The M. Louis Salmon Library will be opening its doors to UAH students,faculty, and staff on August 17 at 7:30am. We would like to take this moment to update you about Fall 2020 changes to library policies to reflect social distancing and other safety measures put into place during the ongoing COVID0-19 pandemic response. The Salmon Library will continue to follow all regulations and guidelines put forth by the campus and civic authorities during this time - including but not limited to wearing face coverings, social distancing, and other sanitation measures - even in cases where they are not explicitly mentioned below. As you know, this is a rapidly changing situation and the below information is subject to change. Our most up to date version of our full list of changes will be posted to
https://libguides.uah.edu/librarycontinuity/overview.
As a reminder, all our online materials and services - electronic books & articles, LibGuides, research help, and other materials - will continue to be fully available throughout the semester. Our electronic materials are available 24/7 for your convenience. You can find our online materials (with information about Library services and resources) at https://uah.edu/library.
Library Hours, Entering the Building, and Limited Capacity
Starting on August 17, the library will begin adjusted hours for the Fall 2020 semester. While in- person classes are taking place, the library will be open:
- 7:30am- 10:30pmMonday-Thursday
- 7:30am- 8:00pm Friday
- 12:00pm- 6:00pmSaturday
- 1:00pm- 10:00pmSundays
This schedule will change again on November 20th, when in-person classes are scheduled to end. There will also be exceptions for holidays (such as Labor Day). You can find our complete hours at https://libguides.uah.edu/hours.
All UAH students, faculty, and staff must check in to the library. Bring your Charger Card or another form of photo identification. We will also be randomly checking students’ Charger Healthcheck Passports. We will have reduced numbers in all classrooms and study areas for the required social distancing. Face coverings are required in the building, according to the campus Policy 02.01.71, Safety and Health Requirements for Presence on UAH’s Campus during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our study rooms will be available for single person study for the Fall 2020. Students will be responsible for cleaning seating areas before and after each use.
Non-UAH-affiliated persons will not be allowed in the library except through prior permission and will be limited to those who have official business to attend. If you expect someone to be physically present in the library on your behalf for academic or research purposes, contact library@uah.edu prior to their visit so we can arrange the visit.
Please do not enter the library if you are feeling sick or are unable to comply with campus-wide face coverings and social distancing policies.
If you have any special needs related to this situation, contact library@uah.edu and let us know how we can help you.
Access to Physical Materials, Curbside Pickup, and Interlibrary Loan
Access to our physical stacks will be open for access and study. Patrons can also come to the User Services desk (in the library lobby) during regular business hours and wait while library personnel pull their books and deliver them to the User Services desk. Patrons coming during nights or weekends can request books online (see below) ahead of time or request in person to see if staff are available to pull books for them. If no staff are available, the request will be filled by the next business day and can be picked up at the patron's convenience.
You may also request books through our online catalog (Primo Pathfinder). When you do so, faculty will have two options:
- To have the book pulled and then held at the User Services desk to be picked up any time the library is open.
- Arrange for the books to be delivered to an on-campus address through campus mail.
We can also arrange a curbside pickup by special request. Online book requests are filled in 24 business hours. If you need help or clarification about placing a request, contact library@uah.edu and we will be glad to assist.
We will have laptops, iPads, and multimedia equipment (cameras, tripods, etc.) available for checkout. Laptops and iPads are available at the User Services desk. You will need to make an appointment to borrow all the other multimedia equipment. We will also have Makerspace capabilities where you can schedule print jobs and the library will perform those for you and arrange for pickup of the final product. For Multimedia Lab and Makerspace inquiries, contact
leslie.bardos@uah.edu.
Interlibrary Loan will be available at this time. Digital items will be delivered electronically as per normal procedures. Physical items will arrive at the User Services desk and then we will contact you to arrange a pickup. For more information about Interlibrary Loan, see https://libguides.uah.edu/ill.
Library Instruction, Canvas, and Online Help
We have added two additional options to library instruction to better fit your needs. We will continue to support face-to-face library instruction requests.
The first new option is online instruction through a variety of methods: Zoom, Google Meet, etc. This can be blended into your ongoing class session with a librarian joining the online meeting, or it can be set up as a library-hosted event. The second new option is asynchronous materials - slides, videos, assignments - that can be provided so that you can blend them into your class session at your convenience. The form to request any of these three forms of instruction - face- to-face, online, or asynchronous - is available here:
https://libguides.uah.edu/libraryinstruction/request.
There are also new library features available within Canvas. The library has a new tab in Canvas that automatically links appropriate library materials to your Canvas class modules. It has links to subject and class guides, to subject specialists, subject-specific databases, our LibAnswers module, and LibChat. You and your students can use this to get help and to find materials for your class. We will continue to expand the library presence in Canvas in the future.
If you have any feedback related to the library tab, contact doug.bolden@uah.edu.
Like our other online materials and services, our online research help is immediately available through email (refdesk@uah.edu) and through LibChat (https://libanswers.uah.edu). We can also schedule an online One-on-One session (see link, below) using Zoom, Google Meet, etc.
LibChat is now available in more places such as through our Canvas module and on our various
LibGuides. Faculty and students can use LibChat to contact us Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, or use email outside of those hours.
Starting September 8th, we will also begin allowing in person research help, by appointment only. You and your students can schedule a session through our One-on-One request form: https://www.uah.edu/library/research/one-on-one.
Archives and Special Collections
Archives plans to continue to offer chat and email reference from 9-4 M-F. Physical visits to the reading room can be scheduled 9-4 M-F by appointment only. Walkups can call our main number 256-824-6523 and we will assist in the reading room if possible.
Library Events and Social Distancing Guidelines
The Salmon Library will continue to have events in Fall 2020, following all applicable campus guidelines. These are open to UAH students, faculty, and staff only. Social distancing will be required. The number of possible attendees at events will be capped at 100-people for outside events, 50-people for inside events, or at a number appropriate for the event location, whichever is less. Face coverings are required at all library events except in cases where food or drink consumption is part of the event (and are required outside of those elements).
All attendees to our events must sign-in. We are required to keep a list of everyone who was there in person.
For your information, here is the information about our first two Saturday events. Other events will follow and will be posted to the UAH events page and to the library website.
Art Al Fresco. Saturday, August 29. 12pm to 2pm. We will host a guided painting session outside of the library on the lawn (or, paint what you want as the mood takes you). Free kits to the first 15 students, and other attendees can bring their own supplies.
Summer Rolls & Hot and Sour Soup. Saturday, September 12. 12pm to 1pm. There will be a demo for making summer rolls and hot and sour soup. Attendees will be given their own summer roll making kit they can work on in the library or take home with them. This event is limited to 50 attendees and may only have one person per table. This event will be on the first floor of the Salmon library with check-in at the central study area on the first floor.
