COVID-19: Library Services Available

Services available to the campus community during the COVID-19 response:

• Borrowing: Use Curbside Pickup to borrow many physical Library materials through contactless walk/drive/bike-up service. Renew Library materials online in My Library Account or submit a billing appeal form online. Direct any questions about renewals, billing, or borrowing to LibraryBorrowing@ucsd.edu. Current faculty, staff, students from other UCs residing in the San Diego area are eligible for borrowing privileges at the UC San Diego Library; contact our Borrowing staff for details.
• Research Assistance: Users can get real-time online research assistance through our 24/7 online chat service, ask questions via email, or schedule a consultation with a subject specialist. Please note that the 24/7 service is staffed by a national network of librarians while email is staffed exclusively by UC San Diego librarians.
• Article/Chapter Requests: Request article/chapter scans of UCSD-owned materials for digital delivery; direct any questions on this service to LibraryBorrowing@ucsd.edu. Interlibrary Loan staff can assist with article and most book chapter requests. Requests for physical materials will be placed on hold and processed when libraries in the system reopen.
• Returns: To return Library items, use the drive-up book returns at the Geisel turn-around, which will continue to be emptied on a regular basis. You may also use the book returns at the Geisel entrance, but do not return items to the book returns outside the Biomedical Library Building. Items will remain on your account until staff may safely return to work. In most cases due dates have been extended to September 30.
• Tech Lending: Keep your tech lending item(s) for now. Due dates have been adjusted to September 30. To avoid damage to tech equipment, we kindly ask that you do not return tech lending items via the book returns. Email LibraryBorrowing@ucsd.edu with questions.
• Tours: In-person Library tours are currently suspended, but you may visit the Geisel Library Building’s 1st and 2nd Floors through our Virtual Library Tour.
• Online Access to Materials: Access to hundreds of thousands of copyrighted materials belonging to UC San Diego's physical collections in addition to millions of digitized public domain volumes are temporarily available via HathiTrust. Learn more about HathiTrust emergency temporary access to copyrighted books.
• Additional Expanded Access: Many publishers are offering temporary expanded access. View the Electronic Library Resources 2020 Guide for a full list of available resources.
• LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning is a library of over 100,000 video tutorials on software, technology, design, photography, business, life skills, and more. UC San Diego faculty, staff, and students can email LinkedInLibrary@ucsd.edu to get a license.

Services available to faculty during the COVID-19 response:

• Library Instruction:
  • For Summer Session, Library instruction will be online only. Request Library Instruction.
  • For questions about Library instruction contact our Library Instruction Coordinator, Crystal Goldman.
  • For personal assistance with Library instruction and materials for your courses, contact your subject librarian.
• Course Reserves:
  • Submit requests for course reserves for Summer Session.
  • Electronic copies of texts will be purchased, when available. Scanning of print materials is not currently available. For more information, or contact reserves@ucsd.edu.
• Library Guides: Search Library Guides by subject for connections to databases and other resources.
• Online Course Support:
  • The Teaching and Learning Commons for best practices and assistance.
  • Educational Technology Services for technical support with Canvas, video and podcasts.
• Copyright & License Information:
  • Read this brief overview about copyright of course materials at UC San Diego.
  • Link to Library licensed content such as journal articles or do a fair use assessment if you want to post the actual content. Be sure to remind the students they need to sign on to the VPN to get access to Library content remotely.
  • Locate an Open Educational Resource (OER). All are open access and Creative Commons licensed so that you can post the actual content immediately.
  • Don't have time to dig through licenses and fair use assessments? Use Open Educational Resources (OER)—all types of content and ancillaries!
  • Contact scholcomm@ucsd.edu for copyright, fair use, and OER questions.
• Special Collections: For questions about teaching or research with Special Collections & Archives materials during the closure contact spcoll@ucsd.edu. We will gladly assist you with finding creative solutions to teaching or research inquiries until our regular services resume. Digitized materials are available through the Library Digital Collections.

Services available to students during the COVID-19 response:

• Library Guides:
  • Use the Library Guide for Getting Started with Research.
  • Search Library Guides by subject to connect to databases and other resources.
  • Find course-specific Library Guides.
• Course Reserves: See if your instructor has placed any materials on electronic reserve.
• Research Assistance: Get real-time online research assistance through our 24/7 online chat service or ask questions via email.
• Consultations: Schedule a consultation with your subject librarian for personal assistance with your research.
• Remote Resources: Learn more about remote resources at the Library.
• Computer Labs & Study Spaces: Find a computer lab or safe study space using the UC San Diego Computer Lab Lookup.

Services available to members of the public during the COVID-19 response:

• Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Materials:
  • Due to the closure, there is currently no physical access to Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) materials. Full access to that collection will be restored when the library re-opens.
  • In the meantime, members of the public may request FDLP-related research assistance using our 24/7 online chat service. You may also use the U.S. Government LibGuide for help finding online information, or the Federal Depository Library Directory to locate other FDLP libraries.
• Special Collections: Special Collections & Archives will be working remotely during this period to provide support for remote research and teaching as best as we can. Please contact spcoll@ucsd.edu with questions.