The Libraries are here for you. If you are an undergraduate new to campus, the Libraries can offer you in-person services to bolster virtual services.
Our virtual resources and consultations are available to all students. This includes 24/7 access to online journals, databases, and ebooks through ZipSearch and other collection search tools, and individual research support through chat and research consultations with subject specialists. We can send items right to your house or you can pick them up curbside without setting foot in our buildings.
Your Akron librarians have been busy developing mini-classes to help you develop the research skills that can help you be successful in your classes and beyond. We have three self-paced Brightspace courses that you can complete for certificates:
Library 101- Whether you need five sources for your paper that’s due tomorrow, or you have five weeks to do your research, knowing how to navigate the library’s resources is key. In this course, we’ll share some tips and tricks on how to improve your research skills for faster and better results. You can do this course in about an hour.
Library 201- for more advanced users. This tutorial contains six lessons to improve your ability to identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively. Lesson 1: The Nature of Information; Lesson 2: Looking Critically at Information; Lesson 3: Planning Your Research; Lesson 4: Searching Basics and Library Catalogs; Lesson 5: Databases Deep Dive; Lesson 6: Internet Searching. Each lesson is about an hour long. Take your time and dive into this course to level up your research skills.
Keeping Your References and Notes Organized- Do you wish you could remember the title of the journal article you used for an assignment two years ago? Do you feel like you’ve repeated the same search for information before? How about saving information that might come in handy for an assignment next semester? Find out what tools work best for you to organize your information resources and save time on your next research project! You can do this course in under 2 hours.
Study spaces are reservable in Bierce Library for individual use. These include spaces for quiet study and for videoconferencing services.
Bierce Library offers a number of student study spaces individual quiet study. The 1st and 2nd floors are collaborative study floors, and small groups can meet within appropriate social distancing parameters. The 3rd floor is our quiet study floor, where talking is not advised. The library has a variety of furniture arrangements to accommodate each learning style, and you are welcome to re-arrange any furniture on wheels for your convenience.
We have laptops that you can borrow for the entire semester as well as a few reserved for single-day use. PCs and Macs are available in the Learning Commons. Printing and scanning is also available. Microform readers and multimedia carrels are available to view microform, VHS tapes, Blu-Ray, and DVDs, or listen to CDs and LPs.
Books and other materials may be requested via the catalog and picked up at Bierce Library or mailed to your house.
If we don't have it in our building, OhioLINK offers access to more than 46 million books and other library materials. Textbooks, DVDs, novels, music, and more are available through the OhioLINK Central Catalog.
When a book cannot be found through University Library catalogs, or through OhioLINK or Search Ohio, you may use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to request a book from around the world. Making a request through ILL will prompt a search for shareable texts from libraries around the world.
Materials may be returned to the outside bookdrops at the library or in the lobby.