Welcome to all our new students, and to our returning students, welcome back! As you enjoy your ice cream, pancakes, movies, and other Back with the Pack activities, you’ll quickly be settling into a routine of coursework, study, research, and writing. And the library is a vital part of that – not just later, when things are coming due, but right now, at the beginning of the semester – whether you need scholarly resources, computers, a place to print out your syllabi (remember to bring your new Crimson Card, available in room 109), or just a quiet place to study.

One common request we get at this time of year is for textbooks. Like most college libraries, we have a handful of textbooks on the shelves, but not many, since the amount and cost of covering so many classes would be prohibitive (we are sympathetic to how expensive they are, even if you’re renting them – they’re too costly for us, too!). But sometimes your financial aid check hasn’t cleared yet, and you need books now. What to do?

A good option is for your professor to place the book on reserve. Some have already done so – and if you need it, ask your professor to drop off a copy with us. Reserves typically check out for two hours at a time – perfect for a large number of people to get quick access to the first couple chapters of a book until they can get their own copies. Another alternative is using interlibrary loan – although this process can take time, as these types of books are in high demand this time of year. If you do use interlibrary loan, though, we have an incredible new user-friendly system for submitting requests – you can read more about it here.

As you get started looking for resources to back up your papers and speeches, you probably already know that Google is a terrible place to start, providing bogus, garbage information as often as it serves up something useful. Use Google to find movie times, not credible sources to back up your arguments. For that, use vetted material found in the library’s many databases. And this semester, doing so is even easier since we have added the EBSCO Discovery Service, a meta-search engine that goes through all our databases at once. Just type in your topic on our homepage and get started. You can read about EDS and how to use it in more detail here.

But that isn’t all the library is good for. We’re also the home for service-learning, so if you need a placement for the community engagement modules of your courses, you have lots of options. Service placements that are ongoing or short-term are both available. Come in to room 151 to see all the openings or email us at iueastsl@iue.edu for more information.

Together, we’ll have a great year! Have any questions? Ask us at iueref@iue.edu!