Student Services

The John A. Graziano Memorial Library in Oakland and the Sacramento and San Francisco Peninsula campus libraries offer many services to enrolled students. 

Students at the Sacramento or San Francisco Peninsula campuses should contact Jen Scolari (Sacramento) or Geri Bodeker (San Francisco Peninsula).

Many faculty put books and other course-specific materials on reserve in the library. Required textbooks are ordered and placed on reserve.

  • Search for course reserves in the library’s catalog by course number or faculty
  • With the title and call number handy, Oakland library staff will retrieve the item for you
  • Reserve materials are generally first-come first serve basis 
  • Most course reserve items may be checked out for 2 hours
  • To borrow a reserve over night, check out the item less than 2 hours before the library’s closing hour and return it within one hour of the library’s opening the following day
  • For course reserve information at the Sacramento and San Mateo libraries, please contact the associated librarian

Don’t hesitate to contact your librarians for assistance or instruction with searching the Library’s databases, finding information on your topic or any other information need.

Citations are used to identify and locate publications (book, journal article, video, etc.). They usually include title, author, publisher and date of publication. SMU instructors often require students to cite their sources using one of three styles. To make the process easier, SMU provides its students with the use of RefWorks, an online research management tool that generates citations and bibliographies in a range of styles.

For writing help, contact the Writing Center for tutoring services. 

Citation Styles

Distinct citation styles have been developed by professional and scholarly associations including the APA (American Psychological Association), the AMA (American Medical Association), and the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors).

An instructor will commonly ask you to adhere to a specific style when citing sources in a research paper or essay. This can be challenging, as each style contains its own formatting rules for citations, both in the body of the paper (in-text citations) and on the reference page. Your best defense is a good offense—be familiar with the styles most SMU instructors require: APA, AMA, and the ICMJE's URM.

Here are some useful resources on citations:

APA citation style

AMA citation style

Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ICMJE)

Citing Government Publications

RefWorks

RefWorks is an online research management, writing, and collaboration tool designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store, and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies in APA, AMA, or Uniform style. SMU students, staff members, and faculty members may sign up for a free RefWorks account. Proquest RefWorks is supported by all SMU libraries. Legacy Refworks is no longer supported.

The library has RefWorks software to help you manage your references and create bibliographies in APA, AMA, or any style of your choosing. You can create an account and get training from your librarians.

Create your own RefWorks account

For more information, refer to the RefWorks research guide.

Academic Writer (formerly APA Style Central)

"Academic Writer is APA's authoritative solution offering you a complete digital environment for teaching, learning, and writing academic papers. 
LEARN: Use the Learning Center to find video quick guides and tutorials to help you get started and refine your research and writing. 
REFERENCE: Use the Reference Center to find tools to assist you with building and managing a reference library. 
WRITE: Use the Writing Center to select an APA Style paper template, collaborate with peers and reviewers, and check your work."

Create your own Academic Writer account

Other Free Bibliographic Tools

To help you study and practice for license and certification exams, the libraries have developed a regularly updated collection of resources for each program. This collection includes NCLEX and USMLE review materials, as well as study materials for PT, OT, PA, NP, CRNA, Case Manager, and most specialized medical topics.

Click on your program to see a list of these materials

Would you like an exam book we don't currently have? Is there a new edition? Let us know.

Search our journal holdings

Older journals are kept in a warehouse off-campus which can be requested. Articles will be sent as an email attachment in two to five business days.

  • Students may submit a total of 20 requests per semester, with five active requests at a time
  • After the first 20 requests, each additional request will incur a $2 fee
  • Exceptions will be made for students working on synthesis and thesis assignments

The Library can obtain journal articles and books that are not available in the Library 's catalog.

 Contact Gaby Sam or Juana Moreno (Oakland).

  • The Graziano Library in Oakland has two printers with color, faxing, and scanning capabilities. Payment is through the pay-for-print system
  • Nine computer work stations
  • Nine laptops available to check out for in-library use. Each laptop has a USB port to which you can connect a flash drive, Microsoft Office, SecureExam, Inspiration, and wireless access to the Internet
  • The library's computer lab is also equipped with computers for use by SMU students, faculty, and staff. The computer lab is open the same hours as the library. It is equipped with 28 PCs and four Macs. Each computer has printer access and the Microsoft Office suite
  • The Oakland library has 10 rooms available for group study sessions; four of them are equipped with video and DVD viewing equipment
  • Whiteboard markers are available to check out from the circulation desk
  • The library group study rooms and additional seminar rooms in the Health Education Center (220, 225, 225A, and 225B) can be reserved through the SMU Campus Schedule page or by contacting the HEC staff
  • Please read additional information about the room reservation system prior to booking

The Library provides access to several collections of eBooks. Off-campus access is gained by entering your SMU login and password when prompted.

Browse all ebooks in the library's catalog 

Ebook Collections

American Heart Association Ebooks: Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Provider Manual, Basic Life Support Provider Manual, PALS

Books @ OVID: Incredibly Easy Series, Medical Terminology (English & Spanish), Nursing

Ebook Central: Drug Handbook, Nursing

EBSCOhost: Anesthesia, SMU Community Reads 2017-19

R2 Digital Library: Ferri’s Clinical Advisor, Saunders Physical Therapy Board Exam Review

STAT!Ref: Davis’s PA Exam Review, Davis’s NCLEX-RN, Davis’s Drug Guide, Lippincott’s Video Series nursing, physical Therapy

Bartleby.com: Literature, reference, verse

Merck: Merck manuals

Martindale's Health Science Guide: Virtual medical center

PubMed Bookshelf (NCBI Bookshelf): Biomedical books

Flying Publisher: Medical books

 

The library accepts recommendations for books that support University programs as well as the broader mission of the University.

Request a purchase form

Groups may view DVDs/videos in four of the Oakland library's group study rooms.

Online and streaming video collections

Search the library catalog for DVDs and videos

All electronic databases and resources are available from where ever you have an internet connection and your SMU credentials.

Alumni may only access library databases onsite at the Oakland Library.

If you are having difficulties, contact us.

Alumni of Samuel Merritt University, Samuel Merritt College, and California College of Podiatric Medicine are welcome to visit the SMU Libraries to study, research, and check out library materials. Please note: Alumni have onsite-only access to many electronic resources (databases, electronic journals, and ebooks).

Visitors may visit the Graziano Library in Oakland from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Alumni Library Access

  • Alumni must present an alumni card to borrow library materials or to enter the Oakland campus library during  evening and weekend hours

  • Student IDs are valid for six months after graduation. After six months, please contact badging services to obtain your alumni card

  • For access to the Sacramento and San Mateo Campus Libraries, contact the associated campus librarians

Books, Videos, DVDs

Alumni may check out circulating books, videos, DVDs. Search the catalog to find these items. Overdue items are subject to fines, and lost or damaged items are subject to replacement fees. 

Course reserve materials are reserved for current students. 

Exam Review Resources

Search the library catalog exam review books, study guides, and flashcards.

  • NCLEX

  • USMLE (including Podiatric Medicine), CRNA

  • Case manager

  • Nurse practitioner

  • Occupational therapy

  • Physical therapy

  • Physician assistant licensure exams

 Ask any library staff for assistance in locating these materials.

Electronic Resources

Electronic resources (eBooks, journals, and databases) that the library licenses can be accessed on any library computer or through SMU’s Guest WiFi network. Onsite access only.

Update is only accessible to current students, staff, and faculty. Onsite access is not available.  

Computers and Wifi 

The Oakland campus library has computers available for use by alumni and visitors. These computers provide access to the internet; our online databases, journals, and full-text articles; and software programs including Microsoft Office. Consult library staff for login information. 

  • Guest wifi is available

Photocopying and Printing

  • Printing and copying is available to alumni at a cost of 10 cents per page. Cash only

  • Please consult library staff for information on copying and printing

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