Library Services During Covid-19 Response

Many of the library's subscription resources are available off-campus, and borrowing physical materials from our collection is possible. For detailed info on how to access electronic materials and physical materials, visit the Access Library Materials tab of this guide. Please note that you do not have to use a VPN to access most library materials from off-campus, but it can be helpful for some resources. If you run into any issues, see the E-access Troubleshooting page or Ask Us. Librarians are here to help you get the info you need!

The first and second floors of the library are currently open. To borrow materials from the physical collection, please request them via phone, email, or document delivery and pick them up at the Circulation Desk or curbside. Productivity tools (laptops, calculators, etc.) can also be borrowed at the circulation desk. See the library hours page for access times.

Face coverings and social distancing are required inside the library building. All visitors to campus should fill out the Michigan Tech Visitor Symptom Tracking Form.

The library will offer curbside pickup of library and Interlibrary Loan books for faculty, staff, students, and Library Courtesy card holders. Requests received before 2:00pm will be available for pick-up until 5:00pm the same day. 

Pickup times are 10am-12pm, and 1pm-5pm, Monday-Friday, in the circle drive next to the library. Library staff will bring the bagged library materials to patrons curbside. Patrons do not need to leave their vehicles. A valid HuskyCard or Library Courtesy card must be shown at item pickup.

To request curbside pickup:

• Faculty, staff and students may use the Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery request option in the item record to place a request through their ILL account. Please see our info on Request and Pick-up options for instructions and screenshots of this process.
• All patrons may call the Circulation Desk 487-2508 or email library@mtu.edu to request items for check out. Staff will retrieve items and email/call patrons when ready for pickup.

Patrons may call the desk when they get to the library circle drive and are ready to pick up their item(s) at 487-2508.

Research and Reference help is available. Librarians and SRCs will be online and answering questions M-F, 9 am - 5 pm. Email (reflib@mtu.edu), chat, phone (906-487-2507 -- please leave a voicemail), and text (906-379-9579) are the best ways to reach us. Visit our Ask Us page for details and FAQs.

Librarians are also more than happy to set-up consultations over the phone or Zoom. Please visit our Consultation page to schedule. Common topics include (but are not limited to): citation software, copyright, general research questions, assignment help, the Patent & Trademark Resource Center, open access materials and OERs, etc.

The Michigan Tech Archives will only be providing remote reference support at this time. Please contact us with your research requests via email (copper@mtu.edu) or phone (906-487-2505). For general inquires about the archives, reach out to the University Archivist, Lindsay Hiltunen, at (906) 487-3209 or lehalkol@mtu.edu.

Library Instruction support for your online courses is available. Support options include (but are not limited to):

• Library subject guides that contain compile resources on a specific topics
• Development of course-specific library guides that lists resources for your class (example: SS3515 resources)
• A generic library search page for your Canvas course. Visit our Embed Learning Resources in Your Canvas Course guide for details & instructions
• Development of pages or modules tailored for your Canvas course
• Library tutorial videos
• Workshops & live zoom sessions
• Librarians can search for or recommend supplemental electronic readings & media for your course
• Zoom consultations with students or instructors. Request a consultation.

Librarians are committed to finding creative strategies for information literacy support at this time. Please fill out our Instruction Request form or reach out to library@mtu.edu with your ideas and questions!

The library is providing a print course reserve service this fall. However, with recommended quarantine periods of 96 hours for all returned materials, some course reserve materials may not be available when they are most in demand.

An alternative method for providing your students with the content they need is to use your Canvas course site to share materials. Librarians are available to help with the following options

• Seeking materials that are freely available such as open access articles, open educational resources, or library subscribed content.
• Purchasing an electronic equivalent of a work (Please note that this is not feasible for textbooks due to textbook publishers' licensing restrictions.)
• Relying on Fair Use to make material available. Keep in mind you should use only the amount needed to meet your pedagogical needs for the period that is necessary.

Please see our guide, Embed Learning Resources in Your Canvas Course for information or contact reflib@mtu.edu for assistance.

If you would like to place items on print reserve please use the Course Reserve Request form.