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Shockers United at the University Libraries: Home

This guide contains information about the University Libraries services and collections currently available

Hello, Shockers!

The University Libraries strives to offer a safe, welcoming experience for our students, staff, faculty and guests while maintaining safety protocols found in the Shockers United plan. 

Masks are recommended but not required within the University Libraries facilities. We will be happy to provide you with a disposable mask upon request at the circulation desk.

Access to Facilities

In accordance with University guidance, visitors to the University Libraries are encouraged to wear a mask at all times.

Fall hours for our facilities begin on Monday, August 16, 2021. Please see the hours page for detailed information. Our regular hours will be:

Ablah Library

Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
24-hour Study Room 24 hours with WSU i.d.

Music Library

Monday - Tuesday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Chemistry Library

Monday - Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 

Pickup and Delivery

The University Libraries are open and are eager to see you!

If you prefer to pick up materials at the circulation desk, you can place a hold using the Libraries’ online catalog at https://libcat.wichita.edu/. Refer to the instructions document below.

You may place requests for materials at any time and they will be paged every two hours during our hours of operation. We will notify you via email when your holds are ready. Please note that holds placed for items at the McKinley Chemistry Library and Thurlow Lieurance Music Library will take longer to retrieve.

To pick up your holds, please stop at the Circulation Desk in Ablah Library. Your materials will be held in a locker adjacent to the desk. Upon showing your Shocker ID card, Libraries staff will  provide you the information needed to retrieve your materials. The process in place is designed to provide contactless checkout of your materials.

If you are working or attending courses remotely and need to have materials mailed to you, follow the same process as above but choose home delivery. We will mail books to you as needed. You are responsible for returning the items via mail.

Faculty are also eligible for campus delivery.

Research and Instructional Services

With the fall 2021 semester we will again offer reference help in person in Ablah Library.

Reference is also available by chat, phone, email, or Zoom. Visit https://libraries.wichita.edu/askalibrarian to use these services. Please contact a librarian to schedule an appointment.

Faculty should contact their subject librarian to schedule synchronous instruction, a brief class visit from a librarian, or to embed a librarian into their courses on Blackboard. A list of subject librarians is available at https://libraries.wichita.edu/subjectlibrarians. For more information about instructional services offered by the University Libraries, please visit https://libraries.wichita.edu/libraryinstruction
 

Special Collections and University Archives

Special Collections & University Archives is open to onsite research by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact specialcollections@wichita.edu. Special Collections continues to provide services for all other researchers via options listed on its website.  Special Collections’ online resources are always available.

Returns

All materials should be returned to a book drop rather than directly to staff at the Circulation Desk. Ablah Library offers three book drops located at the northwest entrance to the building, inside the building near the Circulation Desk, and the 24-book return on the north side of the building between Ablah Library and the Media Resources Center (indicated on the map below.)

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Those who are away from the Wichita area for an extended period of time may opt to return their books by mail to the following address:

Wichita State University Libraries
c/o RETURNS
1845 Fairmount Street
Wichita, Kansas 67260-0068

Please contact Circulation staff if you have any problems with your checked-out materials at librarystaff@wichita.edu or 316- 978-3582.

Library Databases A - Z : including access to over 350 online databases. Access is limited to Wichita State students, faculty, and staff.

Current trial databases are available at https://libraries.wichita.edu/electronicresources/current_trials

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You can use one of the tools below to create links to articles found in the University Libraries' e-journals or databases that will work off-campus.  The tool will modify links so that Wichita State University students, faculty, and staff can access articles from off-campus.  

   To create links for use in BlackBoard or other web documents, use these link creating tools.

 

 

Article Linking Tool Create a link to an article from a library subscribed e-resource for use in BlackBoard, web pages, and handouts.
Instructional Guides Links to handouts on how to use the Article Linking Tool, viewing the Terms of Use information in the E-Journal Portal, etc.
License Terms Definitions A guide to understanding the licensing terms used in the "Terms of Use" information located in the E-Journal Portal.
Open Search Plugins Add a tool that allows you to use a database's search engine directly from your browser.
E-Resource Status Blog View information about known problems, outages, maintenance downtime, platform changes, etc.
E-Resource Troubleshooting Tips  Some helpful tips when having difficulty accessing e-resources.
E-Resource Troubleshooting Form Report a problem that you have encountered with an electronic resource.
   

For more information about ebooks, please refer to our guide at https://libraries.wichita.edu/ebooks

University Libraries Online Catalog
Limit initial search statement to "ebooks' under Add Filter.

University Libraries SmartSearch
Limit search results to "ebooks" under Source Type.

University Libraries Ebook Portal
Search ebooks by title or browse by title or subject.

All ebooks can be read online in your Web browser on your PCs, laptops, and mobile devices. However, you may wish to download an ebook for off-line viewing.  Downloaded ebooks temporarily reside on your device making them readily available 24/7. Some ebooks allow only one user at a time so the ebook is all yours while checked out to you. When you download an ebook, you may be prompted to select a loan/borrow/checkout time period for the book. Your access to the book is guaranteed during this period, and when the book is "due" it will automatically disappear from your device.

The following table summarizes information about devices that are compatible with selected ebook collections as well as options for printing and downloading. 


 

Collection

Compatible Devices
for Downloading

Downloading
Restrictions

Printing
Restrictions

Special Notes

ACLS Humanities E-Books

No downloading 

Only allows printing for 3 pages at a time 

 

APA Ebooks

PCs, laptops, any devices that  can be used with Adobe Digital Editions such as Nook and Sony. Need Bluefire Reader for direct downloading to iOS, Android devices, and Kindle Fire.

Download chapter by chapter in PDF.

Can be printed chapter by chapter in PDF.

 

 Books 24/7           (Finance Pro/ITPro)

 

 No downloading

Only allows printing 1 page at a time

 

eBook Collection (Ebscohost)

PCs, laptops, any devices that can be used with Adobe Digital Editions such as Nook and Sony. Need Bluefire Reader for direct downloading to iOS, Android devices, and Kindle Fire.

In general, entire ebook may be downloaded.

Create free account. During download process, choose 1-7 day checkout.

Up to 60 pages can be printed or saved.

Two video tutorials:Downloading Ebsco ebooks 
Ebooks on your iPAD

Ebsco support: How to Download Ebooks to Devices

EBook Library (EBL)

PCs, laptops, any devices that can be used with Adobe Digital Editions such as Nook and Sony. Need Bluefire Reader for direct downloading to iOS, Android devices, and Kindle Fire.

In general, entire ebook may be downloaded.

During download process, choose loan period (1-3 days). Can download as either PDF or ePUB.

Up to 5% of total pages. When downloaded, additional printing restrictions. 

Must login with WSU ID and password both on- and off-campus 

ebrary

PCs, laptops, any devices that can be used with Adobe Digital Editions such as Nook and Sony. Need Bluefire Reader for direct downloading to iOS, Android devices, and Kindle Fire.

If downloadable, entire ebook may be downloaded. 
Create free account.

Two options: 1) up to 60 pages of chapter or page range in PDF or 2) download entire ebook for 7 or 14 days.

Maximum number of pages allowed for printing depends on length of book. To print whole chapter, view a page within the chapter to activate option.

Overview of Download Options (including iPAD, Nook, Adobe Digital Editions) 

IEEE-Wiley eBooks

PCs, laptops, any devices that can be used with Adobe Digital Editions such as Nook and Sony. Need Bluefire Reader for direct downloading to iOS, Android devices, and Kindle Fire.

Download chapter by chapter in PDF.

Can be printed chapter by chapter in PDF.

 

Springer eBooks

PCs, laptops, any devices that can be used with Adobe Digital Editions such as Nook and Sony. Need Bluefire Reader for direct downloading to iOS, Android devices, and Kindle Fire.

Download chapter by chapter in PDF.

Can be printed chapter by chapter in PDF.

 

The following services are all available for you to use remotely:

Reference Assistance

Email the Research and Instructional Services team at wuknows@wichita.edu. Email general questions or concerns to librarystaff@wichita.edu. A librarian will return your message as quickly as possible according to the order in which it was received.

You will see a green light and a chat box on the left side of this page when chat help is available. Hours are typically 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan service is now available for physical items. You may place requests for those materials at any time. Please note that many libraries remain closed; as such it may be more difficult to locate copies of books to borrow. For the safety of our employees, incoming materials will be held for three days prior to processing and the Interlibrary Loan office will be closed to walk-in guests. Please pick up materials at the main Circulation Desk. If you need assistance, contact interlibraryloan@wichita.edu

Returns

All materials should be returned to a book drop rather than directly to staff at the Circulation Desk so that they may be held prior to processing. Items will be backdated to their return date. Ablah Library offers three book drops located at the northwest entrance to the building, inside the building near the Circulation Desk, and the 24-book return on the north side of the building between Ablah Library and the Media Resources Center (indicated on the map below.)

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Those who have moved away from the Wichita area entirely should return their books by mail to the following address:

Wichita State University Libraries
c/o RETURNS
1845 Fairmount Street
Wichita, Kansas 67260-0068

Most Ablah Library materials do not accrue overdue fines, however, we aim to waive all fines incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please contact Circulation staff if you have any problems with your checked-out materials at librarystaff@wichita.edu or 316- 978-3582.

Instruction and Consultations

Subject experts are available to Wichita State students and instructors for one-on-one consultations online. You can schedule an online consultation with them via email. Instructors can also arrange for a librarian to provide remote instruction for their courses. In either case, the librarian will work with you to find a mode of communication that works best for all parties.

Embedding a librarian in your Blackboard course is a great way to provide more consistent and personalized assistance for your students. An embedded librarian is especially useful for online classes that involve a research component. Including a librarian in Blackboard can also extend students' access to research assistance after an information literacy instruction session. Librarians can be active in the course to the extent the faculty member prefers.

To find the librarian best suited for your course, see the Directory of Subject Librarians

To add a librarian to your Blackboard course 

You'll need to assign them the role of Embedded Librarian.

  1. Log in to Blackboard and select the course you want to embed the librarian in.
  2. Under the section header “Course Management” of the left of the screen, click on Control Panel, then Users and Groups, then Users.
  3. Under the header “Users,” click on Find Users to Enroll.  Type the librarian’s myWSU ID, which is the username, in the search box.
  4. Use the drop-down box labeled “Role” to select Embedded Librarian.  Click on Submit
  5. The librarian will show up in the class roster with the role Embedded Librarian.

In addition to contact information for an embedded librarian, there are a number of tools that can be added to Blackboard to assist students in their research:

  • Ask-a-Librarian reference chat widget - Contact your subject librarian for more information.   
  • Subject or Course Guides - Copy the URL to the guide and paste it into a content area in Blackboard. You can also contact your subject librarian if you would like to have a customized research guide created for your course.

Your subject librarian will be glad to select research tools and helpful information that are pertinent to your course and, if you have embedded her/him, will put them into Blackboard for you.

For Off-Campus Access

You will use WSU's proxy server.  When you use the Libraries' database web pages  from an off-campus location, a login screen will automatically  appear when you first click the link to your selected database.    This login screen will ask you to enter 1) your myWSU ID number (located on the front of your Shocker Card) and 2) your myWSU password.  Once the security system has verified your status, a second screen will appear informing you that you have been verified and asking you to click on a button to continue.  Once you click this button, you will be logged-in to your selected database.

Due to licensing restrictions, off-campus access is not available for some databases. For assistance in accessing and using electronic databases, help is available through our chat or email.  Contact information can be found on the Ask-a-Librarian page.

Password or Shocker Card Problems?

If you are having trouble logging in, please check to see if you are using the right sign-on for this service.  The Libraries' remote database access service uses the myWSU ID and password.

  • If you have not used your myWSU ID before, you will need to create a password.  Click here to set-up your password.
  • Your myWSU ID is located on the front of your Shocker Card.  If you do not have your Shocker Card with you or if you need help finding your myWSU ID, click here.
  • If you have forgotten or need to change your password, click here

If you need additional help with your myWSU ID and/or password, please contact the Shocker Technical Assistance Center (STAC) at 316-978-HELP or helpdesk@wichita.edu.  For a list of their hours and additional contact information, see their website here.

If you have lost your Shocker Card, contact the Shocker Card Center to see if it has been turned in. For detailed hours and contact information, click here.

 

Questions and Comments

Please feel free to share any concerns or questions you might have with us so that we can do our best to meet the Shocker Community’s needs.

For circulation questions, contact librarystaff@wichita.edu
For research help, contact wuknows@wichita.edu 

You may also use our comment/suggestion form at http://wichita.libsurveys.com/comments_form 

 

Thanks, and take care,
The Faculty & Staff of the University Libraries

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Access Services Manager

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Cynorra Jackson
Contact:
316-978-5115
Wichita State University Libraries, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita, KS 67260-0068 | Phone: (316) 978-3481 | Comments/Suggestions | Facebook Instagram X