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Welcome Back! Fall 2020 Library Policies & News

Welcome new and returning students and staff!

The Purchase College Library is open online! We will support your coursework throughout the 2020-2021academic year. While the library building remains closed this Fall due to COVID-19, we are offering a number of services to help you get the resources you need, from contactless pickup to virtual reference!

Contactless Pickup:

The Library is offering contactless pickup services on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm by appointment. In November, additional pickup days will be available on Wednesday, Nov. 4,11, and 18.You can place holds for physical library materials through the Discovery Search. When your holds are ready, you’ll receive an email with a link to make an appointment to pick up your items in the Library vestibule. Please see our Contactless Pickup Policies and the COVID-19 Help Guide for full details. Contactless pickup services will only be available to current faculty, staff, and students with a valid Purchase College ID (MORE Card).

Due dates for Purchase College materials that are currently checked out have been extended to December 19, 2020. Due dates for interlibrary loan items remain September 30, 2020. All other general rules and policies regarding Borrowing Library Materials remain in effect.

Remote students: please follow the College guidelines for visiting campus, which require pre-registering online and checking in at the CMFT Lobby when you arrive on campus. And don’t forget to wear a mask and maintain social distance from others at all times!


Ask a Librarian Virtually:

As always, we are open online! Reference librarians are here to help you virtually via chat, text, email, or zoom. The chat service is available 24/7. Zoom, text, and email services are staffed by Purchase librarians Monday-Friday, 10am to 4pm (starting August 31). Librarians can help you findebooks and streaming films for your classes, understand citations, get started on a research project, navigate library databases, find online articles, place holds for contactless pickup, and more!


Interlibrary Loan:

You can request items from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). ILL uses the same contactless pickup appointment process for you to schedule a pickup time. Don’t forget that you can also place ILL requests for articles and individual book chapters that are not available in Purchase College library databases. Articles and book chapters are delivered electronically. See ILL Help Guide for more info.


Finding eBooks for Classes:

Due to safety concerns and the need for books to be quarantined for four days between users, the Library is not able to offer physical reserves services this Fall. Instead, librarians have been working with instructors throughout the summer to acquire ebook versions of required textbooks, whenever possible. Please see our FAQ on Finding eBooks for help locating your required texts in the Library’s many ebook databases. Also remember that the campus bookstore has both ebook and print options for buying textbooks that are not available at the Library. Note: many commercial e-textbooks are not available for libraries to license due to publisher restrictions. If you’re struggling to find required ebooks for your classes, please reach out to your professor or ask a librarian for help.


Computing and Scanning:

The library building is physically closed including our computer labs, audio editing suites, group study rooms, classrooms, Special Collections & Archives, etc. Please see the CTS list of campus computer labs that will be open for all students this Fall, which includes:

  • Natural Sciences 1063 (Planetarium lab)

  • Natural Sciences 1013 (New Media lab)

  • CMFT Building (Center for Media, Film,and Theatre) labs MF 3033 and MF 3031.

These labs will be socially distanced and equipped with printers and scanners.