Starting around noon today, the library catalog (WorldCat) and databases became inaccessible due to an error with our library vendor’s servers (OCLC). Our circulation software has also been affected so that books cannot currently be renewed online. We are still able to check books in and out at the front circulation desk, but we will not be able to provide account updates about fees. We are aware of these problems and have contacted OCLC about the access issues.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and trust that access will be returned within a few hours. We will issue an update when normal operation of our systems has been restored.
Please note, the Library’s access policy as stated on the front doors of the Library: “This is a private library for the use of the Fuller Theological Seminary community.” Also stated: “Students and staff should be prepared to present Fuller identification on request.”
As of Friday, February 19, 2016, the Library is re-stating and enforcing its access policies, and the Fuller Seminary security team will will be checking for Fuller Seminary identifications in accordance with the policy.
Members of the general public not associated with the Fuller Seminary community are welcome to fill out a Guest User Application for review concerning entry into the Library. Decisions stemming from the applications will be returned within 2-4 business days.
For more details about Fuller Seminary library users, authorized library card-holders, and the public, click here.
The David Allan Hubbard Library is happy to announce that the Information Access Services desk now offers headphones and USB drives for checkout.
If you want to listen to a video or music quietly but you forgot or don’t have your own headphones, the IAS desk has four (4) over-the-ear headphones for checkout. The checkout time period is two (2) hours, but we can adjust the loan period as necessary (not to go past closing hours).
These headphones may not leave the library, and we will hold onto your Student ID card or other photo ID while you are borrowing the equipment.
Also now available are three (3) USB drives (8GB). These are useful when you want to backup your documents while scanning, if you want to transfer documents from your laptop to a library desktop computer, or if you want to transfer your documents from your computer to your friend’s computer.
Like the headphones, the checkout time period is two (2) hours, but we can adjust the loan period as necessary (not to go past closing hours). When checking out, staff will hold onto your Student ID card or other photo ID while you are borrowing the USB drive.
These USB drives may not leave the library. Each USB drive will be wiped clean upon return. To be sure that sensitive information is kept private, we recommend that users remove their documents from the USB drive prior to returning it to the IAS desk.
If you have any suggestions for additional library- or technology-related services you’d like us to provide, please drop us a note at lib-info@fuller.edu.
Did you ever wonder how those eReserves materials show up on your Moodle course pages, and who put them there? There’s more to it than you might think. The staff members in the eReserves department work hard all year round to secure the rights to digitize articles and book chapters that end up on Moodle each quarter. We asked the eReserves team, Joel Stockamp and Natalya Pashkova, to fill us in on what it’s like to work in the eReserves department.
What services are offered by the eReserves Department?
Natalya Pashkova
Electronic Reserves, or eReserves, is a service that enables Fuller students and faculty to access book chapters, journal articles, and other short assigned readings, from any location, simply by logging into their course page in Moodle. Before print materials can be digitized and uploaded to Moodle, we have to secure permission from rights holders. This involves contacting publishers and literary estates–a very important process that ensures we follow copyright laws.
What is the difference between Reserves and eReserves?
Reserves are the physical materials selected by instructors that are held behind the Circulation desk. Users may borrow materials placed in physical Reserves for a checkout period of 2 hours.
Remember that the “e” in eReserves stands for “electronic.” eReserves course materials become available to students online a week before the beginning of each term. They can be accessed in Moodle for the duration of each course. The use of eReserves materials is limited by our licensing agreements and permissions as well as by U.S. and international copyright laws. Due to these restrictions, at the end of each term, materials are removed from the eReserves block in Moodle.
If I have trouble accessing an article on eReserves, whom should I contact?
Please contact eReserves staff Joel Stockamp and Natalya Pashkova at ereserves@fuller.edu or 626.396.6065. Our office hours are: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
There are also tutorials on Moodle that explain how to access eReserves materials, under the main tabs “Students” and “Faculty”: https://moodle.fuller.edu/my/
For general Moodle help, you may contact The Office of Distributed Learning at moodle@fuller.edu.
Where can I learn more about copyright information?
What do you enjoy about working in the eReserves department?
Joel Stockamp
JOEL: Our department enables students to have access to a more diverse range of materials than they would get if they just relied upon textbooks, and it is rewarding to be a part of that. The field of copyright law is undergoing dramatic changes and reinterpretations due to the introduction of digital materials. Because this is an unsettled argument, this department is able to respond creatively to new and old demands, and this keeps the work fresh.
NATALYA: I love working in a fast paced environment and solving problems. Doing my work well and being creative in this process really makes my day. With the help of today’s technology we are able to bring many library and research resources to users’ fingertips. While the geeky side of my work has its joys and challenges, I enjoy interacting with students and faculty the most. Working with such a knowledgeable and diverse audience is a very rewarding experience.
When we seek permissions from publishers and authors, we often expand our search and contacts around the globe. Currently, we have contacts with many publishers in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia. That means we have to tailor our correspondence in different languages. Our multilingual colleagues in the Hubbard Library often give us a hand with writing correspondences in other languages.
As any librarian, I like to seek and find information that is not easily obtainable. Sometimes a process of locating copyright holders and negotiating agreements with them requires thinking outside the box and pursuing different paths. Just recently, I have secured copyright permissions from a Fuller alumnus, a former British Ambassador, and an agency that handles permissions and licenses for the literary estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If some day you become an author, the Fuller eReserves office might contact you.
