Fordham Libraries Expand Services with Books-to-Go & Digital Reserves
By Laura Childs, Emerging Technologies Librarian, & Mariah Lewis, Metadata Management Librarian
Since the start of the pandemic, the Fordham University Libraries have implemented new services focused on convenience, as well as safety. Two of these initiatives are our Digital Reserves platform and Books-to-Go service. Accessing library resources is easier than ever, and we’re keeping these services in place as Fordham returns to fully in-person operations.
Books-to-Go
Save time searching the shelves by requesting your items ahead of time for self-checkout – with Books-to-Go!
Available at the Walsh and Quinn libraries, Books-to-Go is a convenient and contactless way to check out books. Even if the Circulation Desk isn’t open, you can still retrieve the books you’ve requested and use a self-checkout kiosk. Simply follow the steps below:
- Find the item you need by searching the library catalog. You can request up to five items at a time.
- Click “Place Hold” and choose your pickup location (if you need help placing a hold, follow these instructions).
- Library staff will then retrieve the book from the stacks for you and make it available at the self-service pickup shelves for five business days.*
- You receive an email notification that the item is ready.
- Find the book on the pickup shelves across from the Circulation Desk in the Walsh Library atrium, or next to the self-checkout kiosks on the first floor of Quinn Library. Your book will be labelled with your name on it.
- Once you have it, use one of our self-checkout kiosks to check out the book.
*Every effort will be made to have available items ready for pickup within 3-5 business days (to allow for transferring between campuses when necessary), pending the libraries’ continued operations and staff availability.
For more information about Books-to-Go and borrowing at the library, visit our website.
Digital Reserves
Course reserves have long been a way to help students access the materials they need to read for class. Now, you no longer need to physically go to the library to check out these books.
Our new Digital Reserves platform makes it possible for you to check out digital copies on Reserve – anytime, anywhere. You can be in your dorm room or across the country. All you need to access the platform is your Fordham login.
Digital Reserves copies are read-only files, though accessible versions with OCR enabled are available to students who are registered with Fordham’s Office of Disability Services.
There are two main ways to search for content in Fordham Digital Reserves:
- From the library catalog: Search for the reserve title you need, then click the direct link found in its catalog record.
- From the Digital Reserves application: Search by Course Name, Course Number, or Professor’s Name, or just search by the title or author of the book.
Faculty may also add direct links in their syllabi or on Blackboard so students can easily access their course readings.
In order to comply with copyright laws*, there are a few rules in place while using Digital Reserves copies:
- You can only check out one book at a time.
- Each book can only be checked out for 3 hours before it is checked back in automatically.
- You must wait 60 minutes before you can check out the same book again.
These rules were essentially the same for physical Reserve books, but now there is no risk of late fees and you can use your own device to read the materials.
Faculty can request a book to be placed on Digital Reserves by filling out the Reserve Book Request Form.
If you’ve used the Digital Reserves platform, we want to hear from you! Take our quick survey to let us know about your experience.
Another option for accessing course materials is ARES, which has been in place for many years, so you may already be familiar with it. ARES allows faculty to collect and arrange book chapters, articles, and other selected works for students enrolled in a specific course. For information on getting started, there are a number of guides available in the ARES portal.
*Library staff first check to see if the book is already available to purchase in a digital format before creating a digital copy.
We’re Here to Help
If you need assistance using Books-to-Go, please email: univlib@fordham.edu. If you need assistance with Digital Reserves, please email: libraryreserve@fordham.edu.
