Books Once you find the book in the online catalog, you can locate it by the Call Number on the library shelves (see FAQ #5). See instructions at the library circulation desk for detailed checkout policy & procedures. Most books are due in 4 weeks. You can renew most books for an additional 4 weeks by going online with your PRTS ID number ("My Library Account" link on the catalog home page). You may not check out Reference books (shelved in the Reference section), Magazines, Journals, or antiquarian books. These numbers were assigned in PRTS Library's previous system (not at CU Library, however). They were retained in our online catalog to enable searches by the JRB number, using the "ISBN" search. If you know the JRB number, simply type it in as a search by ISBN. Need help with this? Ask our Library staff or submit an "Ask a Librarian" request. Books restricted for limited class access are shelved separately in PRTS (and CU) Library. These books are restricted to a 4-hour checkout in order to make them available to all students in the course. Try searching the WorldCat database, the world's largest catalog of library-owned materials. (Note: PRTS students have a password to access WorldCat – contact the library.) You can then obtain these books either by interlibrary loan, or by finding them in a Grand Rapids area library. Click here for a complete description of the Puritan Research Center. PRTS Library has hundreds of rare books, depending on one's definition of 'rare.' Most of these are part of the Puritan Research Collection. Many date back to the late 16th century, such as John Knox's (1560) An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations written by an Anabaptist.... A few other gems include: William Attersoll's (1610) Continuation of the Exposition of the Book of Numbers, of the History of Balak...; and Niels Hemmingsen's (1569) Exposition of the Gospels...; and John Downame's (1609) The Christian Warfare. If a book is lost or damaged, you may be charged a replacement fee--this includes not only the cost of replacing the book (closest edition available), but a processing fee to find and re-catalog the new book, and prepare if for the shelf. If such a fee is placed, your library account may be blocked until paid in full. In the case where books are "lost," but later found and returned to PRTS Library, the replacement cost will be waived or refunded, and a late fee will be assessed instead. Books that are not returned by the due date are considered overdue. A courtesy reminder will be sent to the borrower's email address three days prior to when an item is due. An overdue notice will be emailed to the patron three days after the item is due. If the item is still not returned within 11 more days, (14 total) a replacement bill is sent. This will include a $40 default cost for any item, a $30 processing fee, and a $5 billing fee, for a total of $75. If the material is later returned, the charges would be removed except for the $5 billing fee, per item.
Checking out books from Cornerstone's Library requires your PRTS ID number. Once you find your books on their shelves, bring them to the front desk and someone will assist you.
If you are not a PRTS student or staff, you will need to apply for a Guest card from the individual library, whether Cornerstone or PRTS.
The same checkout period and renewal process works at both PRTS and CU Libraries.
Guest borrowers may have additional restrictions (see the Guest Policy)
One rare title of particular interest for its provenance is the 3-volume Works of William Perkins, printed in 1626. This set was owned by Charles Spurgeon, and passed on to another great expositor, Arthur Pink, whose numerous handwritten notes appear in the margins of all three volumes.
Services PRTS students in the USA and Canada currently registered as distance education students are able to borrow books from PRTS Library and to have them mailed to their home. They are responsible for return postage and must observe the usual loan periods (4 weeks from receipt of books, though they may also renew books online.) InterLibrary Loan is a service available (only) to PRTS currently registered students or staff. (The same is true at CU Library--restricted to registered CU students/staff.) Sorry, but alumni and guests are unable to borrow by ILL (due to license restrictions). For a full explanation of ILL Policies & Procedures, please see the "Student's Guide to the Library," available at the circulation counter. For more information on ILL and journal articles, see the PRTS Interlibrary Loan Policy. .Assistance from Library staff is readily available for finding and checking out books.
Interlibrary Loan requests are often more efficient when processed through the distance education student's local library--though we are happy to provide research assistance in finding books and articles as requested.
Journals & Articles PRTS Library subscribes to about 130 periodicals, and has back files of several decades for many journals. Do a Journal Title search in the online catalog to find print journals or magazines in the library. Many of our journals are indexed in the ATLA-Religion collection, where many theology/ministry-related articles are also available 'full-text online.' This is a licensed database restricted to our currently registered students and staff. If you are PRTS students, call or email Library staff for access information. There are certain "open-access" journals that provide free access to articles in theology, religion, and ministry. See the Research Guides page for links.
Internet & Databases PRTS Library has individual carrels with network ports and electric outlets for laptop computers; wireless access to the network is also available. There are three public access computers with Internet access for student and guest use. RefWorks is a bibliographic management system available by PRTS online subscription; it enables one to create Turabian style bibliographies, and to export a list of citations from any Firstsearch database directly to one's bibliography. For a full description and demo, click here. To use this excellent tool, PRTS students need to login using the PRTS group code (call Library for authorization).
Policies & Procedures PRTS Library is generally open to the public, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. (PRTS students and staff have extended access hours.) Everyone is welcome to visit PRTS Library during its regular hours (see FAQ #11). Guests from Cornerstone University have borrowing privileges much the same as at Cornerstone's Library. Other guests may apply for a Guest Borrower's card. (Some borrowing restrictions apply, and an annual $10 fee is required.) For more information about guest borrowing, click here.
