Central Access Services

How do users access materials shelved at the facility?

Due to the nature of the high-density shelving arrangements at the Oak Street facility, users are not able to browse materials at the shelf.  Library users can place requests for items via the Library’s online catalog, and designate either a specific library pick-up location or ask to have the material delivered to their office via campus mail. 

Requested books are retrieved from the shelves and put into the appropriate delivery service within 24 hours. The Library's Shipping Department delivers books that have a departmental library or Main Library location designated as the pick-up point within 2 business days of a request being placed. When the book arrives at its designated pick-up location, library staff scans the book’s barcode and the requestor’s “My Account” listing in the online catalog is updated immediately to reflect that the book is on hold for pick-up.  This also triggers the queuing of an email pick-up notice, which should appear in the requestor’s email account sometime after midnight.  Because the Library shares an online catalog with many other libraries around the state, real-time delivery of pick-up notices is not feasible without a severe degradation of response time in the online catalog.  All library notices are batched for delivery during the night. 

The Library cannot guarantee a given turnaround time for books that are to be delivered to campus offices via the Campus Mail Distribution unit of Facilities and Services.  While Oak Street staff retrieves the requested item, charge it to the requestor’s account, and puts it into campus mail within 24 hours, Campus Mail Distribution delivery times may vary, as may the speed with which mail rooms located in non-library campus unit deliver library materials to offices.