Practical Theology

Guide to Library Resources

Welcome to the Steelman Library course guide for the Practical Theology online graduate course!

This course guide consists of tutorial videos and information for learning how to access and use library resources as an online student. This guide also highlights library resources that are recommended for this particular course. Steelman Library at Southeastern University offers a wide variety of print and electronic research materials as well as research and citation assistance for online students. Our religion librarian, Rev. Glenn Pearl, is available to answer questions and assist you with finding specific religion resources. He may be contacted via phone or email.

Library Resources for Online Students

Though you may not be on our physical campus, you still have access to Southeastern University's library resources: books (print and electronic), research databases, journal articles, librarian assistance, and more. Make sure you read the special privileges for online students listed below. On this course guide will find links that will provide access to the library services and materials you need for this course.

As an online student, you have extra privileges that on-campus students do not have. Please refer to the Borrowing Policies and link to our online Materials Request form to learn more about how to access library materials as a distance student.

Borrowing Policies

If you are an online student and unable to visit the physical library, you can request books to be sent to your home. Journal articles and eBooks are also available using the library's databases. Print books can be checked our for 2 weeks.

Materials Request

All requests for library materials (print journal articles, book chapters, print books) can be submitted using the online form HERE.

For questions regarding library materials requests, please email circ@seu.edu. 

NOTE: Please be sure you include as much information as possible when submitting your request, including: student ID number, your degree program, title of book/journal, author, and publication date. (For journal articles, please include both the title of the journal as well as the title of the article.)

After processing your request, the library will email the information you've requested. Physical books will be mailed to you.

• MyFIRE

  
• Library Website

  
• Library Catalog

  
• SEU.edu

  

Getting Started

Using the Databases - Journals

Using the Databases - eBooks

Citing Your Research

• MyFIRE

  
• Library Website

  
• Library Catalog

  
• SEU.edu

  

• Academic Advisors

• Business
• Christian Ministries and Religion
• Communication
• Education
• Graduate and Doctoral Studies
• Natural and Health Sciences

SEU Login Required

• EBSCO eBooks

  
  Books can be read online or downloaded (Adobe Digital Editions required for download).

Open Access - No Login Required

• Grace Ebooks
  Hundreds of free PDF Christian ebooks. Search box is at the bottom of the page.
• HathiTrust

  
  Provides preservation and access services for public domain and in-copyright content from a variety of sources. Microsoft, and in-house partner institution initiatives. Open Access
• Post-Reformation Digital Library - Biblical Books
  Commentaries, disputations, and sermons on all of the books of the Bible. Sort by language, publication date, author, title, and more.
• Project Gutenberg

  
  30,000 public domain ebooks with free open access

EBSCO eBooks are online versions of print books that your library has either purchased with a perpetual license or via an annual subscription. eBooks that are owned will be available to the library in perpetuity, with provisions being made for long term access and preservation. eBooks available via subscription are renewed annually for the library to retain access. EBSCO eBooks are available from all major academic publishers in virtually all academic disciplines.

EBSCO eBooks offer a number of advantages over their print counterparts.  Users can:

• Download titles to mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, Kindle Fires, and Android Devices
• Search within a book for specific words or phrases
• Save, print, or email chapters or sections
• Copy and paste portions of text for easy access during the research process
• Link to books or book chapters for easy reference or social sharing
• Save a list of favorite books to a personal book shelf
• Generate or export citations to bibliographic management tools
• Save notes to a personal folder with an EBSCOhost account
• Navigate between sections or chapters and the index via linking
• Place holds on titles with limited simultaneous user licenses (though most titles are available for unlimited access)

If you’re interested in making a purchase of an eBook for the library collection, contact your subject librarian.

EBSCO’s online eBook viewer supports reading on desktop or laptop computers and tablet devices. Our reader is browser-based, so there’s no need to download special software or hardware; users simply search, click and immediately start reading.

• EBSCO Connect

  For more information or to contact Support, visit EBSCO Help.

• Tutorials

  View our Tutorials page on YouTube to watch our short videos on how to use EBSCO products.

• Terms of Use

  See our EBSCO LibGuides Terms of Use information.

Adobe Digital Editions

In order to download EBSCO eBooks, you must have Adobe Digital Editions installed on your computer. You will also need to use Adobe Digital Editions to transfer an eBook to a supported portable eReader device.

Adobe Digital Editions is a free download available at this link:
http://www.adobe.com/products/digital-editions/download.html

Recommended Browser Settings for EBSCO eBooks

• For Adobe Acrobat Reader Browser Requirements and settings for all supported browsers, click here.

• For general browser requirements for the EBSCOhost interface, click here.

• We recommended the following browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

• Searching eBooks
• Reading eBooks
• Downloading eBooks
• Downloading eBooks on Mobile Devices
• EBSCO eBooks on the EBSCO App

This tutorial demonstrates how to search for eBooks and read them online using the eBook Viewer.

EBSCO eBooks are compatible with:

• Desktop Computers
• iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
• Android Phones and Tablets
• eBook Readers that support Adobe DRM
• See More Information

eBook Apps:

• Adobe Digital Editions

Create a MyEBSCO Account

In order to download EBSCO eBooks to your computer or your portable device to read with the Adobe Digital Editions mobile app, you must create a personal MyEBSCO folder.

To create a personal account:

1. Log into EBSCOhost and click the “Sign In” link along the top of the page.
2. Click “Create a new Account.”
3. Enter the relevant information and remember your Username and Password.
4. Use your new Username and Password to log in to MyEBSCO.

Checking Out EBSCO eBooks with your Google Account

Google Sign In allows you to log into your library's EBSCO resources and to create a personal My EBSCOhost account using your Google login credentials (i.e. Gmail account).

Once your personal My EBSCOhost account has been created with your Google credentials, you can use that account to check out and download EBSCO eBooks.

To learn more about Google Sign In, see:

Google Sign In FAQs

To checkout and download eBooks to your computer:

1. Search EBSCOhost for eBook titles of interest.
2. Select the book that you would like to read by clicking on “Download This eBook (Offline)” in the result list
3. Select a Checkout Period and click “Checkout & Download”
4. When the File Download box opens, select “Open” and the eBook opens in Adobe® Digital Editions.

To learn more, see Checking out and Downloading EBSCO eBooks on EBSCO Help.

This tutorial demonstrates how to download EBSCO eBooks to your mobile device and read them using the free Adobe Digital Editions app.

Can I print or save EBSCO eBook pages as a PDF?

Depending on publisher-specified limits, up to 100 pages of an EBSCO eBook can be printed, saved or emailed as a PDF file (per user) from within the eBook viewer to be printed at a later time.

Notes:

• Some titles may not allow for printing due to individual publisher-specified limits.
• The number of pages may vary depending on individual publisher-specified limits.
• If you have reached your printing limit, the option to print or save eBook pages will be temporarily unavailable.

To learn how to save, print, or email eBook Chapters, see:

• How to Print, E-mail or Save EBSCO eBooks Pages as a PDF

What is the EPUB format?

EPUB has become the industry standard format for delivering eBooks, because it enables publishers to create books that behave more like web content.

EPUB titles are often embedded with links to help the user navigate between sections, from the index to the relevant pages, and out to the open web.

To learn more about EPUB format and the difference between EPUB and PDF format, see the following FAQs:

• What is EPUB for EBSCO eBooks?
• What is the difference between PDF and EPUB when downloading EBSCO eBooks?
• What is the difference between viewing EBSCO eBooks in PDF and EPUB formats online?

How do I cite EBSCO eBooks?

EBSCO eBooks are available in both PDF and EPUB formats. PDF books have page numbers that typically correlate with the print version of the title, and those page numbers may be used for citation purposes. EPUB eBooks are formatted with reflowable text, which means the text resizes to fit the viewing window, and therefore they do not have stable pagination.

Most citation style guides, particularly in the humanities, make allowances for eBooks without stable page numbers. Visit our Support Site FAQ for reference if you’re trying to cite an eBook.

How do I cite an eBook?

• EBSCO Connect

  For more information or to contact Support, visit EBSCO Help.

• Tutorials

  View our Tutorials page on YouTube to watch our short videos on how to use EBSCO products.

• Terms of Use

  See our EBSCO LibGuides Terms of Use information.

To find articles published in periodicals (magazines, newspapers, journals, etc.), you will need to use a database. Databases can be multi-disciplinary (EBSCO, Proquest) or subject specific (ERIC, PSYCInfo). They can be searched in numerous ways: by author, title of the article or periodical, by keyword, or subject.

How to Select a Database

Click the "Library Databases" link below. You will find descriptions of database contents printed next to the database link.

Full-Text Available or Citation/Abstract Only?

If you need to be able to read the article immediately, be sure to click the "Full Text Only" box near the search box.

Locating a Known Article

If you are looking for a known article (you already have the citation from a reference book, bibliography, another article, etc.), try:

• Use the A-to-Z Journal List link below - Search by journal title to see if a particular journal is fulltext and to be directed to that full text content
• Search the library catalog by journal title to find out if a particular journal title (magazine, journal, newspaper, etc.) is available in print. Print periodicals are arranged alphabetically by title on the 1st floor of the library. Older issues can be found on the 2nd Floor.
• Do a search on the web. Although most journal articles are not available for free, sometimes you may find what you are looking for.
• If you cannot locate the full-text in print or electronic format, you may request the item using the library's interlibrary loan service.

Resources

• Request Library Materials Form
• A to Z Journal List (EBSCO)

  
  Alphabetic Title Listing of All Journals, Print and Electronic, Available.
• SEU Library Catalog

• Academic Search Complete

  
  Scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text databases accessed in one search.
• Oxford English Dictionary

  
  The accepted authority on English language meaning, history, and pronunciation.
• ProQuest

  
  General index of articles on nearly every topic.
• SIRS Issue Researcher

  
  A comprehensive database portal which is comprised of several distinct reference databases covering social, scientific, health, historic, business, economic, political and global issues.

• Atla Religion Database with Atla Serials PLUS

  

  Journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion.

• Karl Barth Library

  

  The collection features the entire corpus of Barth's Gesamtausgabe, Theologischer Verlag Zürich (TVZ) and Princeton Theological Seminary.

• New Testament Abstracts

  

  Research and bibliographic aid covering the New Testament and its historical milieu.

• Old Testament Abstracts

  

  Indexes and abstracts of articles related to Old Testament studies. Ebsco.

• MyFIRE

  
• Library Website

  
• Library Catalog

  
• SEU.edu

  

Circulation

circ@seu.edu
863.667.5059

Reference

863.667.5089

Visit our Library Faculty & Staff Contact page

When you can't access an article or book, remember to request it from ILL at no cost.

Click this icon in a database, or use the Request Library Materials link below.

Request Library Materials Form
Request (books, chapters, journal articles)
Contact ILL at ill@seu.edu

• You can request books and articles not available at SEU or other local libraries through Interlibrary Loan.
• Articles will be emailed to you whenever possible.
• Books must be picked up from the Steelman Library.
• Use links from resources to make requests, or use the Interlibrary Loan Request Form.

It is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources.

Zotero works with Microsoft Word to create your bibliography for you.

Additional information on Chicago/Turabian style may be found at the websites below.  Please be aware that websites may refer to Author-Date or In-Text styles that are used by some colleges/departments, but the notes (usually footnotes) and bibliography styles are used in most situations at Southeastern:

• Owl Purdue Online Writing Lab - Chicago/Turabian

• Chicago Style Citation Quick Guide

  This Quick Guide provides guidance on notes and bibliography and is free, but other tools at this website are not free.

• University of Chicago Press

• Turabian Template (Click to Download Word template)
  Created by Glenn Pearl to demonstrate the proper formatting for Turabian. Includes correct page numbers, margins, spacing, etc.
• Turabian Template - Zotero (Click to Download Word template)
  Word template that works with Zotero to create Turabian footnotes and bibliography. 
• SEU Turabian 9th Guide for Religion Students
  Revised by Glenn Pearl.

Circulation

circ@seu.edu
863.667.5059

Reference

863.667.5089

Visit our Library Faculty & Staff Contact page

For additional examples, see pages 171-186 in the Turabian Manual (2018).

For additional examples, see pages 187-193 in the Turabian Manual (2018).

For additional examples, see pages 186-196 in the Turabian Manual (2018).

For additional examples, see pages 171-186 in the Turabian Manual (2018).

 For additional examples, see pages 187-193 in the Turabian Manual (2018). 

 For additional examples, see pages 187-193 in the Turabian Manual (2018). 

For additional examples, see pages 186-196 in the Turabian Manual (2018).