You’ve probably heard that the library remains open to student use during the COVID-19 pandemic, but did you know there are certain services you can use to stay safe?

• Don’t come in unnecessarily

Need a book from the library but don’t want to come in without knowing you can have it for sure? You can tell if the book you want is still in the library by doing a search at consortiumlibrary.org. Once you find your item in the list of results, click on it.

As you can see by the red arrows, there are two key pieces of information. First, you can see which library the book is available at under the “Location” column. Your UAA or APU ID will get you into the UAA/APU Consortium Library, so be sure your item is listed there.

Second, you can tell if the item is available on the shelf in the information to the right of the location. If someone else has the item, it will say “Checked Out” with a due date next to it.

If your item is checked out, try searching the Ebooks or Alaska’s Digital Library!

• Have items waiting for you

If the item you want is checked out by someone else, or if you want to be sure it will be waiting for you at the Circulation Desk when you visit, you can place a hold. 

To place a hold, check to see if there’s a “Place Hold” button in the upper right hand corner of the item’s catalog entry. If there is, click on it. It will ask you to provide your UAA ID number and PIN,  and then ask where you want to pick up your item. Make sure it delivers to the UAA/APU Consortium Library. If you don’t know your PIN, contact the Circulation Desk at 786-1871. 

You will receive an email when your item is ready for pick-up. You may then head to the Circulation Desk to check out your item. Don’t forget your ID to get into the building.

Stay healthy, my friends!

The Library is still open to students with a valid UA or APU ID. If you don’t have a UAA ID, we can help you get one, for more information see the COVID-19 update page. The library hours have changed and there are two sets of hours now: building hours and online research assistance hours. Both are on the Library Services Update page.

We have laptops along with earbuds available for use within the building for attending classes, and we have laptops that can be checked out to take home. These are available at the Main Circulation Desk. The Library can provide Document Delivery services for some materials, and students can check-out books from the Library.

For research help from a Librarian, use the Library’s Ask Us service on the library website. The Consortium Library has moved to online Information and Research Services. All the virtual ways to contact us still exist, but we do not have librarians at the first floor Research Help Desk. On the Library’s website is an Ask Us link which provides access to librarians via chat, email, texting, and online appointments.

Please contact Archives and Special Collections directly if you have need of their collections or research services.

The Library has a page within University of Alaska’s Blackboard  to make library access easier. There is also a Library link within your course in Blackboard and there are resources on this Guides page on our website. These pages are designed to provide more direct access to relevant Library resources. For many more resources use QuickSearch on our main page or the databases, including our ebook collections. The Library is available on the the APU website as well.

If you need any assistance finding information or research, please don’t hesitate to contact the Virtual Reference Desk. Or you may contact the subject librarian for your program for research help. They can meet with you via online means such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc. Use this link to make an appointment .

Let us know how we can help!

Learning Express by Ebsco (the same company that brings you Academic Search Premiere) is an amazing resource offered through the Alaskan Library Network that can help you excel in all your classes and even meet personal goals.

Learning Express is a wealth of tutorials and instructional materials on a wide array of subjects. From brushing up on computer basics, to improving your conversation Spanish skills, to finding scholarships: Learning Express has it all. To access Learning Express, visit our page https://consortiumlibrary.org/, and then select the Databases link under the “Find Books & Articles” header. From the Database list select L, and then click on “Learning Express.”

The resources Learning Express offers are broken down into ten centers. Here are a few that are especially useful for students.

–Career Preparation offers assistants in prepping for career specific exams, from nursing and social work to air traffic control. It also includes guidance on work place skills.

–Job Acceleration helps match you with your dream career by providing information on different occupations and can even help locate jobs and internships in different fields, as well as tools to get hired. It also includes a scholarship finder.

–College Students provides tools to brush up on and advance in fields including math, reading, writing and science. It offers preparation for college placement exams, graduate entrance exams, and CLEP exams in subjects such as American history, Government practices, literature, and humanities.

-Student Success Tools includes college level resources to improve your classroom success, keep you organized and help you reach personal goals.

–Computer Skills Center, whether you just want to learn the basics, want to navigate the internet better, or are looking to learn how to create computer graphics and illustration, or dive into your computers operating systems, this is a great place to start.