Library offers new book delivery service for faculty

Library offers new book delivery service for facultyJanuary 26, 2004Edward Byrnesedbyrnes@syr.edu

If faculty see a little white golf cart go whizzing by, they shouldn’t think spring has arrived early – instead, it’s probably a Syracuse University Library staff member delivering books. SU Library now offers a book-delivery pilot program for SU faculty in participating schools, colleges and departments.

Through the new program, called “Library to Go,” SU Library staff will deliver books to main campus department offices from E.S. Bird Library and from the Science and Technology Library and its branches. As the program expands, faculty will be able to request other materials such as videos and articles. Deliveries will be made Monday through Friday, usually within 24 hours of the request, though requests coming in on Fridays will be filled the following Monday. The service will not be available when the University is closed.

“Many academic departments requested Library to Go when we contacted them last semester. We are happy to extend library services in this way to busy faculty,” says Denise Stephens, associate university librarian for public services.

A number of factors at SU Library are making Library to Go service possible: the merger of SU’s reserves and circulation functions freed a pool of student employees to staff the delivery service; the Library’s online system has added a new delivery request feature; and SU Auxiliary Services is providing golf carts at no charge to carry out cross-campus deliveries. Similar campus book delivery services, such as those at Portland State University, the University of Michigan and the Harvard Business School, have been successful at universities across the United States.

For further information about SU’s Library to Go program, call the circulation desk at (315) 443-5727.