• Whiteboard supplies can now be checked out at the Info Desk
• Sanitizing stations are spaced throughout the library
• Furniture and computers have been rearranged in the library to follow guidelines of safe physical distancing practices
• Plexiglass barriers have been installed at the Information Desk
• Plexiglass barriers will be placed on the tables to divide spaces
• A self-checkout kiosk has been installed
• Some meeting spaces that do not allow for social distancing have been closed for community safety, including:
• • Learning Studio
  • Innovation Space
  • Paula Black Seminar Room
  • Study rooms

• Research appointments are available by appointment only and will be conducted via Zoom. Students can request an appointment here or by emailing Haley Lott at lotth@beloit.edu or Kelly Leahy at leahykm@beloit.edu.
• Instruction Sessions are available via Zoom. Please contact Haley Lott or Kelly Leahy directly to schedule a class. If you do not know who your department liaison is, please consult this list.
• IT Support is available remotely via email, chat, and phone, or in person by appointment only. Visit support.beloit.edu, email support@beloit.edu or call (608) 363-HELP (4357) for assistance.
• Campus computer labs will be closed during the Fall 2020 Semester. Please read the Apporto section below for more information about accessing licensed computer lab software during these changes.

Have you heard about our new Chat Service? Whether you’re on or off campus, it’s easier than ever to get help from your friendly librarians. Just visit the Ask A Librarian page on our website for help starting your research or finding library materials.

We are adding new video tutorials about research and technology on a regular basis. Learn everything from how to place a hold on library materials to how to start your research to how to use Google Scholar. Find these videos and so much more on our YouTube Channel or on our Library 101 Research Guide.

We are in the process of migrating our Interlibrary Loan service to Tipasa, a program that seamlessly integrates with our catalog to help make placing requests for materials easier and faster than ever.

There have, however, been some service changes to ILL due to the pandemic. Physical InterLibrary Loan lending is available once again for those able to pick-up materials on campus. At this time, we are not able to ship InterLibrary Loan materials. Many libraries around the country are still not open and so the pool of lending libraries has been reduced. In some cases, your request may be delayed or we will need to get access in a different format than preferred.

After 34 years of stellar service, our beloved archivist, Fred Burwell, has retired. We wish him all the best. This change will affect some Archive services until a replacement Archivist has been hired.

Over the summer, the library has been hard at work to expand our database holdings. On July 1 we activated a variety of new full text resources including: ProQuest Central, Academic Video Online (AVON), Early English Books Online, Dissertations & Theses, and over 20 primary source databases. We have also added access to Credo Reference and Issues and Controversies, resources with substantive background information on an unlimited number of topics. We are working to add access to Hathi Trust, in the near future, as well.

In March, we changed the way that we add ebooks to our collection. We have implemented demand driven acquisition and access to own through our major ebook vendor, ProQuest. This means that we have ebooks listed in our catalog that we do not yet own. When patrons try to access these materials, it will trigger an ebook purchase. With access to own, we purchase a portion of the ebook each time a patron uses a specific title. If enough patrons use a specific title, we will have purchased the title and will own it perpetually.

To accommodate students both on and off campus, we have switched our course reserves to an e-format with unlimited access this Fall. If items are not available as ebooks, we worked with faculty to ensure materials are available for students.

QuickLaunch is our new Single Sign On (SSO) login system that enables you to sign in to multiple systems by entering your username and password only once per browser session. It also enables increased security and additional self-service password reset options.

This means that when you log in to a Beloit College service like the Portal, you will see a different login screen than you’re used to. Log in with the same username and password you would normally use. After you sign in to one service, you won’t need to log in to each additional service. This will also ensure that better self-service password recovery options will be available.

Due to the need for social distancing, campus computer labs will be closed for Fall 2020. Instead, we have implemented a virtual desktop service called Apporto so students and faculty will be able to access licensed computer lab software from wherever they are.

Apporto provides faculty and students access to virtual lab desktops stored in the cloud to enable the use of licensed applications that could not otherwise be accessed remotely. Apporto can be used on almost any device with a web browser.