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Distance Students -- FAQ

How do I request library books, articles, and other materials I need for my research?

Our Requesting Items page provides detailed instructions about how to request books, articles, videos, and other materials from Babson Library.

Additionally, Babson Library's Distance Services web pages (available from the library homepage) provide much useful information to help students at the regional campuses and international programs use the library.

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How do I return library items?

Articles do not need to be returned. Books are sent via UPS or insured U.S. Mail and must be returned the same way. Videos are sent via UPS (only) and must be returned the same way.

Send items to:

Babson Library
Springfield College
263 Alden Street
Springfield, MA 01109

Attn: Lynn Martin

Borrowers are responsible for paying the postage to return items to Babson Library - however, some campuses may return items for their students. Check with your local campus administrators.

Please note: Borrowers are responsible for the items lent to them until they are received and checked in at Babson Library. Please allow sufficient time to return the material to avoid overdue fines.


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I need a book or article but I'm not sure if Springfield College has it. What should I do?

If Springfield College does not own the book or article that you need, we will try to get it for you from a library that does own it. In general, you do not need to check to see whether Springfield College owns the item you need before you request it.

Please see the Requesting Items page for detailed instructions on how to request books, videos, and other items. There are a couple of differences between getting materials that are owned by Springfield College versus those that aren't:

We ship books owned by Springfield College via two-day delivery, so you can expect to get them sooner. Books and articles that we get for you from other libraries may take ten days to two weeks--or longer--to reach you.

Books, whether from Springfield College of other libraries, are only sent to locations within the United States.

Books owned by Springfield College may be borrowed for 28 days at a time, and you may renew them twice. Books borrowed from other libraries typically have shorter loan periods--two or three weeks--and cannot always be renewed.

So, if you need an item very soon, or if you need to keep a book for more than two weeks or so, you may wish to check to see whether Springfield College owns the item you need before requesting it. Check Voyager, our online catalog, for books, and check our Journal Titles A-Z list to see if we have the issue of the journal that contains the article you need.

Videorecordings: We cannot borrow videos or DVDs for you from other libraries, so please do check Voyager to make sure we own the video you need before requesting it.

What library services are accessible to patrons at the regional campuses?

Babson Library strives to make all of its resources and services available to students, faculty, and staff at all Springfield College campuses. Services available to our regional patrons include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Research help: Reference librarians are available and eager to help you find the information you need. Just Ask the Library. Among other things, we can help you get started by suggesting good ways to find journal articles, books, statistics, and other types of information related to the topic you are working on.



• library materials: Students outside of the United States can request journal articles. Regional campus students may request library books, copies of journal articles, theses, dissertations from Babson Library. We will e-mail articles to your Springfield College e-mail address when possible. Otherwise we will mail articles to you. Books and videos will be mailed to you; you will need to mail books and videos back to us when they are due. (Copies of articles are yours to keep.) See our Requesting items page for much more information.



• Databases, electronic journals, and e-books: All of Babson Library's electronic resources--including databases for research, online journals, and ebooks (books that can be read entirely online)--are available for your use from any computer with internet access, whether in your home, office, or at school. When prompted, you just need to log in using your Springfield College email username and password. Please contact us if you have problems accessing our electronic resources.



• Library instruction: Babson Library works closely with faculty at the regional campuses to set up library instruction sessions via videoconference. This interactive technology allows a librarian in Springfield to "join" your classroom, ask and answer questions, and work together with professors and students to help you with finding and evaluating information. Faculty who are interested in setting up a library instruction session via videoconference are requested to submit a class request prior to registration.

For more information about Babson Library's distance services, please contact Sheri Sochrin, Reference/Distance Learning Librarian, at (413) 748-3377; (800) 730-5279; or ssochrin@spfldcol.edu. You may also contact the Information Desk.

Especially For:

• Faculty
• Distance Students
• Alumni and Guests
• Sponsored Visitors