Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, OWU Libraries have modified their services and facilities access to adhere to recommended guidelines and safety protocols.

Please consult our Fall 2020 Services and Access Guide as a one-stop spot for everything you need to know about using OWU Libraries this semester, including hours, borrowing, and available space.

Please note that our plans and decisions will remain flexible and are subject to change. We will continuously assess our services and the current situation and will work to communicate any necessary changes via this guide and other official library channels as quickly as possible. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

Off Campus Access to Resources

Many of OWU Libraries resources can be accessed from anywhere. This guide provides information on how to access our resources when working off campus. Here you will find information about accessing ebooks, databases, and getting remote help from a librarian. 

Physical Course Material Needs

Instructors should use this form to submit physical resources/content for which you’d like to provide remote access if possible (portions of print textbooks, course packs, films, etc.). Library and Campus Store staff will work collaboratively to review submissions and determine what is already available or can be made available in the time needed. 

Course Prep Assistance

Liaison librarians are ready to assist faculty that may need to find alternative content to assign that is available remotely via the Libraries. 

Student Assistance

• We will be answering reference questions via chat, email or phone during regularly scheduled hours (Monday-Friday 1-4). We are currently working on a plan to expand chat assistance into weekday mornings. 
• In the coming days we will be preparing messaging that we’ll be extending loan periods and granting leniency on overdue item bills or fines. We do not expect items to be returned from those off campus and recommend materials not be sent to the Libraries during this time. 

Thanks to a generous offer from DailyChatter, OWU is now able to offer this international daily newsletter to the OWU campus free of charge.  DailyChatter aims to curate some of the most interesting and important global developments and prepare it in a conversational, easy-to-read report. It is digital, independent, as well as non-partisan.

Subscription to this service is entirely free for as long as you are enrolled or employed at OWU. This initiative is part of a new public service DailyChatter has launched with higher education institutions across the country.

To sign up, CLICK HERE or visit the link on the library’s A-Z list. Enter your name and OWU email address and the newsletter will start arriving the next weekday morning. Users can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link provided at the bottom of every edition.

Beginning this semester, materials checked out from the Libraries that are eligible for renewal will now renew automatically, eliminating the need for users to manually initiate the renewal process. This includes materials from OWU, CONSORT, and OhioLINK but does NOT include items borrowed elsewhere through interlibrary loan (ILL) services.

Library users will be sent email messaging regarding these renewals and additional notification when an item finally becomes due. For details about loan periods and the number of renewals allowed on circulating items, visit the Borrow, Renew, Request page on the Libraries’ web site.

Still have questions? Library staff are happy to help. Email: libraries@owu.edu or Phone: 740-368-3225

Starting December 19^th, OhioLINK will be introducing an alternative version of its Central Catalog. Here is what you need to know about the change:

1. The new version is called “Encore” and the older version will be referred to as the “Classic Catalog.”
2. Encore is an alternative not a replacement of the Central Catalog.
3. The OWU and CONSORT Libraries will continue linking to the “classic” version to maintain search functionality and click-through search capabilities from CONSORT to OhioLINK. OhioLINK’s page will default to Encore. A link to the Classic Catalog is available in the upper right corner of Encore if you need to make the switch.
4. Which version should you use? Encore is a single-search with facets/options similar to our “Find All” search. The Classic Catalog allows for more controlled and targeted searching including subject searching, OCLC numbers, etc.

Please reach out libraries@owu.edu with any questions. Our staff will be happy to assist.

Recently, Safari Books Online adopted a new platform, called the O’Reilly Safari Learning Platform. This is a reminder that the final cutover to the new platform is this Friday, December 21st.  As of this date, access to the legacy Safari Books Online platform will no longer be available.

All links from the library website, catalog, and Summon have been updated, so you should not encounter any problems if accessing the platform that way. However, please be aware that any links saved before the 2018 fall semester will no longer work.

Questions about content or access? Please contact us!

Beeghly Library will be closed Monday, November 19^th as a result of additional work required with the cooling towers. We will re-open Tuesday, November 20^th. For a complete list of our Thanksgiving break hours please visit our web site at  http://library.owu.edu/hours.

We have made some changes to our website and guides this summer with the intent of making resource finding easier and more intuitive, especially for first time users. Below is a summary of the changes.

Website

The Find Databases links (under the default search box on the home page) have been removed. The Find Journal Titles link (above the search box) has now become Find Articles & Databases. Clicking on this new link users will see three options:

1. Get Started – Links to Academic Search Complete and Credo Reference
2. Dig Deeper – Links to finding databases by title (A-Z list) and subject
3. Find Journals – The same search for finding a journal by title, just relocated

Before    

After       

LibGuides

Our librarian-created guides for courses, subject resources, and other topics have undergone a reorganization. Instead of defaulting to a list of all guides, users will default to a list of guides organized by Subject with options to browse guides by type, librarian, or title (all guides). We have also instituted a naming convention to help better identify course guides. All course guides will now begin with the course code/number followed by course title.

Should you have questions or need help navigating these changes, please reach out to your liaison librarian or contact us at libraries@owu.edu.

The Five Colleges of Ohio Digital Collaborations Group would like to invite you to an Omeka workshop open to faculty from all five colleges on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 from 10am – 2pm. It will be held at The College of Wooster in the Timken Science Library Lab. Lunch will be served in Andrews Library in CoRE.

Omeka, an open source web publishing platform, has grown in popularity as a resource for engaging students in curating online exhibits, developing digital literacies, and practicing scholarly communication. The workshop will focus on the use of Omeka for class-centered digital projects, but we will also present a general introduction on using it to create online exhibits. During lunch, Dr. Jordan Biro Walters, Visiting Assistant Professor in History, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, will share her experiences with Omeka at Wooster. If you are a previous Ohio 5 Omeka Faculty Workshop attendee, please note that this workshop is very similar to those given at Denison and Kenyon in the past. Due to space limitations, registration will be capped at 25 participants and priority will be given to new attendees.

Lunch, mileage reimbursement, and a $100 stipend will be provided to those attending the workshop.

If you are interested in attending, please register by Friday, May 19, 2017 by completing the registration form. If you have any questions please contact Catherine Newton (canewton@wooster.edu).

End of semester hours, including extended hours for reading and finals days, can be viewed by visiting http://library.owu.edu/hours. Any updates or changes to these hours will also be posted to the hours page.