We have been busy this summer preparing the Park Library for its August reopening. Although many things have changed – face coverings and social distancing will be required, physical changes to the building have been made to protect library users and library staff – one thing has not: CMU student, faculty, and staff still have access to the wonderful collections of the CMU Libraries.
Print books are available through our new contactless book pickup service, which has been implemented to reduce the physical handling of materials and promote easy access to our collections. The book stacks on all four floors of the library are closed, and will remain closed for the foreseeable future, so browsing the shelves is not possible. You can use Smart Search to place a hold on the book(s) you want. You will receive an email when your book is ready with a link to schedule a day and time to pick up your book(s) from the library lobby of the library. When you’re finished with a book, you can return it in one of the book drops near the library entrances.
When books are returned to the library, they will be quarantined for seven days. Once the quarantine period ends, they will be available for checkout once again.
The library’s collection of e-books is growing and being used more and more by students and faculty. E-books are appreciated for their round-the-clock availability and ease of access.
Course reserves will only be offered online this Fall, as a way to reduce the handling of print materials. The majority of our course reserves have been online for some time since so many of our articles, books, and videos are available electronically. Faculty who have placed physical materials on course reserve in the past should contact the course reserves office about alternatives. The librarians have been working with faculty all summer to identify electronic resources to support online classes.
If you need only a chapter or a small portion of a print book, Documents on Demand will scan it and deliver the content to you within 24-48 hours. They will also scan and email copies of articles. We encourage people to take advantage of this easy and convenient electronic delivery service.
Interlibrary loan service (ILL) for borrowing print books from other libraries is set to resume in mid-August. We have been working with other libraries in the state and with our delivery service provider to restart this service safely and effectively.
For online and HyFlex courses, users are increasingly accessing our streaming media collections. Librarians have been busy this summer helping faculty find videos to support their courses this fall.
Although the Clarke Historical Library’s reading room and exhibits will be open by appointment only, users can access its digital collections online. To schedule a time to use its physical collections, email them at clarke@cmich.edu or call (989) 774-3352.
CMU Libraries is still here providing students and faculty with access to the articles, books, and streaming media they need. The unusual circumstances surrounding the Fall 2020 semester do not change our commitment to providing resources and services to our users. If you need help locating materials or have any questions, please let us know.
Have a great fall semester!
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