Fall Service Update
Thu. Jul. 16, 2020
IMPORTANT LIBRARY SERVICE CHANGES FOR FALL 2020
The Library facility will remain closed during the fall term while we deliver the majority of our services and resources remotely. Information about limited access to print collections is provided below; however, please note that undergraduate students will not be able to access the print collection or request interlibrary loans of print material for the time being. We understand that this will impact courses involving heavy print use by students and recommend that fall courses be prepared in a way that minimizes the use of print materials whenever it is possible and reasonable to do so.
Syllabus Service: We strongly encourage the use of the Library Syllabus Service, By using this service, library staff will assist with sourcing electronic copies, clearing copyright, and posting items to Nexus. This includes digitizing excerpts from our print collection when possible. Materials must be submitted no later than August 16 to guarantee availability on the first day of classes.
Interlibrary Loans: Print ILL services are suspended, but electronic ILL service remains uninterrupted. Resumption of service largely depends on what other institutions decide to do, and we are involved in ongoing conversations about this topic on regional and national levels. For now, please assume that print ILL service will not be available and note that digital ILL service is limited to book chapters and articles; complete eBooks cannot be loaned through ILL due to copyright restrictions.
Course Reserves: Print reserves will not be available, as most students will not be on campus and the library facility will be closed. Please use the Syllabus Service to ensure that your electronic reserves are available. Contact your subject librarian to inquire about multi-user licenses for electronic texts or if you are unsure of an electronic item’s availability.
Access to Print Holdings: We will begin by offering print access services for faculty and graduate students only via a pickup service. The location and workflows of this service are still being developed, but we anticipate longer turnaround periods as we quarantine items, process them, and provide appropriate pickup windows. Details on this service will follow in the weeks to come.
Obtaining Materials, Digital Media, & New Acquisitions: Please contact your subject librarian if there is a print holding for which you now require electronic access, if you require a media license for a streaming video service, or view our COVID-19 resources page if you’d like more information on open-access alternatives. To ensure that resources are available to support faculty and students working remotely, we are deprioritizing the purchase of print/physical materials, and temporarily suspending our policy of not holding duplicate electronic and print titles where it is reasonable to do so. Please continue to engage with subject librarians about the library materials required to maintain a proper research depth for your discipline. In most cases, simply assume there will be a delay in ordering print materials as we work to cover immediate remote needs.
Archives: The archives is developing an appointment-based plan for faculty and graduate students to access physical materials that cannot be scanned. More information will follow. Remote consultation is available.
We appreciate your cooperation during this period of alternate service delivery and physical closure. We will keep you informed as our services develop and/or change to meet campus needs.