The Doris and Harry Vise Library

Vise Library, established in 1989, is open six days each week during fall and spring semesters, five days a week during the summer. Although only currently enrolled Cumberland University students and Cumberland University faculty and staff may check material out of the library, community visitors are welcome to use most of the library’s resources in-house.

The Vise Library plays a central role in the life of Cumberland University, its students, faculty, and staff. It is the repository for a wide variety of information resources that supports the curriculum of the Schools at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The staff provides a high level of service to the University’s learning community through access to and training in the use of its electronic and print resources. The following is a description of the various resources and services provided by the Vise Library.

Books

Over 84,000 print books are housed within the library building. Access to a collection of over 265,000 e-books is available to students, faculty, and staff 24 hours a day from any Internet location. An online catalog provides assistance in locating materials.

Periodicals

Vise Library subscribes to over 200 print periodicals. Additionally, students may access full-text articles from thousands of professional and popular publications through the Library’s over 100 electronic database subscriptions. Like the e-book collection, students may use these databases 24 hours per day from any Internet location.

Audio-Visual Room

Vise Library houses a growing collection of over 2,400 DVDs on a wide range of topics related to the university curriculum, as well as over 300 sound recordings on compact discs. The Audio-Visual Room provides individual listening and viewing stations.

Computing Resources

The Library provides computer workstations for accessing its electronic databases, e-mail, and the Internet. Cumberland's entire campus provides wireless computing to students with wireless-enabled computers. Campus computing resources are open only to employees and currently enrolled students.

Curriculum Materials Center

The Curriculum Materials Center in the Vise Library contains a collection of Pre-K-12th grade materials such as sample textbooks, educational games, and testing materials. These items are used primarily by students in Cumberland University’s School of Humanities, Education, & the Arts. The Library also has a collection of over 3,000 juvenile books. The juvenile book collection contains Caldecott and Newberry winners and other award-winning titles in the area of children’s and young adult literature.

Special Collections

Vise Library is home to three special collections. The Stockton Archives holds many of the papers and other memorabilia of Cumberland University’s long history, as well as a collection of old and rare books including an original edition of the War of the Rebellion series. The Library’s Tennessee Collection focuses on state and regional materials with an emphasis on Wilson County. The Nobel Collection contains English-language works written by Nobel Laureates in Literature.

Interlibrary Loan

The Library’s holdings are augmented through its participation in the TennShare Statewide Library Consortium and the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). These interlibrary loan programs allow borrowing material from local, regional, national, and international libraries.

Delivery of Material by Mail

Students enrolled in distance education and online courses that live outside of Wilson and surrounding counties may request that library books, audio-visual, and other materials be mailed to them. 

Online Reference

Cumberland University students, faculty, and staff may request help using the Library’s online reference service, Ask-a-Librarian. Online tutorials and guides are also available on the Library’s web page at www.cumberland.edu/library.

Use of Library Material

Only currently enrolled students and Cumberland University employees may check material out of the library. Students and staff may borrow books for three weeks and audio-visual materials for three days. Faculty may borrow books for four weeks and audio-visual materials for one week. Reserve materials are for in-library use only. Anyone wanting to check out material must present a Cumberland University ID at the front desk.