The Libraries support the educational mission of the University of South Dakota encompassing instruction, research and service by assuring ready access to a wide range of information resources held locally and worldwide; teaching information literacy, research and critical thinking skills for academic endeavors and lifelong learning; and providing an aesthetic, congenial and stimulating learning and working environment.
The Libraries strive to support the University vision "to be the best small publicly supported University in the country" while serving as an intellectual and cultural center for the University. It functions as a place for research, exploration, and collegiality where the tools and techniques of scholarship are stored, taught and renewed. The Libraries must evolve to invigorate individual and group research as well as public interaction and discussion.
The Academic Commons assembles comprehensive academic support services on the first floor of the I.D. Weeks building. Students may drop-in to the Academic & Career Planning Center (provides Academic Advising, Career Planning, Tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, and FYE services), ITS Help Desk, Center for Academic Engagement, Reference and Research Desk, Lab Consultant, Presentation Center, and Writing Center. Staff and peers assist students with academic activities at their convenience. The Academic Commons features one hundred computers along with many individual and group study spaces and rooms. Students select the space most suited for work on their current project. For more information about the Academic Commons: <https://www.usd.edu/About/Departments-Offices-and-Resources/Academic-Commons>.
USD-LibraryAccessHelp@usd.edu is an email service that assists library users who encounter difficulties in accessing any of the libraries’ electronic resources. Experts in library holdings, subscriptions, connections, and other technical factors respond to email messages 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Comprised of the Herman P. Chilson Collection, the Richardson Collection, the University of South Dakota Archives and the Mahoney Music Collection, this department on the 3rd Floor contains rare books, manuscripts and archives, many of which relate to the history of South Dakota and Native American subjects. For more information about Archives & Special Collections: <https://www.usd.edu/Academics/Libraries/ID-Weeks-Library/Archives-and-Special-Collections>.
The Hot Off The Press collection, located on the first floor west and lobby kiosk, features popular fiction and non-fiction that are carefully selected for an academic audience to provide library users with leisure reading materials. For more information about the Hot Off The Press collection: <libguides.usd.edu/hotoffthepress>.
The book collection for the University Libraries is located on the third floor and is arranged by Library of Congress (LC) classification. Current and bound journals are housed on the second floor and are arranged alphabetically by journal title. The Floor plan indicates the locations of the various print collections within the I. D. Weeks building
Circulation Services assist library users with activities related to physical items: check-outs, returns, holds, reserves, missing items, bills, room keys, and lockers. They also maintain confidentiality of users’ records. The Information Desk provides directional information about the building, campus, and community from the Circulation Services desk as you enter on the right. For more information about circulation services: <https://www.usd.edu/Academics/Libraries/ID-Weeks-Library/Library-Services>.
The USD population, as well as community and guest users, conduct research on one hundred computers located throughout the I. D. Weeks building. All computers provide access to library online resources and popular software programs. Computers print to black and white and color printers located on the first floor. Students can print from their laptops to I.D. Weeks building printers. Wireless connectivity is available throughout the building. For more information about technology in the Libraries: <https://www.usd.edu/Academics/Libraries/ID-Weeks-Library/Library-Rooms-and-Technology>.
The University Libraries provide a course reserves service for faculty to make certain copyrighted materials that students do not purchase or lease available to them as part of their curricular learning experiences. Course Reserves makes every effort to comply with current interpretations of copyright law and case rulings related to course reserves. Course Reserves makes materials available in two formats. Physical Reserves consist of book and media materials held at and available for check-out from the Circulation Desk in the I.D. Weeks building. E-reserves consist of materials that are scanned and posted in the Desire2Learn (D2L) Learning Object Repository (LOR). Faculty submit their requests for a course section(s) on a single form <https://www.usd.edu/Academics/Libraries/ID-Weeks-Library/Library-Services/Course-Reserves> available at the University Libraries website. Course Reserves requests copyright permission for materials the University Libraries does not own: 30 items per course per semester. The University Libraries pays copyright fees of up to $30 per item. Faculty are encouraged to contact Course Reserves by email (eres@usd.edu) or phone (605-677- 6087) with questions.
The University Libraries and Academic Commons’ staff and faculty are committed to providing equal access to services and collections for USD students and faculty. Services are available during all building hours, which include evenings and weekends. Visit the Lab Consultant for assistance with the maneuverable desk, software, and equipment: JAWS Professional Edition, OpenBook scanning, Kurzweil 3000, Zoom Text Xtra Level 2, SofType, and TextHELP. The station can be reserved in advance. Additional accommodations are available through USD Office of Disability Services <www.usd.edu/student-life/disability-services> on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The University Libraries provides a safe teaching and learning environment where diversity, inclusiveness, and individual differences are recognized and respected. We are committed to offering services that are grounded in the principles of Inclusive Excellence. Library users may access our varied collection of resources to enrich their teaching, learning and research experience.
Inclusive Excellence Committee
The University Libraries' Inclusive Excellence Committee endeavors to assist all library faculty and staff in providing library users with a safe teaching and learning environment where diversity, inclusiveness and individual differences are recognized and respected.
The University Libraries’ collection includes hundreds of e-books on academic topics. Library e-books open in a web-based interface (no reading device needed) that supports highlighting, note taking, saving comments, and printing comments to increase research efficiency and ease paper writing.
Search the Library Catalog for e-books. <libguides.usd.edu/ebooks>
EndNote is a desktop and web-based citation management program that assists students and researchers in capturing and organizing their citations to scholarly sources. Capture citations from databases, store them in EndNote, annotate them, save pdfs, make research notes, and create customized bibliographies in any citation style. For more information about EndNote: <libguides.usd.edu/endnote>.
The University Libraries are a selective depository of U.S. Government publications and a full depository for South Dakota State Government publications. The majority of the documents received by the University Libraries are listed in the Library Catalog <https://usd.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01SDBOR_USD:01SDBOR_USD>. Assistance with these documents is available through the Reference and Research Desk or through the Government Documents librarian. For more information about the Government Documents at Depository Libraries: <libguides.usd.edu/govinfo>.
English 101 and Speech Communications 101 classes all receive information literacy instruction. Liaison Librarians> schedule sessions for other courses or groups. Online tutorials and LibGuides <libguides.usd.edu> provide additional information. For more information about Tutorials & Information Literacy
Materials unavailable in the University Libraries may be obtained from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) <usd.illiad.oclc.org/illiad/USD/logon.html>. The University Libraries will deliver documents from our collections to USD faculty, staff, graduate students, and online students. For more information about Interlibrary Loan:
The University Libraries subscribe to hundreds of journals in print, online, or both to meet the needs of the USD population for scholarly journal literature. For more information about e-Journals: <usd-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/jsearch?vid=01SDBOR_USD&lang=en_US>.
The reference source collection contains encyclopedias, guides, dictionaries, atlases, bibliographies, directories and print indexes. The titles housed on the first floor west remain in the building to assure immediate and equal access to the information they contain. Other titles are housed on the third floor with the circulating books, but are labeled “Reference” and can be checked out. Reference tools are increasingly available online. Search the Library Catalog <https://usd.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01SDBOR_USD:01SDBOR_USD> with Collection set to Reference to locate all reference sources in all formats and locations.
Reference and Research assistance is provided by generalists and subject specialists through the “Ask a Librarian!” <libanswers.usd.edu> service and at the Reference and Research Desk on the first floor west next to the “Ask Us Now” sign. Expert librarians help users conduct library research and find accurate information. Anyone can submit a question in person, by phone, chat, text, or email. Reference faculty and staff create LibGuides <libguides.usd.edu> that organize online information on topics.
The University Libraries subscribe to hundreds of online databases to find citations, magazine and journal articles, conference papers, etc. The Libraries are committed to providing online access to full-text journals and e-books whenever possible. For more information about research databases: <libguides.usd.edu/az.php?>.
The electronic classroom (Room 323) contains 25 computers, one instructor station, and a video projector. With a seating capacity of approximately 30 to 40, the lecture classroom (Room 205) contains large tables, one instructor station, and a video projector.
A number of spaces in the University Libraries may be checked out such as the Faculty Writing Room; Individual Study Rooms; Group Study Rooms; Meeting Rooms; Media Viewing and Practice Rooms; Digital Editing Studio; and the Assistive Technology Workstation. Some of these spaces may be reserved for a few hours or days in advance. The Faculty Writing Room is a drop-in room for faculty who want a quiet space to write alone or in a team. Research Rooms may be reserved for a semester by faculty, emeritus faculty, graduate students, and honors students. For more information about University Libraries rooms, spaces, and lockers
Subject specialist or Liaison Librarians provide reference, consultation, and instructional services to students and faculty in specific departments and develop collections to support the curriculum. For more information about subject specialists or liaison librarians.