You Spoke: I Wish You Had All of My Textbooks

Welcome to the seventh and last in a series of posts about the LibQual survey results. Today we're talking about textbooks in the library.

One of the comments we received was "I wish you had all of my textbooks!"  It would be lovely if the library could purchase a copy of every textbook used on campus.  Unfortunately we can't do that.  If we did, we would have no money to buy all of the books and journal articles that students and faculty use for their research.

As a general rule, the library doesn't purchase textbooks. Exceptions are made on an individual basis.

So, what to do if you are looking for a textbook in the library?

• Check to see if the professor put a copy on reserve. If you are a faculty member, make sure to put a copy on reserve (see here for the reserve form).
• Check to see if we have a different textbook on the subject. Sometimes we'll have supplemental textbooks that will cover the same topics. This is great for anyone looking for the textbook just to learn more about a subject.
• Check to see if there is an open educational resource (i.e. free online textbook) on the subject. Again, these are great if you are looking for help understanding the subject.      

 Purchasing textbooks is expensive, we know. Hopefully the tips above will help.


If you have questions about the LibQual survey results, please contact Katie Yelinek.

You Spoke: Library Hours

Welcome to the sixth in a series of posts about the LibQual survey results. Today we're talking about library hours.

Several of you asked for additional hours when the library could be open.  Some of you wanted 24/7 during the week, others wanted longer hours over the weekends.  We're happy to see you like us and want the library open longer!

Unfortunately, we don't have the staff to keep the library open any more hours than we do right now.  But we want to remind you of additional times that you might not be aware of:

•  The Schweiker Room and Gathering Place remain open after the rest of the library is closed on Sunday-Wednesday evenings from midnight to 2 am.  Wireless is available for those who bring their own devices.
• For the last week of classes and finals week, the library offers extended hours on the weekends.  This semester this means the library will be open 10 am to midnight on April 28, 7:30 am to midnight on May 3, 9 am to 9 pm on May 4, and 10 am to midnight on May 5.

You can always find out our hours by clicking on the clock on the library's homepage.

If you have questions about the LibQual results, please contact Katie Yelinek.