the Library’s ultimate purpose is service to the Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly, we strive for the highest standard of excellence in our service to the Regent community (2 Corinthians 8:7).
Integrity–The Library has been entrusted with significant University resources. We regard stewardship of these resources as sacred trust (Matthew 25: 14-30).
Innovation–In the Bible, the Lord requires His followers to change and innovate (Genesis 12:1). The Library regards innovation as inseparable from excellence and integrity.
Why choose to pursue a Christian education?
Our goal at Regent University is the pursuit of the transcendental values of truth, goodness, and beauty because those classical ideals show us God’s creation and his character.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
These transcendental values are reflected in our pursuit of academic excellence and sound research.
Truth: We should seek credible or authoritative information.
a) We learn to recognize the signs of credibility by examining an author’s credentials, background, logic, worldview, biases, assumptions, & research methods. We also examine the reputation of publishers and organizations that have editorial oversight over published material, and look at the genre, date, context, depth, documentation, and honesty of a source.
b) We welcome a dive into the deep-end when exploring an issue, looking for truth, even if it challenges our preconceived notions or cultural narratives. We intentionally look at all sides of an issue, explore what different disciplines have to say, and weigh what we learn against our biblical foundation. We are curious and persistent.
Goodness: In His Word, the Lord provides standards for what is good, but the world sometimes opposes these standards. As we pursue understanding in our chosen fields of study, we are invited to wrestle with information and ultimately must discern what constitutes the “good” in accordance with God’s Word.
Beauty: The wisdom of God’s creation, which all scholars are studying in one form or another, is naturally attractive and gives joy, peace, meaning, and pleasure to life. Beauty is what is “lovely,” according to Peter Kreeft. This is especially evident in studying the arts or the beauty of nature, but also in the study of human beings. The ultimate goal is seeing the beauty of God’s world and of His nature. According to theologian Kenneth Samples, God's beauty engages our emotions and affections, naturally drawing us to Himself through the evidence of creation. As Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” What we see here on earth reflects the beauty and grandeur of its Creator. In our world, we can get bogged down in the imperfections of life, but scholarship can give us a vision of how God intended things to be and how He is still good and lovely.