News

Updated June 30, 2020

Contactless materials pickup beginning July 20 
On July 20, Tisch and Lilly Libraries will institute a new process for borrowing materials from our circulating collections. Items will be available for pickup outside the main entrance of Tisch Library on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The service will be available to current Tufts faculty, staff, and students.

Requests for contactless pickup can be placed directly through the Tufts Catalog or JumboSearch by clicking “Request Item.” You will receive an email when your materials are ready for pick-up. We ask that you follow campus, state and local guidelines by wearing a mask and social distancing. If you need to make alternative arrangements, call us at 617-627-3347 or email tischcircdesk@elist.tufts.edu (Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM).

For the safety of all, we are implementing these services with the fewest possible staff on site. Our spaces will reopen to the Tufts community in the fall. 

Scan & Deliver service will resume on July 6
Scanning of book chapters and journal articles located at Tisch, Lilly and the SMFA Library will resume on July 6. Copyright guidelines allow for scanning up to two chapters of a book (no more than 20%), or one article per journal issue. Once you find an item you need  in JumboSearch, click “Request Scanned Chapter or Pages,” which will take you to the ILLiad request form. If you have questions, please email ill@tufts.edu or call us at 617-627-6768.

Online library collections continue to expand 
We are prioritizing the purchase of ebooks and digital collections; please contact us to request materials. We also have access to “emergency” content, such as HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service for about 45% of the Tufts Libraries’ print collections, and publisher-provided temporary access to textbooks, ebooks, and articles.

Course reserves, streaming media, library instruction, and research support services are all available online. Please contact us to troubleshoot remote access to resources, locate material to share with students, use library databases to find relevant sources for your research, and ask any questions about services during this disruption.

Please continue hold on to any library materials in your possession. All due dates are being extended to December, and all fines and late fees generated during the COVID-19 pandemic will be waived. If you must return materials for any reason, please use the 24-hour book return near the entrance of Tisch Library. 

The following resources and services are available: 
Updated June 30, 2020

• Scanning of printed materials in Tisch, Lilly, and the SMFA Libraries (aka Scan & Deliver) will resume on July 6
• Remote Research Support via chat, email, and zoom is available Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm
• Virtual Research Consultations with specific subject librarians and experts
• Electronic resources, such as journals and databases. More information about connecting from off campus. 
• Ordering ebooks. Please contact your subject librarian or use the Recommend a Purchase Form. Our default will be to order the book as an e-book unless you indicate you'd prefer print in the notes field. Not all books are available for purchase by libraries in an electronic format (e.g. textbooks, popular fiction on Kindle), but we will do our best.
• Digital access to 45% of our print collection through Hathi Trust Emergency Temporary Access Service.
• Electronic Reading Lists are available through the Canvas Reading List tool. 
• The Digital Design Studio has support for working with media remotely.
• Academic Resource Center support is available remotely.
• Data Lab support is available remotely.
• Digital Collections & Archives support is available remotely. 

The following are not available:

• On-site browsing or borrowing. 
• Delivery of physical materials via interlibrary loan or inter-campus borrowing. 
• Return of interlibrary loan materials to other libraries. Please ignore due dates for interlibrary loan materials and continue using them during the closure. Please return interlibrary loan materials when Tisch Library is open for business again.

Circulation policy changes during the closure: 

• Overdue fines/late fees will be suspended for all items, including interlibrary loan materials, calculators, and reserve materials. 
• All due dates will be extended through the end of the fall semester. Please ignore due dates for all materials while we work to resolve this issue.
• Locker contents will be preserved past the start of the fall semester. 
• There will be no recall of materials. 

If you have questions, comments, or concerns about library services, please contact us. 

For the latest updates and guidance from Tufts University, please visit coronavirus.tufts.edu.