About Us

The Reference Department:

• introduces you to the information resources available through the Missouri S&T library
• helps you develop effective search strategies
• explains search tools such as the catalog and database
• presents classroom instruction for interested faculty

Availability and Contact Info

The Reference Desk is staffed from 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday.
During spring and fall semester, we are also available from 6pm-8:30pm Sunday-Tuesday.

Email: library@mst.edu
Phone: (573) 341-4007  

What We Offer

Personalized Assistance

Our reference librarians are glad to help with any of your queries, from showing you how to find a book to helping you set up search strategies for your doctoral dissertation. During regular business hours and select evening hours a librarian is available at the reference desk to help anyone who walks up with whatever they need.

Chat Reference

We also provide help online, offering live chat services when you see the "Live Help" icon flashing in the navigation bar on the left. You can email questions to library@mst.edu at any time, and you can call us at (573) 341-4007 during regular business hours.

RAP Sessions

The reference librarians offer Research Assistance Program (RAP) sessions, where you can schedule an appointment with a librarian for a session of in-depth, one-on-one assistance in developing and executing research for a project or assignment. RAP sessions are free of charge and can be scheduled for any time during regular business hours, and they are available both to individuals and to small groups. To set up a RAP session, you can visit the reference desk during business hours or use our online form at any time.

Book Requests

The reference librarians are also responsible for selecting new materials for the library's collection. If you know of a book we need to have, or if you find an area where our resources are too limited, let us know and we'll see what we can do.

Instruction Sessions

For faculty, staff, and student organizations, the reference department is happy to organize sessions promoting awareness of library resources and providing instruction on optimal use of those tools. These sessions can be scheduled at any time during the library's hours of operation and are free of charge to the department or group requesting them. To set up a library instruction session, contact our instruction librarian.

Library Assignment Preparation

If you would like your students to become more familiar with the library and its resources, we can help you design an effective assignment that will expose them to what we have to offer and give them valuable experience in using the tools needed to access information. For help with this, please contact our instruction librarian.

Who We Are