The University of South Alabama Graduate School's Guide for Preparing Theses and Dissertations is online as a PDF. This is the official style guide which you must follow when preparing your work for review and presentation.
Information regarding USA Libraries' book, audiovisual, and journal title holdings, their format and location, as well as status can be found in the SOUTHcat Catalog. Check out the following links for tutorials on using SOUTHcat.
If USA does not own the material you need for your research, we can obtain a book or journal article for you from another library. You will need to register for an Interlibrary loan account. You can do that here.
By using WorldCat, you can determine if a book or journal is available in other libraries.
Please see the Interlibrary Loan Information Page for more detailed information.
You may contact the ILL staff by phone at 460-7034, email at libref@southalabama.edu
Graduate level research, in contrast to that of undergraduate research, is extensive and often uses a wide range of disciplinary and multidisciplinary sources. You may be expected to do a comprehensive literature review of relevant resources. Our Dissertation and Theses LibGuide will help you locate the resource lists of other graduate students. The information below should help explain some of the services you can expect from the Marx Library. Remember to consult with the librarians often to insure that you are getting the most of your time and effort.
The Marx Library homepage is ground zero for all things library. It serves as the gateway to the catalog, electronic indexes and databases, ebooks, library information, library help, interlibrary loan, and remote services. The library's electronic sources can be accessed from anywhere in the world at any time as long as you are a currently enrolled student.
Select the Databases link on the library homepage to view the lists of indexes and databases subscribed to by the Marx Library.
Select Our Journal List link to determine if a journal is available in either print or online (or both).
For help with remote access, contact the Electronic Services Librarian, Kathy Wheeler, at 460-7938 or 460-7028 or email her at kwheeler@southalabama.edu
For detailed or complex research questions, you are encouraged to come to the library and consult with the Reference Librarians on the 2nd floor North. Reference librarians are always willing to confer about possible research tools and newly available resources for your research needs, though you may need to make an appointment so that the librarian can allow adequate time to assist you.
Brief factual information is available at the Reference Desk, by phone at 460-7028, or Live Chat.
You can also make an appointment with your department's subject specialist librarian for extensive research assistance.
Graduate Lounge
Graduate Lockers
A locker located in the Grad Lab (Room 306) of the library that may be assigned to graduate students intended to provide a relatively secure, semi-private storage space for graduate students actively involved in research requiring the use of Marx Library and its resources.
Eligibility
Only currently registered University of South Alabama graduate students with a valid Jag ID are eligible.
Applications and Assignments
Applications will be accepted by filling out the online form beginning February 1, 2022. Due to limited capacity and high demand, lockers will be assigned in the order the requests are received on a first come, first served basis. Processing time will vary during periods of high demand. Renewals are not permitted.
Terms of Assignment
Lockers are assigned for the academic year and may be used during both semesters plus the summer terms. All lockers must be vacated by the end of the summer .
Regulations Governing the Use of Private Lockers
The Marx Library’s staff strive to make the library as safe and comfortable as possible for our students. To ensure a safe environment for all please observe the following regulations when using your locker. The Marx Library reserves the right to allow authorized staff to enter any locker at any time to ensure compliance with these rules.
Lockers may not be used by others than those assigned to them.
While you are allowed to eat and drink in the library, the keeping of a stash of snacks and other food in the lockers is prohibited as it entices rodents and bugs.
Once a locker assignment has been made, it is final.
Any abuse of the locker or library materials will result in the immediate loss of locker privileges.
The Marx Library is not responsible for theft of personal belongings placed in any locker.
All library materials housed in the lockers must be charged out through the Circulation Desk. Inspections will be made periodically, and any uncharged library materials will be removed and re-shelved. Non-circulating library materials (e.g., reference books or periodicals) may not be stored in lockers.
If you lose your key you will be charged $5 for a replacement key.
Graduate students may check out up to 40 circulating items with your USA student ID. Books have a 4 week check-out period, and if not overdue and have no "holds" pending, may be renewed twice in the library or online. The library maintains the right to recall books after two weeks if they are needed by another patron.
Graduate students may check out bound, not current, journals for 3 days with no renewal.
For circulation or reserve questions, please call 460-7028.
Requests for books or media to be purchased by the library can be submitted through this form linked from the library homepage.
Since most book purchases are made in conjunction between the department and the librarian liaison, you may wish to discuss your research needs with your departments's library representative.