Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Search in the Library's online catalog, which is available through the Library's homepage. If you know the item's title or the author's name, then conduct a TITLE or AUTHOR search. Otherwise you can simply conduct a search using a keyword(s) that represent your topic. Reference librarians are available to assist you with catalog searching.

A building directory is located on the wall between the elevators on each floor. Consult this directory to determine what floor the call number is located on. The Library's website also contains a building directory.

Books are checked out to you for 21 days and can be renewed up to 4 times.

Non-book materials (CDs, DVDs, etc.) are checked out to you for 7 days and can be renewed 1 time.

You may renew library materials: 1) in person at the Circulation Desk on the Library's main floor; 2) over the telephone at 419-289-5383; or 3) online via your personal library account, which is accessible through the MY ACCOUNT link in the left-hand menu on the Library's homepage.

Be advised that you cannot renew materials online on the day they are due. But you can still renew them that day in person or by telephone.

Additional questions about renewal? Call the 419-289-5383.

Judi Humphrey, Head of Circulation & Reserves
     Phone: 419-289-5400
     E-mail: jhumphre@ashland.edu

Yes and no. A few instructors do place copies of course textbooks on reserve at the Library--which means a textbook is available for restricted, short-term checkout at the Circulation Desk on the main floor. Additionally, the Library may happen, say, to own a novel you need for an English course or a nonfiction work you need for a political science course. Beyond that, however, the Library does not provide copies of course textbooks for students to use. Nor do Library staff know what your required textbooks are (see the campus bookstore's website for that information).

If the Library does not own what you need in the way of books or other materials, the next step is to consult the OhioLINK online catalog (see below) and/or the SearchOhio online catalog (see below).

The Library has an exterior drop slot on the west side of the building (adjacent to the Chapel) immediately to the left of the service entrance doors.

The Library's online research databases provide you with access to journal, magainze, and newspaper articles. To access research databases, go to the Library's homepage and click on the FIND A DATABASE component in the middle of the page. Once that component opens, you are given a choice of an alphabetical listing or a categorized listing of databases based on subject matter.

In most of the Libary's online research databases you'll see a yellow FIND IT button along with each article in your search results list. Clicking on the button initiates a search for an article across numerous Ashland University Library databases simultaneously. If the FIND IT process succeeds, you'll be provided with a link leading to the full text of the article.

If the FIND IT process fails, you have the option of placing an interlibrary loan request (see below) for that same article.

Starting at the Library's homepage, click on the Online Journals by Title search component in the middle of the page. Once that box opens, enter the title of the source (journal, magazine, newspaper) and then execute the search. This process enables you to determine if your source is available full text through one of the Library's numerous online research databases or the print periodicals collection.

For more details about this process, contact a reference librarian:

     Phone: 419-289-5400
     Text: 419-768-6106
     E-mail: online question submission form

No, the online research databases are accessible from any location on or off campus. Off-campus users, however, will be prompted for their name and seven-digit ID number as part of an authentication process that verifies you are indeed a member of the Ashland University community.

Imagine you're a college professor whose area of expertise is the U.S. civil war. You submit an article you've written about the civil war to the Journal of American History in hopes that your article will be published therein. Upon receipt of your article the editor of that journal immediately passes along copies of your article to a panel of your professional peers (i.e., other experts in the U.S. civil war). They read your article and then report back to the journal editor, each indicating whether or not your article is deemed worthy of inclusion in the journal. The editor then makes an informed decision about publishing your article based on this review. Because this journal employs the peer-review process, articles published in it are classified as peer-reviewed articles.

The Library website's Citing Sources page includes a set of links leading to online citation guides. It also identifies the style manuals that the Library owns.

Naturally, reference librarians are available to answer questions you have about using APA, MLA, and Chicago style.

The Writing Studio (104 Bixler Hall) is a campus resource for students to work with trained consultants on documentation styles.

OhioLINK is a statewide organization that, among other things, enables you to borrow library materials from libraries throughout the state. You place requests through the OhioLINK online catalog and have them delivered to you--all at no cost. Just remember to always search the Ashland University Library's online catalog first to see if we already own what you're looking for.

Once your OhioLINK materials are ready to be picked up, an e-mail notification will be sent to your Ashland University e-mail account.

OhioLINK books are checked out to you for 21 days and can be renewed up to 6 times.

OhioLINK non-book items (CDs, DVDs, etc.) are checked out to you for 7 days and cannot be renewed.

You may renew OhioLINK materials: 1) in person at the Circulation Desk on the Library's main floor; 2) over the telephone at 419-289-5383; or 3) online via your personal library account, which is accessible through the MY ACCOUNT link in the left-hand menu on the Library's homepage.

Be advised that you cannot renew materials online on the day they are due. But you can still renew them that day in person or by telephone.

Additional questions about renewal? Call the 419-289-5383.

You can certainly try searching in the OhioLINK online catalog for course textbooks, though whether OhioLINK member libraries have them or not is merely a matter of chance. You're unlikely to find traditional academic textbooks (ex. the 12th edition of Brown and Smith's Introduction to Law that was published last year); however, non-traditional textbooks are sometimes available (ex. novels, anthologies, autobiography, biography, other nonfiction).

While it's possible for you to have an OhioLINK book for a total of 21 weeks, you may have to hand in that book earlier than you'd like to if someone places a hold on it. So don't assume that once you've acquired a textbook through OhioLINK that you'll be able to keep it for a full semester.

Judi Humphrey, Head of Circulation & Reserves
     Phone: 419-289-5400
     E-mail: jhumphre@ashland.edu

SearchOhio is a cooperative organization of public libraries from which you can borrow library materials. You place requests through the SearchOhio online catalog and have them delivered to you--all at no cost. Just remember, when it comes to searching: 1) start with the Ashland University Library's online catalog; 2) move on, if needed, to the OhioLINK online library catalog; 3) then, as a last resort, use SearchOhio.

Be advised that because SearchOhio is comprised of public libraries, its collection is less suited to college-level research. SearchOhio can, however, be especially helpful if you're in search of fiction, juvenile/teen materials (for education majors), films, and music.

Once your OhioLINK materials are ready to be picked up, an e-mail notification will be sent to your Ashland University e-mail account.

SearchOhio books are checked out to you for 21 days and can be renewed up to 3 times.

SearchOhio DVDs are checked out to you for 7 days and can be renewed up to 3 times.

Other SearchOhio non-book items (CDs, etc.) are checked out to you for 21 days and can be renewed up to 3 times.

You may renew SearchOhio materials: 1) in person at the Circulation Desk on the Library's main floor; 2) over the telephone at 419-289-5383; or 3) online via your personal library account, which is accessible through the MY ACCOUNT link in the left-hand menu on the Library's homepage.

Be advised that you cannot renew materials online on the day they are due. But you can still renew them that day in person or by telephone.

Additional questions about renewal? Call the 419-289-5383.

You're unlikely to find traditional academic textbooks (ex. the 12th edition of Brown and Smith's Introduction to Law that was published last year); however, non-traditional textbooks are sometimes available (ex. novels, anthologies, autobiography, biography, other nonfiction).

While it's possible for you to have a SearchOhio book for a total of 12 weeks, you may have to hand in that book earlier than you'd like to if someone places a hold on it. So don't assume that once you've acquired a textbook through SearchOhio that you'll be able to keep it for a full semester.

Judi Humphrey, Head of Circulation & Reserves
     Phone: 419-289-5400
     E-mail: jhumphre@ashland.edu

Interlibrary loan is a free service that enables you to acquire: 1) full-text articles that are not available from the Library's online or print periodicals collection; 2) books that are not available from the Library's collection, OhioLINK, or SearchOhio.

Links to online interlibrary loan request forms are located in the right-hand column of the Library's homepage.

The Library receives most interlibrary loan articles by e-mail within 1-2 business days, but some are sent instead by mail, in which case you should allow up to fourteen days for delivery.

Allow fourteen days for the delivery of books.

Articles requested through interlibrary loan are automatically forwarded to you in one of two ways: 1) as a document file attachment via your Ashland University e-mail account; 2) as a paper copy by mail. How you receive an article is based on how the Library receives it.

An e-mail notification will be sent to your Ashland University e-mail account upon the arrival of books requested through interlibrary loan.

Renewal is sometimes possible and is determined on a case-by-case basis. Renewal requests should be placed several days before a book's due date.

To request a renewal, call 419-289-5473 or send an e-mail to ill@ashland.edu.

No.

The Library's homepage grants you access to the online library catalog, research databases, the OhioLINK online catalog, research guides, the e-reserves collection (required course materials), interlibrary loan forms, the library blog, and your library account.

Through the online library catalog you can access e-books (online books) as well as online government documents.

Through the research databases you can access full-text articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers. Some databases provide access to online reference books.

If you live too far from the main campus to get to the Library then you should use the OhioLINK online catalog to search for and request books (see above). OhioLINK enables you to request books be delivered to the OhioLINK institution nearest to you.

No, you can't. But the Library's collection does include thousands of e-books (online books) that you can access through the Library's online catalog. The catalog's advanced search screen offers you the option of limiting LOCATION to "Electronic Books," which you should do whenever you need to search exclusively for e-books.

Questions about e-books? Contact a reference librarian:

     Phone: 419-289-5400
     Text: 419-768-6106
     E-mail: online question submission form

If you're an Ashland University student, you should contact a reference librarian as follows:

     Phone: 419-289-5400
     Text: 419-768-6106
     E-mail: online question submission form

If you're an Ashland Theological Seminary student, you should visit the Seminary Library's website for contact information.

Among the most likely possibilities are:

1) Your library record has expired. -- Call the Library's Ciculcation Desk at 419-289-5400 to inquire about this. If you record has not expired, ask to speak to a reference librarian in order to further explore your situation.

2) A security firewall at your end is preventing the off-campus authentication process from working. -- One way to test this possibility is to go to the OhioLINK website's database list and try accessing the same database. Successfully accessing the same database via OhioLINK's website is generally indicative that yours is a firewall-related problem at that specific location.

3) Something specific to your own computer is interfering with the off-campus authentication process. -- Call the Library at 419-289-5400 and ask to speak to a reference librarian.

The Ashland Theological Seminary (ATS) Library is located at 910 Center Street (only a few blocks east of the Ashland University main campus). Click here to access a handout with directions and a map of the ATS campus.

Yes. But if you live in/near Ashland then you'll need to go the the Seminary Library itself to check out materials since we don't shuttle materials back and forth between the two campuses.

Search in the Ashland University Library's online catalog, which is accessible from the Library's homepage.

The catalog's advanced search screen offers you the option of limiting LOCATION to "Seminary," which you should do whenever you need to search exclusively for Seminary Library materials. Select the "Seminary Circulating" option if you're specifically searching for books you can check out.

No, you can't. You need to be on a University-owned computer in order to access the Library's networked printers.

Student employment openings for the Library are posted through the Financial Aid office's website.

Yes, but you first need to apply for a courtesy card ($15.00/year).

For more information on courtesy cards and borrowing policies (including limitations), see the Library Services for Visitors page.

827 College Boulevard in Ashland, OH.

See the Archives website for more information.

It's Auriculum I, an art installation designed and constructed by John Clague. Click here for more information about the Auriculum.