COVID-19: Library updates & resources

Hours, Fall 2020:

URGENT ALERT: Due to the shelter in place order issued by UWL, Murphy Library will offer services remotely beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 13th and resume in-person services at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, September 28th. Please note, the Murphy Library building will be unavailable to the public during this time. 

Murphy Library is open virtually

The Murphy Library building is currently closed, but we are still open in a remote capacity. Individual instructors can contact the library regarding scholarly or instructionally related needs. For all available services and resources, see below.

We will expand access to Murphy Library as campus and public health guidelines allow and will continue to do our best to ensure access to the many resources and services that support campus research and instructional needs. 

Please continue to monitor this page for any updates, and we appreciate your patience during this time.

 

Library Instruction

For the fall 2020 semester, all information literacy instruction will be offered online via Canvas and Collaborate Ultra.  

Instructors needing library instruction for their classes should submit a request using the Library Instruction Request form.  

Once a request is submitted, instructors will receive a confirmation e-mail from libinstruct@uwlax.edu within four business days. The e-mail will include the name of the librarian providing the instruction and a link to access a Canvas course specifically created for each class that is requested. Instructors should share this link with their students who will then need to self-enroll in the course. Within the Canvas course, you will have access to the Collaborate Ultra room set-up for your requested instruction day and time, as well as asynchronous resources like tutorial videos and modules covering an array of information literacy and research concepts that we believe will be helpful to students in every discipline. 

The library has also developed learning materials for students, staff, and faculty to use as a supplement to information literacy instruction. These include:  

  • Subject Guides - offer guidance on how to find and use discipline-specific resources like research databases, reference materials, and reliable websites 
  • Murphy Library Research & Information Seeking Tools guide – This guide contains general resources on how to use the library as well as how to get started on the research process. Please share this with your students in addition to the course or subject guides most relevant to your class.
  • YouTube channel - students can watch short videos on forming a database search strategy, using advanced search techniques, and how to use Search@UW. 

 If you have any questions, please e-mail us at libinstruct@uwlax.edu. 

 

Reference Services 

Librarians are available in a virtual capacity this fall to help support the research needs of our campus community. Reference services are available to all UWL students, faculty, and staff. Please allow extra time for responses to questions and requests.

Fall semester reference services include:

Library guides offer research help curated by librarians and tailored toward various subjects, courses, topics, and research tools & strategies.

 

Request E-books

The library is working to support an online learning environment by making e-book editions available to students and faculty. If you have a request for a particular book title, fill out our Request Library Materials form and we will see if it is available in an e-book format. Although the library cannot purchase every item requested, all requests will be considered.

 

Contact-Free Pickup Service

UPDATE Sept. 14, 2020 - Murphy Library is once again offering a contact-free pickup service for UWL faculty, staff, and students who want to check out materials during this period when our building is closed to the public. This service is available both for physical materials located at Murphy Library and for materials borrowed from other UW libraries. 

Pickup service will be available Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm. 

To request and pickup materials, please follow the steps below: 

  1. Use the library website to search our “UWL Books & Media” catalog for materials that are available in Murphy Library or “Search@UW” for materials at other UW libraries. Click the title to see the full record. 
  2. Click Sign In, if you haven’t already, and sign in with your NetID. 
  3. Use “Send to Email” 
  4. Change email address in the To: field from your own email address to CIRSER@UWLAX.EDU 
  5. IMPORTANT: Enter your name and UWL email address in the Notes field. 
  6. When your materials are ready, Circulation Services will check them out to you. The email receipt will include a link where you can schedule the date and time you want to pick them up. 
  7. Please use the EAST entrance to the library (facing the Prairie Springs Science Center). 
    When you arrive, the doors will be locked.  
    Call 608-785-8507 to let staff know you are there. 
  8. They will hand you your materials through the door, maintaining social distancing. 
  9. If you have any items to return, please use the outside book drop. 

If you have questions, please contact cirser@uwlax.edu. 

 

Requesting Materials

Resource Sharing - UWL faculty, staff, and students are welcome to resume use of Resource Sharing to borrow materials from other UW libraries.

To request materials from other UW libraries:

  • Find the item in Search@UW 
  • Click the link “Use Get It to Request.”
  • Sign in using your NetID.
  • Click “UW Request,” verify the information and click the “Request” link.

Please contact cirser@uwlax.edu with any questions.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) of physical materials will resume on the first day of classes. Specific physical items may be unavailable or take longer than usual, but requests for electronic materials (articles, scans, etc.) should be back to normal. You can submit requests via your ILLiad account. Please allow extra time for requests to be filled. You can contact illoffice@uwlax.edu with questions or concerns.

 

Due Dates & Returning Materials

Due dates for all library materials checked out before the campus shut down in March were extended to one week into the fall semester. Please return or renew any items you have had over the summer. 

Update Sept. 14, 2020 - Due dates for any library materials currently due before October 12 will be extended until October 12.

Any fines accrued during the 2020-21 academic year will be waived. Please contact cirser@uwlax.edu with any questions.

 

Online Resources & Databases

Online resources are available to all students, faculty, and staff from on and off campus with their UWL Net ID, and we encourage all instructors to integrate this content into your courses to supplement instruction.

Some vendors are also temporarily offering expanded access to their e-resources. More information on these resources can be found here.

See our webpage for information on how to connect to the library’s electronic resources from off campus.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Collection Development Librarian Pam Cipkowski (pcipkowski@uwlax.edu) or E-Resources Librarian Katherine Fish (kfish@uwlax.edu) 

 

Murphy Learning Center

Most tutoring sessions will be via Collaborate Ultra and can be accessed via the MLC course inside Canvas. To access the course, follow the link below. You will also need to sign into Canvas.

https://uwlac.instructure.com/enroll/B3HY3G

Visit the Murphy Learning Center webpage for more information.

 

Special Collections & Area Research Center

Fall 2020 (starting Tuesday, September 8th): 

URGENT ALERT: Due to the campus-wide shelter-in-place order, Special Collections/ARC is closing to in-person visitors, starting Sunday, September 13th. We will offer limited services remotely via email, as staffing allows. We anticipate resuming normal semester, in-person hours at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, September 28th. Special Collections can also be reached by phone at 608.785.8511. 

 

Events

All in-person events for this semester have been cancelled.  

 

Donations & Gifts

Murphy Library is not currently accepting gifts or donations of books and other materials at this time.

 

For any other questions not addressed here, please contact libraryoffice@uwlax.edu.