RUC Library
We are a health-sciences-focused library located on the 5th floor of the Roanoke Community Hospital Building. This library serves the information and research needs of the RUC campus in Roanoke, Virginia.
As a member of the RUC community, you can work with health sciences librarians (in person, via chat and email, and through phone calls and Zoom sessions.) We have a collection of specialized, health-care-related books and materials at RUC and you can also use the books and other items housed at Radford's main campus library. You also have access to over 300 databases, a collection of popular reading fiction, a 20-computer lab & two combination printer/scanner/copiers. Additionally, you are welcome to attend our regular events and programming throughout the year.
For more information about how to get started using the RUC Library, please see this list of resources below:
- Find places to study in the library (individually or as a group) as well as the location of library computers and printers using the RUC Library Map [PDF.]
- Learn more about how to get the most out of your RUC Library experience by enrolling in our D2L Course called Using the RUC Library.
- And before you get started searching our resources, please review the RUC Library's tips and tricks for Getting Started With Searching.
Contact Us
For assistance, email ruclibrary@radford.edu, call the front desk at 540-831-2272, or see staff directory below. To learn more about us, visit the page called "Meet the RUC Library" in our D2L course.

Jamie Price (Asst. Prof.)
Head of RUC Library
jprice13@radford.edu
540-831-1661

Rhiannon Cooke
Circulation Coordinator
RUC LIbrary
recooke@radford.edu
540-831-1875

Mary Catherine Santoro (Asst. Prof.)
Clinical Instruction and
Outreach Librarian
RUC Library, Research Services
msantoro@radford.edu
540-831-1823

Crystal Dent
Library Specialist
RUC Library, Technical Services
cdent1@radford.edu
540-831-1346

Christina Manzo (Asst. Prof)
User Experience and Assessment Librarian
RUC Library, Research Services
cmanzo4@radford.edu
540-831-1348
Using the RUC Library
Searching for Articles
As a member of the RUC community, you have access to over 300 databases.
To find a particular database or browse the full list of titles, use the A-Z databases list.
Searching a wide selection of EBSCO databases is often a great place to start your research. You can search all of our EBSCO databases (including titles like CINAHL and MEDLINE) at once by using the link above and manually selecting the databases you'd like to search, or clicking "Select / Deselect All" in the top, left-hand corner of the screen.
We also provide lists of databases recommended for particular subjects or programs at RUC, like the ones below:
- Anatomy
- Health Sciences
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Occupational Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Psychology & Psychiatry
- Public Health & Healthcare Administration
- Respiratory Therapy
Some of the RUC Library's most used resources are:
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
- To learn how to get started searching in CINAHL, see our online How-To Guide.
- And to learn how to search CINAHL specifically for articles published in nursing journals, see instructions for Searching for Nursing Articles in CINAHL.
- To learn how to get started searching in PubMed, see our online How-To Guide.
- To find out how get the most out of searching in Google Scholar, see our instructions for Including Radford Databases in Google Scholar Searching.
- To find out how to download and use UpToDate on your phone, see our instructions for Using the UpToDate Mobile App.
Remember that you can always get articles from other libraries completely free of charge via interlibrary loan. For more information, see our instructions on Getting a Book or Article the Library Doesn't Own.
Searching for Books & eBooks
You can request any books (whether print or eBooks) owned by either the McConnell Library in Radford, VA or the RUC Library in Roanoke, VA. To learn more about how to request a book from the McConnell Library (without driving there), please see our instructions on Borrowing a Book from Main Campus (without driving to Radford).
The catalog is a listing of the books, ebooks, and other items the library has for patrons to use. You can search the catalog in many different ways, including searching by title, author, or subject and the catalog entry will give you information about which library has the item, whether is it a physical item (such as a print book) or digital (such as an ebook), and whether or not the item is currently available.
If you qualify for our library mailing services (check the qualifications here), you can always request that print books be mailed to you by selecting the “Mail" option in the "Pick Up Options" dropdown menu when placing a hold.
You can also request access to books, articles, and other media the Radford University Libraries do not own free of charge via interlibrary loan. For more information about the interlibrary loan process, please download our instructions on Getting a Book or Article the Library Doesn't Own.
How-To Guides
How-To Guides are a great on-demand resource because they are available 24/7, which makes them ideal for troubleshooting questions that come up outside of regular library hours. How-To Guides contain helpful information and resources on a particular subject. They are created by librarians and are specific to the Radford University Libraries. For guides specifically for RUC, visit RUC Library How-To Guides or choose one from the list below:
Printing, Copying, and Scanning
All members of the RUC community have access to a 20-computer lab & 2 combination printer/scanner/copiers located within the RUC Library. To learn how to do common tasks like printing, copying, and scanning, please see our instructional pages below:
Events & Social Media
The RUC Library regularly updates their social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram with informative library trivia, photos from library events, and updates from the library mascots: Slim B. Nobody, and his pet rats Pratchett and Magrat.
For a complete list of all future library events, please visit our RUInvolved page.
For Faculty
Course Reserves:
Professors wishing to place a book or other item on reserve for a course should fill out and submit the following Course Reserves Form to Crystal Dent at cdent1@radford.edu.
Instruction Requests:
RUC faculty seeking library instruction or assistance for classes should contact Clinical Instruction & Outreach Librarian Mary Catherine Santoro at msantoro@radford.edu.