UW Libraries Student Guide

An introduction to UW Libraries with answers to many common student questions.

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HOURS AND ACCESS TO LIBRARY SPACES

A new space to collaborate, build skills and get help with digital and open scholarship projects including areas such as digital storytelling, data visualization, text mining, publishing and more!

• Hours: Students are welcome in all UW Libraries locations! Always check library building hours before you go! Hours may fluctuate due to quarterly breaks, staffing changes or other reasons.
• Access:
• Most campus libraries are open to UW and the public; however, a current, valid Husky Card is required for entry to Odegaard Undergraduate Library and the Health Sciences Library, which are UW Only.
• For more information about getting or replacing your Husky Card, contact the Husky Card Office.

NEW STUDENTS

• Early Online Access: New students have access to UW Libraries' online resources approximately 1-2 weeks prior to the start of the quarter.
• Books & Materials: Your Husky Card is your Library Card and is required to check out materials. If UW Libraries doesn't have what you need, you can request it from another institution through Interlibrary Loan - check it out!
• Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew My First Year: Bookmark this blog post for quick access to helpful tips and resources:!
• Take a virtual tour through the UW Libraries!
• Watch a short video about key library resources and services.

GET HELP

UW Libraries provides all kinds of amazing services that can help you succeed: Online or in person- #YourUWLibrary is here for you!

• Odegaard Writing and Research Center librarians and peer consultants provide guidance with all stages of the research process, including defining a research question, exploring background information, and finding sources. Writing tutors can help you with writing assignments at any phase of your process.  Book an online or in-person consultation.

• Chat live 24/7 with a librarian: You can email us, or chat with a librarian 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from virtually anywhere.
• Peer Research Consultants (students like you!) and Subject Librarians (experts on finding materials related to specific research) are available for in-person, phone, email, or Zoom consultations.
• Libraries Undergraduate Researcher Tutorial -- BEFORE your first research project explore this helpful online tutorial for all levels of student experience.
• Support for digital content creation (online projects, audio/video software, data visualization, mapping and more) through the Libraries’ Open Scholarship Commons

STUDY SPACE (FINDING AND RESERVING SPACE)

• We have 17 UW Libraries locations! Most libraries are located on the Seattle campus, but we also have locations at UW Tacoma, UW Bothell, and even in Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands! Students are welcome in all libraries!
• Individual and group study spaces are available by reservation in all libraries.
• The Research Commons is a great space for group study and collaboration with comfortable seating, whiteboards, tech-enabled meeting rooms, and more.

• Start with UW Scout™ to find study spaces, food/eating venues, and tech items that meet your specific criteria.

COMPUTERS, PRINTING, AND WIFI

• Odegaard Library has the largest computer lab on campus and every library has computers for student use. Log in with your UW NetID and password to access Macs and PCs with a range of software.
• Printing is available from library computers or via mobile printing in the Libraries, and you pay for printing using your Husky Card. (Printing is managed by Dawg Prints.)
• The UW Student Technology Loan Program allows currently registered UW Seattle students to borrow laptops, projectors, cameras, and more at no additional cost . Pick-up locations include Kane Hall, the HUB, and the Health Sciences Building.
• Wi-Fi: The Eduroam network at UW is the preferred secure, encrypted Wi-Fi network for use on campus.
• More info: IT at the UW Student Quick-Start Guide and UW Libraries accessibility.

TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER COURSE MATERIALS

• Online and physical course materials (textbooks and media) are available through the Libraries.
• When you get your reading list for each quarter, do a Course Reserves search to see if a print or electronic copy of your textbook is available. If not, you can submit a student-driven course reserve request for required course materials
• Many course textbooks that are on physical reserve are held in Odegaard Undergraduate Library. Reserve materials can be checked out for a limited amount of time, usually 2 or 4 hours.

BOOK CLUBS and READING RECOMMENDATIONS

Whether you are looking for a book recommendation, or opportunities to meet others, check out these groups and online resources:

• Good Reads Online Resources
• Odegaard Library’s Good Reads Collection
• International Good Reads
• REALit - based out of UW Tacoma, open to all
• Community Reads- based out of UW Bothell, open to all

SHARE YOUR IDEAS

UW Libraries staff work with departments and programs across campus to make sure students have what they need to succeed. Your input is essential to helping us understand what you need and how we can improve. What can we do to help? What services are most helpful to you? What’s not working for you? Share your ideas and feedback with the UW Libraries Undergraduate Student Success team via email.

Have a question? Just ASK US!