Information for Students

Reference Assistance:

How can I get reference assistance?

• For Reference assistance contact the Reference Librarians via email, chat or phone.  Reference service will be offered the following hours through the end of the fall semester:
  • ​Monday - Thursday: 9am - 8pm
  • Friday: 9am - 5pm
  • Saturday: 10am - 5pm
  • Sunday: 1pm - 8pm
• email: askus@westfield.ma.edu
• chat: https://lib.westfield.ma.edu/chat
• phone: 413-572-5234
• Check out the online content available on our Reference webpage: https://lib.westfield.ma.edu/home/reference

Borrowing/Renewing/Returning Items:

Can I borrow books from the library?

• We are not currently lending any physical items from our collection.
• We have many titles available as electronic books in our collection. For questions about accessing ebooks, you can reach out to our Reference staff at askus@westfield.ma.edu

How do I renew items on my account?

• Call the Circulation Desk (413) 572-5231 M-F 9am-5pm or leave us a voicemail after hours
• Email elylibrary@westfield.ma.edu
• Renew online by using the "My Account" page on the right hand side of our website menu
• For interlibrary loan items contact Suzanne Tiranno stiranno@westfield.ma.edu 
• Item due dates will be extended to Spring 2021

Can I place a hold on library items?

• No the place a hold functionality has been turned off for the time-being

Will I be fined or billed for an overdue item?

• No, we will not be applying any fees this semester
• Items due in Spring 2020 or Fall 2020 will not impact your ability to get a diploma or transcript
• If you already had fines/fees on your account from previous semesters they will remain on your account
• If you have questions about existing fines/fees please email elylibrary@westfield.ma.edu 

How can I return my items to the library?

• We encourage you to avoid visiting campus unless necessary, but there is a library book drop outside on the sidewalk near the main entrance to Ely where you can return items
• Please do not mail items to the library
• Items due dates are being changed until the Spring semester 

Interlibrary Loan:

Can I request a book/media through interlibrary loan?

• We are unable to place requests for physical items.

Can I request an article through interlibrary loan?

• Yes, you can continue to request and receive articles and book chapters that are delivered electronically but there may be delays in processing time. 

Can I request an electronic book from interlibrary loan?

• No, our borrowing agreements do not extend to electronic books 

What if I have an overdue interlibrary loan item on my account?

• You should have received an email about your existing requests. If you have additional questions please contact Suzanne Tiranno stiranno@westfield.ma.edu 

Will I be fined or billed for an overdue interlibrary loan item?

• No, we will not be placing bills or fines on any accounts this semester. 

Course Reserves:

How do I know if my professor put something on course reserve?

• Your professor should have told you if they have content on course reserve. Please check with your professor if you aren’t sure before you make a request.

Can I come in and access course reserves in-person?

• No, we will only be providing digital access to course reserves.

How do I request access to material on course reserve?

• Email elylibrary@westfield.ma.edu
• Your email must include:
  • Your name
  • Professor's name
  • Course prefix and name
  • Item title
  • Section/chapter(s) to be digitized

How will I get my content?

• It will be emailed to your Westfield email address. We will not accept requests from or send requests to any other email address.

When will I get my content?

• You should allow 3-5 days for us to process your request. We will try our best to complete requests in a timely manner but you should plan ahead for accessing content.

Can you digitize an entire book for me?

• No, we are limited by copyright considerations and staff limitations.

Information for Faculty/Staff

Reference Assistance:

How can I get reference assistance?

• For Reference assistance contact the Reference Librarians via email, chat or phone.  Reference service will be offered the following hours during the remainder of the fall semester:
  • Monday - Thursday: 9am - 8pm
  • Friday: 9am - 5pm
  • Saturday: 10am - 5pm
  • Sunday: 1pm - 8pm

• email: askus@westfield.ma.edu
• chat: https://lib.westfield.ma.edu/chat
• phone: 413-572-5234
• Check out the online content available on our Reference webpage: https://lib.westfield.ma.edu/home/reference

Online Tutorials:

Does the library have online tutorials?

• Yes, the library has tutorials covering a wide range of topics on our tutorial webpage https://lib.westfield.ma.edu/home/tutorials
  • There are also instructions on how to add tutorial content into your PLATO courses

Borrowing/Renewing/Returning Items:

Can I borrow books from the library?

• Please contact us at (413) 572-5231 or elylibrary@westfield.ma.edu to discuss options for accessing physical materials. 
• We have many titles available as electronic books in our collection. For questions about accessing ebooks, you can reach out to our Reference staff at askus@westfield.ma.edu

How do I renew items on my account?

• Call the Circulation Desk (413) 572-5231 M-F 9am-5pm or leave us a voicemail after hours
• Email elylibrary@westfield.ma.edu
• Renew online by using the "My Account" page on the right hand side of our website menu
• For interlibrary loan items contact Suzanne Tiranno stiranno@westfield.ma.edu 
• Due dates for Ely Library items are being extended until Spring 2021

Can I place a hold on library items?

• Please contact us at (413) 572-5231 or elylibrary@westfield.ma.edu to discuss options for accessing physical materials

How can I return my items to the library?

• There is a library book drop outside of the main entrance to Ely where you can return items
• If you are on campus, you can send them to Ely Library via campus mail

Interlibrary Loan:

Can I request a book/media through interlibrary loan?

• Yes, please reach out to Suzanne Tiranno  stiranno@westfield.ma.edu directly to inquire about requesting physical materials through ILL. There may be significant delays in getting materials based on the operations of other libraries and delivery systems. 
• If you have questions about finding materials, please contact your subject liaison librarian. 

Can I request an article through interlibrary loan?

• Yes, you can continue to request and receive articles that are delivered electronically but there may be delays in processing time. 

Can I request an electronic book from interlibrary loan?

• No, our borrowing agreements do not extend to electronic books 

What if I have an overdue interlibrary loan item on my account?

• You should have received an email about your existing requests. If you have additional questions please contact Suzanne Tiranno stiranno@westfield.ma.edu 

Will I be fined or billed for an overdue interlibrary loan item?

• No, we will not be placing bills or fines on any accounts this semester. 

Course Reserves:

Can I still put items on course reserve?

• Yes, we will provide course reserves digitally this semester. You will have several options for how you can provide course reserve content to your students

Please visit the webpage for course reserves to learn about the options available and to fill out a request form

Can the library buy an item for course reserve?

• Course reserve is meant for providing access to items that the library already owns or a personal copy provided by a professor or department. Course reserves are not intended as a way to make requests for purchasing materials.

Can I link electronic content directly into my course in PLATO?

• Yes, the process for linking content is different depending on which vendor is providing content. For questions about linking to electronic content, please contact Oliver Zeff, ozeff@westfield.ma.edu

Can I use media with my course?

• Yes, check out our collections of streaming media
• If you are interested in options for using physical media from the library’s collection, please send us an email elylibrary@westfield.ma.edu and we can coordinate your request with CIT.