Services to Distance Education Students Online or Off-Campus / Albert S. Cook Library

Services to Distance Education Students Online or Off-Campus

Cook Library is as committed to providing the full range of services to students registered for online or off-campus courses as it is to providing them to those taking classes on campus.

On this page:

Getting Started
Getting Articles
Getting Books
Contacts

GETTING STARTED

Obtain a Towson OneCard

All students enrolled at Towson University need a Towson OneCard with a 14 digit number to access library services from off campus. If you do not have one, please find out how to get a OneCard at Auxiliary Services.

Register to borrow books and request articles

To borrow books or to request articles, you need to register with ILLiad, the library's interlibrary loan service. Be sure to identify yourself as a student in an online or off-campus course when creating an ILLiad account.

By entering your personal information into the ILLiad system, the library will be able to deliver online articles to you directly and to send you books. Also, once you are registered, you do not have to supply the information again when making future requests. By specifying a Username and Password, you will have secure access to up-to-date information about your requests.

GETTING ARTICLES

To find articles on a subject, go to Find Articles… By Subject. When you select a database, you will be prompted for your last name and the 14-digit number on your Towson OneCard which will be sent to you from Auxiliary Services.

If you are denied access to the databases because of a Towson OneCard problem, contact the Circulation Department at (410) 704-2456.
You may want to look at the library tutorial, InfoTUtor, for more detailed information on how to find articles.
If you need further assistance in using the databases, call the Reference Department at 410-704-2462.

Select full text articles in the database. If the article is not available, click on the FIND IT button to either link to a full text article in another database or to request the article through interlibrary loan. The interlibrary loan article articles will be delivered to you electronically through the ILLiad service. The speed of delivery of interlibrary loan articles ranges from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks depending on the time of the request and the availability of the article.

GETTING BOOKS

To identify and locate books within all of the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institution libraries, click on Combined USMAI Catalog

You may want to look at the library tutorial, InfoTUtor, for more detailed information on how to find books in the library catalog.
You have access to about 4,500 online books through NetLibrary. When you select the database from off campus, you will be prompted for your last name and the 14-digit number on your Towson OneCard.
You can also identify books and other materials through the WorldCat database. When you select the database from off campus, you will be prompted for your last name and the 14-digit number on your Towson OneCard.

Request books through ILLiad whether or not they are available on Towson's campus. Materials are supplied for course use only and all copyright laws and guidelines apply. Requests should be made as early as possible as the delivery time will vary according to type of request, lender, and delivery method used.

CONTACTS

Please feel free to contact us whenever you need assistance. We are here to serve you and are committed to providing you with the highest level of service possible.

Help with research

Need help with your research? Consult with an experienced librarian or librarian assistant in Reference by telephone, e-mail or instant messaging. For more information, click Get Help From a Librarian.

Help with your library account

Circulation staff can verify your library status and help you with issues relating to your library account. Call 419-704-2456 for Circulation assistance during library hours.

Don't have your 14-digit library bar code handy? Click the button below, then enter your TU username and password and we'll show it to you:

Help with getting books and articles

Interlibrary Loan staff can assist you in obtaining books and articles through ILLiad. To contact the ILL office, call (410) 704-3292 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. or e-mail ill@towson.edu

Services to Distance Education Students Online or Off-Campus / Albert S. Cook Library
http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/offCampusProgramsStudents.cfm
Last revised: August 01, 2007

Top of Page