Library Collections, Facilities, and Service Points
on the Dallas Campus

Collections

The library provides access to hundreds of thousands of physical information resources (such as print books, microforms, and DVDs) and access to millions of online information resources (such as ebooks, ejournals and streaming videos). See the annual library statistics reports for details. The total collection is strongest in the field of biblical studies. But our goal is to provide a balanced assortment of resources to support all areas of the seminary curriculum. See our collection development policy for details. The physical collections are shelved by "call numbers" based on the Library of Congress classification system.

The WorldCat database lists most of the items in our collections. There are two main exceptions. First, WorldCat does not provide detailed listing of archival materials in our Special Collections. Second, many journal articles are listed in WorldCat, but coverage is very incomplete, and metadata records for articles provide incomplete information, so you should use our databases to search for journal articles. Use your DTS ID and password to access databases.

Some of the main collections are as follows.

• General circulating books are shelved in Turpin. Books classed A-BT197 are on the second floor; and BT198-Z are on the third. The loan period depends on who you are (faculty, student, community user, etc.) and other factors as explained in House Rules.
• The Reference Collection is on the first floor of Turpin. Encyclopedias, handbooks, exegetical tools, and hundreds of biblical commentaries are in this section. Reference materials must stay in the building. Many traditional print reference works are gradually being superseded by online resources. Some print books in reference are also in the general collection, available for loan. For example, thousands of commentaries are on the second floor of Turpin.
• Print Periodicals/Journals occupy the basement of Mosher. They are arranged alphabetically by title. All print periodical volumes owned by the library, bound and unbound, are listed in WorldCat. We have replaced thousands of print journals with online journals. The print volumes we still have do not exist in digital format, so we need to retain the print vols.

Facilities

The library complex consists of two connected buildings, Turpin and Mosher. The Turpin building contains the library collections, research assistance, and circulation services. Mosher contains the Writing Center, IT helpdesk, scanning/printing equipment, and AV recording suites.

Both buildings contain extensive study areas, but the study environments are quite different. Talking is permittted on all floors of the Mosher building, and furnishings support group collaboration as well as individual work. Talking is also permitted on the first floor of Turpin. But the second and third floors of Turpin are quiet study zones, and much of the seating consists of individual carrels.

The library calendar contains complete information about days and hours of operation.

Some of the main facilities are listed below.

Service Points

Staff are eager to help. Assistance is available online and in person. See our list of services, including special services for online and branch-campus students. Contact library staff by phone or email or video conferencing. The most used service points in the building are as follows.

• The library Circulation Desk processes all borrowing transactions. Return borrowed items here. When in doubt about library issues, ask your questions here.
• Reference and research assistance is available from the Public Services librarian. He has degrees in both theology and librarianship, and is eagar to assist your research. Visitors and new students may wish to consult the library website quick-start introduction to the library. It points to a description of services for various classes of library users, database tutorials, policies and house rules, contact information, etc.
• IT helpdesk assists DTS students with login/authentication issues, printing and scanning, the wireless network, use of audio and video recording studios, use of DTS software such as Canvas, Microsoft office, Anthology, etc.
• The Writing Center helps DTS students with writing, Turabian style and formatting, and related matters.