Library
The United States University Library mission is to support the learning, research, and academic success of the students, faculty, and alumni. Through campus and online information literacy, the library responds to the information needs of the USU community with a supportive student- and learning-centered approach.
The academic curricula are supported by access to online databases subscribed to by the University, and by text-based, recorded, and interactive web-based information literacy training. The comprehensive information literacy training program supports student research: the librarian provides research assistance in person, by telephone, by email, and by webinar; a virtual reference service is also available seven days a week to assist students and faculty.
The Library is located at the main campus and is open to students Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 10 to 2 pm during International sessions. The electronic library is in the online class platform (D2L Brightspace) as the “Library Corner.” Its resources are available 24/7. These include: databases, collections of peer-reviewed open access journals, government data and statistics, demographics, e-books, theses, worldwide open access collections, tutorials, and research guides. Additional online resources correspond to societies, associations, directories, and government information.
Online Databases: Students, instructors, and staff have access to online academic, peer-reviewed journals from Business Source Elite , CINAHL® Complete, MEDLINE®, ERIC®, Academic Search Elite, ProQuest Central (42 databases including: ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source), ProQuest E-Book Central, Regional Business News and RefWorks.
Library Services Include:
- Assist students with information literacy.
- Assist students in completing their weekly assignments and final projects.
- Reinforce students’ knowledge of databases and online information resources
- Reinforce students’ knowledge of American Psychological Association (APA) referencing and citation
- Engage students in American academic copyright and plagiarism policies
- Provide online library tutorials
Local students are encouraged to apply for a library card from the San Diego Public Library and the County Library systems. This allows students to check out books from San Diego CIRCUIT system which includes San Diego State University, University of San Diego, University of California San Diego, and University of California San Marcos. State university libraries and public libraries support online students all over the United States. Students are encouraged to investigate their state and local access options.