Library FAQs

You can use the library account to place a hold on a book, check to see what you have borrowed, extend the borrowing time of an item you have checked out. You will need to log into ‘My Library Account‘. Use your HPU username (no @highpoint.edu) and password. Once you are logged in, you can see all the items you have checked out; click on the “Renew” button next to the item(s) you would like to renew.

You can borrow as many books as you want for 28 days and then can renew for another 28 days. New fiction books check out for 14 days. You can check out DVDs for 3 days with a limit of 6 at a time. A detailed list of who can check out what, and for how long is available here.

There are 2 color printers located in Smith Library; one on the main floor behind the CD Collection, the other is on the lower floor near the Group Lab. There are 2 color printers in the Wanek Learning Commons business center. There are other color printers in buildings and dorms around campus. For larger scale printing jobs, special color printing, printing on photo paper or printing in large format, contact the Print Shop.

You can make copies, print and scan items at Smith Library on the 1st and 2nd floors, at the Wanek Center Learning Commons as well as other locations on campus. Scan your passport and then follow the prompts on the printer. (A Librarian will be around if you need help!)

This library guide explains how to use Follow-Me Print . This link will explain how to set up Follow Me Printing on your laptop.

To find items that your professor has placed on reserve for your course, click on Reserves in the left-hand menu on the HPU Libraries website. Enter your professor’s name or course number (such as ENG 2200). Click on the course number for your specific course and all the items on reserve will be listed. If the item is on electronic reserve, you should be able to click the link there to access it. All physical reserves are kept behind the circulation desk in Smith Library. Reserves must only be used in the library and typically have a 4-hour checkout period.

For more information on late or lost materials, please visit our Circulation Policies page.

If you have other questions about HPU Libraries or services we provide, please Contact us. Also you can link to our Faculty Services page and our Staff Services page.

You may drop off small donations (5 or fewer items that will not require attribution) at the Smith Library Circulation or Reference desk. For large donations, see our Donations Policy.

Interested in working in the library? That is music to our ears! Find out how to apply to a job on campus. Open library positions are posted each fall and spring.

Use the library’s online catalog, WorldCat Discovery, to search for books and other materials in the HPU Libraries collection. To see materials held only by HPU Libraries, narrow your search to HPU Libraries on the left-hand menu. Our catalog also allows you to search for materials held by other libraries in our area through the Triad Academic Library Association (TALA), and materials held by libraries around the world, which you can borrow through Interlibrary Loan.

You are welcome to visit our ReaderSpace located on the main floor of Smith Library and the young adult collection located in the Wanek Center Learning Commons. We maintain a list of some of the current titles that we add along with reviews. We also have a terrific Library Guide to help you find books for leisure reading.

If you know the title of the book you’re looking for, simply search our library catalog. Don’t forget to narrow your search to HPU Libraries in the menu on the left-hand side of the page. Of course, you can always ask a librarian; contact us via chat, phone or email, or come on in and visit us at any of our library spaces, we are happy to make recommendations!

To renew books that you have borrowed, you will need to log into ‘My library account‘. Use your HPU username (no @highpoint.edu) and password. Once you are logged in, you can see all the items you have checked out; click on the “Renew” button next to the item(s) you would like to renew.

To place a hold on a library book search for the title in our library catalog. Once you see we have the title in the collection, click on the title of the book and on the next screen click the blue “Place Hold” button next to the item. Login to your library account and complete the process by following the prompts.

You can find eBooks the same way you locate print books. Search our library catalog for eBooks by typing a title or a subject into the search bar and then clicking the eBook option on the left side of the screen. To access them, click the blue box that says “View eBook”.

Once you have opened an eBook it is yours to read and view until it is closed. This is the best way to proceed if you just need to read/print a chapter or do some research. There are several ways you can borrow/download an eBook. If you would like more information on this process, check out our eBook Research Guide or contact us via email ( [email protected] ), telephone (336 841-9101) or use the “Ask the Librarian!” chat box on this page.

Due to the variety and volume of textbooks used each semester, we are unable to purchase textbooks for each class. Textbooks we do own are located to the right of the circulation desk. Your professor may have a textbook on reserve for student use or you may try to borrow one for the short term via Interlibrary Loan.

Find the book in the library catalog, click on the title, and then click on the button for “Request Item through Interlibrary Loan.” This will take you to HPUShare, the library’s Interlibrary Loan request system. There, you can set up an account by using your HPU email username (without “@highpoint.edu”) and password. The first time that you log into your HPUShare account, you may need to provide some information about yourself. Please see our Interlibrary Loan page for additional information.

You can also see if the book/item is held by a library in the Triad Academic Library Association (TALA), you can go directly to that library to check out the book. Be sure to check that the book is available at that library (you may want to call ahead).

High Point University Libraries and the Triad Academic Library Association (TALA) allow patrons (students, staff, and faculty) to borrow materials from participating TALA libraries. A patron must show his or her current ID and, in most instances, will need to verify themselves electronically by showing that they are included in a home campus directory or are an active member of a Blackboard class. The lending school determines the number of items one can borrow and the length of checkout. All patrons are required to return TALA items on time and are responsible for the items that they check out.

Participating TALA Libraries: Alamance Community College, Bennett College, Elon University, Forsyth Technical Community College, Greensboro College, Guilford College, Guilford Technical Community College, High Point University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Salem College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University

ProQuest, JSTOR and Google Scholar are article databases that the library purchases for the use of our students and faculty. Several can be found on the library homepage and links to all of these purchased resources can be found on the Databases A to Z list.

Click on Databases A-Z in the left-hand menu of the library webpage to find the databases, books, and other resources that are available for your topic of interest. In the search bar, type in the subject you are researching. For example: typing in ‘Business’ will reveal all of the business and business related databases HPU Libraries provide. Another method to find subject based resources is to click on the Research Guides tab in the left hand menu of the library homepage and then look for the subject of interest. Still need help? Contact us by email or phone, or use the chat box on the right-hand side of this page.

To find the full text of a specific article add the title of the article to the search box in the library catalog. Next, find the article of interest and click the “View Now” button. In a database, like ProQuest or JSTOR, look for the link that says “full text” or has the Adobe PDF symbol and you should be able to click and go. You can also click on the Journal & eBook Resolver (Located on the left-hand menu of the library homepage) and enter the title of the article or the title of the journal in which the article was published to see if the library has access. If we do not have access to the article, see the FAQ question: How do I get a book or article the library does not own? Need more help finding full text? Use the “Ask the Librarian!” chat box on the right-hand side of this screen or contact us via email ([email protected]) or call us at 336-841-9101.

You can save a link to an article as found in the library catalog or one of the library database resources. In the catalog or the databases, look for the “link” or the permalink or document URL (you will see either the word or an icon of a link) and copy and paste from there. This is a good practice when using any database, ProQuest or otherwise. Use this link to read more about saving permalinks of articles, eBooks and other resources.

When you access a library resource, such as a database, from off-campus, you will be prompted to enter your HPU username (without “@highpoint.edu”) and password; the same as the username and password for your email or Blackboard access. Once you enter this information, you should be given access to that resource. Use links located on the library home page or Databases A to Z. If you are having trouble with access contact the library (Ask us) or if your password is not working for other systems such as email or Blackboard, contact IT.

To find articles on a specific topic, you can search in the library catalog or in one of the HPU library’s online databases. Most databases have the option for you to search only scholarly/peer-reviewed articles. Many databases also provide an option to limit your search by date, journal, source type (article, case study, etc.) and author. If you need help with choosing appropriate keywords, navigating a database, narrowing your searches or finding full text sources, please contact us via email ( [email protected] ), telephone (336 841-9101) or use the “Ask the Librarian!” chat box on this page.

To find guides for a particular citation style (such as MLA or APA), click on Citation Guides in the left-hand menu under “Research.” Each guide contains information on how to create in-text and reference list citations for that style, as well as links to other helpful resources. If you need additional help with citation, Contact us.