We have collected information related to the current provision of library services on a new COVID-19 Library Services Update page. This page will be frequently updated with information on library services, as well as other services provided through the Ames Library, e.g., technology assistance, tutoring. Please visit this page regularly for new updates or contact your liaison librarian with any questions.
Following continuing review of our response to the coronavirus epidemic, the university has made the difficult decision to close the Ames Library to all members of the community, as of its scheduled closing at 4 pm today. The Ames Library will remain closed to the public until March 29th, with a review of future plans to be conducted in line with campus decisions regarding the return to in-person instruction on the Bloomington campus. We understand the challenges this places on our students, faculty, and staff, as they prepare for the transition to online learning.
As of March 17th, all library services will be delivered digitally, and there will be no provision of library services on-site, including circulation of print materials, media materials, or technology.
Access to the library’s robust collection of digital content, including journals, databases, media, and research assistance continues, and can be easily accessed through the library’s guide to remote library resources and services. Please note that the extraordinary challenges we are currently confronting means that some services, including any circulation or interlibrary lending of physical materials, are not currently available. The library will be open limited hours (March 17-20), by appointment only, for faculty members seeking assistance in moving their courses online.
Additional details of library services available during our closure will be available on the library web site tomorrow. If you have questions before this resource is posted, please contact your liaison librarian.
Please watch the library home page and Twitter account for ongoing updates to library resources and services.
Thank you for your help, flexibility, and understanding during this extraordinary event. While we understand the challenges these changes present, we believe it is the best way to ensure the health and well-being of our library faculty, staff, and students, as well as the campus and Bloomington community. We look forward to returning to normal library operations as soon as possible.
Following the March 15th communication from university leadership, access to the Ames Library is currently “limited to faculty who need to use resources to move their instruction to an alternative mode and to a select group of staff for cleaning.” Currently, this plan is in place through March 29th, but may evolve with changing circumstances. Additional information on availability of specific library resources and services will be made available as soon as possible.
All IWU students, faculty, and staff, are strongly encouraged to observe CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and to make use of our rich collection of digital resources, services, and tools, as an alternative to visiting the library in person.
We appreciate your flexibility during this challenging time, are available to assist you by remote means, and look forward to welcoming you back to the Ames Library as soon as we can.
Following the university’s announcement of an extended Spring Break and a move to online-only instruction following the break, the Ames Library has adjusted its service hours and access policies for the period affected, March 14th – 29th. During this time, we will be limiting access to the Ames Library to current IWU students, faculty, and staff, and to current students, faculty, and staff at CARLI member libraries. Access to the Ames Library will be by card-swipe or by presentation of a current ID card from a CARLI member library.
We will review these hours and access policies as more information is made available about the university’s plan for resuming on-campus instruction (or extending the period of online-only instruction) after March 29th. Please visit the library’s Hours page for the most up-to-date information about library hours, and watch this space for any additional changes to library services during this time.
In response to the continuing expansion of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Illinois and across the United States, the Ames Library and Information Technology Services are working in close collaboration with university leadership and our campus partners to provide resources that will make it easier for our students, faculty, and staff to make use of a wide array of resources and services that we provide to help you to teach, learn, and conduct research in the online environment.
As you return to your classes, please take a moment to explore our new guide to accessing library resources, services, and assistance from a distance, as well as the ITS guide for faculty members making use of the university’s online teaching platforms. While these guides will be useful in a number of situations (e.g., leaves, breaks, study abroad), we believe they will be especially helpful as part of the coordinated response across the university to ensure the health and well-being of our campus community.
Join faculty, staff, and students from across the IWU community on March 21st for a full reading of Paradise Lost, one of the longest poems ever written in the English language, and one which the BBC called “a work of unparalleled imaginative genius that shapes English literature even now.”
The Paradise Lost Read-a-Thon is co-sponsored with the Department of English, and anyone wishing to take part should send a message to Professor Joanne Diaz to sign up for a reading slot (or two, as it is a very long poem) by March 16th.
The read-a-thon will take place on the first floor of the Ames Library.
Posted in Ames Highlights
Our Spring Break Hours begin Friday, March 6th, and continue until March 15th. Please be sure to check the Library Hours page for a complete list of service hours during the break. Our electronic resources, of course, remain available to you 24/7, and don’t take holidays or weekends off.
