FAQs | University of Illinois Springfield

How do I request that the library purchase a book?

There are several ways to request to have the library purchase a book that you are interested in whether for a course, general reading, or pleasure reading. The easiest way is to contact the librarian who is responsible for the department or subject area of the book. A listing of the librarians by department.

To request popular books and media use the Popular Book Request Form

There is also a Materials Request Form which can be used to request items.

How do I request a proxy patron?

You can request a proxy patron via the proxy patron request form.

Proxy status will valid up to 1 academic year, ending the start of the following Fall semester. If you wish to terminate proxy status earlier, you must notify library staff.

I-Share materials

While proxies can check out I-share materials on behalf of the faculty member, they can not request I-share materials on their behalf. I-share materials must be requested by the faculty member using their account, in order for the proxy to check it out on their behalf. If the proxy requests the book using their own account, the library will not be able to check it out to the faculty member's account.

How do I renew a book?

Books from Brookens and I-Share can be renewed through your My Library Account. First login to your account using your UIS netID and password, or barcode and password if you are a community member.

Then in the upper right hand side of the next screen, click on your name. From the drop down menu, select "Library Account".

You can view and renew your checked out items under the "Loans" tab.

How do I receive materials requested via Interlibrary Loan (ILL)?

Books requested through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) are held at the Main Desk on Level 2 of Brookens Library until retrieved. Users will be notified by email when the book arrives and will need to present a current I-card to retrieve the materials. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) materials can only be picked up at Brookens Library. Articles and book chapters will be posted to the user’s My ILL account and the user will be notified by email that the scan has been delivered.

How do I put items (books, articles, videos) on reserve?

Make a reserve request by filling out the online forms found on the library's website under Faculty FAQ: Course Reserves. To facilitate availability all reserves are delivered electronically, primarily through Canvas, the course management software used at UIS. Library staff will process the files and post them to Canvas for you.

For more information contact Pamela Scott or Sarah Sagmoen

How do I properly cite my sources?

The Cite Your Sources Guide is a great place to get started. It has information on plagiarism and the citation styles you are most likely to encounter.

If you need more in-depth information, the Purdue OWL is a great place to go as is the Learning Hub right here at UIS.

If you need additional help, you can always contact a librarian.

How do I print?

Printing is available at the library, in UHB 2000, and the Student Union.

Manual printing:

To print a document at the library you can log on to the computers using your netID and password or by obtaining a guest username and password at the Main Desk.
When the document is opened, click file, then print. Select the CampusPrint printer for black and white or the CampusPrintColor printer for color. A dialog box should pop up prompting you to enter a name for the print job. Now the document is ready to print.
Next you will need to go to the printer and swipe your i-card at the printer. Choose the print job you named and click print.

OR if you don't have an i-card, come up to the main desk and we can accept cash.

Printing costs $0.10 for each black and white page and $0.25 for each color page.

For further assistance, please contact the Main Desk at the library at 217-206-6605 or ITS Help Desk at 217-206-6000.

I have a fine/fee on my library account! What do I do?

Library fines and fees will accrue on your account if you have overdue or lost (overdue for more than 35 days) items. These fines cannot be paid with your I-Card.

If you still have the overdue/lost item in your possession, simply return it and we will work to begin waiving your fines.

If you have actually lost a library book or damaged it and need to replace it, please see our lost/damaged item FAQ.

I lost something at the library. What do I do?

When a lost item is found it is taken to the University Lost and Found immediately. The University Lost and Found is located at the Student Union main desk.

Lost i-Cards are dropped off at the i-Card Center every Mon-Fri at 8:30am. The i-Card Center is located in the Student Affairs Building.

For additional assistance, please call the Library Main Desk at 217-206-6605.

What is a peer-reviewed article?

Peer-review refers to a specific editing and approval process of an academic or scholarly publication. If an article has been "peer-reviewed" that means it was reviewed for publication by a panel of other experts in the subject area, this process is done to ensure that the final study is of academic quality

Not every academic article will have gone through a peer review process. You can learn more about peer-reviewed articles and other sources in our video, Popular vs. Scholarly Sources.

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