This fall, we are hoping to have as normal an experience as possible, but some things may be a little different than expected.  Let me assure you that the Loyola University Chicago Libraries’ priority is to serve our students, faculty, and staff, while also protecting the health and safety of the community. We continue to provide services and are doing everything that we can to support learning, teaching, and research. Our librarians and staff are always ready to help!  I am available via email and by appointment over Zoom throughout the semester.  I will be on campus, but will continue to meet with students over Zoom.  Click the "Email Me" or "Schedule Appointment" button to the left to contact me.

The University Libraries are comprised of five libraries and two archives spread across three Chicagoland campuses, plus the Rome Center.  Since August 9, 2021, all library spaces are open!  Cudahy Library and the Information Commons on the Lake Shore Campus and Lewis Library on the Water Tower Campus are available for individual and small group study, as well as on-site services.  Book stacks are open!  Physical books may be chosen from the shelves or requested and picked up at a service desk. 

Library Spaces - Cudahy Library and the Information Commons at the Lake Shore Campus and the Lewis Library at the Water Tower Campus are open!  The entrance to Lewis Library is on the 6th floor of Corboy Law Center. 

• Computer workstations and lockers are available on the 6th floor.
• Children's books, curriculum materials, the Popular Reading Collection, and DVDs are available on the 6th floor.
• Silent study spaces are available on the 8th floor.
• Group and individual study rooms are available on the 9th floor.  Rooms can be reserved at http://libraries.luc.edu/reservations/lewis.

Some of you may not be in Chicago or on campus and may be concerned about how you will accomplish your research.  Most of our library resources and services are available online.  

Access to books and DVDs — Search our online catalog of one million physical books, including the Popular Reading and Curriculum collections, and DVDs between the Lake Shore and Water Tower campuses.  Graduate students can check out books for the entire semester.

• Find scholarly works for research projects and class assignments.  Most education books are at Lewis Library.
• Read something for fun in our Popular Reading collections at both campuses.
• Lewis Library at the Water Tower Campus is home to the Curriculum Collection, a collection of textbooks, curriculum guides, lesson planning materials, and children’s literature from Early Childhood to 12th Grade. The Curriculum Collection mainly supports our students in the teacher preparation programs but is open to everyone.
• Our DVD collection contains both popular films and instructional films.

Access to electronic resources — Loyola Libraries subscribe to over 400 databases for online journal subscriptions for peer-reviewed articles. Our online catalog provides access to thousands of academic ebooks, and streaming video services.

• Find electronic Course Reserve material that faculty have requested be available for you.  Course Reserves can include journal articles and book chapters that are required reading for your classes.
• Most electronic books have unlimited use, but some are restricted by the publishers to one or three users.  It will say in the catalog if there is a limit.
• Keep in mind that we are not always able to get an electronic version of a book, even if it’s available electronically through Amazon or a public library.  The publisher has to offer an institutional license.
• Loyola Libraries subscribe to almost a dozen streaming video services, including Kanopy.

InterLibrary Loan — Any journal article not available through one of our 400 databases can be requested free of charge from other libraries. You can also request books and book chapters. 

• Journal articles and book chapters are sent as a PDF, typically within 48-business hours, but some may take more time right now as some libraries still have limited staff. 
• Books must be picked up at the library.  Please allow up to 10 days for delivery.
• Find out more information and request materials at https://illiad.luc.edu/illiad/IAL/logon.html.

Get Help with all of the above! — Ask your personal librarian! I am available for reference and research assistance throughout your academic journey.

• Send questions by email.
• Meet with me one-on-one via Zoom web conferencing software.
• Schedule a meeting with your group projects, or research group.
• Request a class visit. As an active partner in the teaching and learning process, I teach library research skills to classes and small groups.
• Assistance is also available 24/7 by clicking on the “Ask a Librarian” link on our website or the chat box on the left.

When you’re looking for articles for an assignment, the catalog search is ineffective and not comprehensive for keyword or topical searching, particularly for education research.  Instead, I will direct you to the Research Guide for Education (Education Main Research Guide), and a list of education databases you can use for your research.  Below the catalog search box is a box called Research Guides.  There’s a research guide for every discipline at Loyola.  First choose Education, to get to the research guides related to Education.  There are eight guides listed.  The first two will be of interest to students in the Curriculum & Instruction program.  Those two are particularly related to the Curriculum Collection at Lewis Library, that I previously mentioned is a large collection of children’s books and classroom materials to support teaching at PreK-12 levels, and similar resources online.  The third one, the Education Main Research Guide, is of interest to everyone, regardless of program.

On the left of the Education Main Research Guide, there' a tab that says “Databases (Article Search)”.   Again, Loyola subscribes to over 400 databases and in the center column of this page you can see the over 20 databases related to Education, including the DSM-V online, ERIC, and several psychology databases.  Most of these have full-text, but any article not immediately available online can be requested through InterLibrary Loan. 

There is also a tab for Library Tutorials.  This first one “Library Website Basics” is an orientation video similar to what I’m sharing with you today.  The “Searching for Articles” video will take you through the steps of choosing my Top Five education databases and searching those efficiently. There is also a tutorial on searching the library catalog.