Services
Explore the many services we offer, from borrowing materials from other libraries to placing items for your students to use and renewing books when you need a little more time.
Interlibrary Loan
Our Interlibrary Loan service allows current PNW faculty, staff, and students to borrow material that is not owned by our library. Your request can be submitted through Tipasa, our cloud-based management system that enables users to place, track, and keep a history of requests from a personal online account.
Books are generally delivered within 7 days and articles within a few days. The loan period of physical items are subject to the lending libraries’ policies and the articles are yours to keep.
Each user must register for an account in Tipasa.
In very rare cases, a fee might be required for the requested item. If this is the case, the patron will be contacted by the interlibrary loan staff for approval to proceed with the request.
User Instructions
New Tipasa Users
- Click on the box, “Hammond Campus Tipasa” or “Westville Campus Tipasa” depending on where you want to receive your material
- Click the “CREATE ACCOUNT” link
- You will be taken to a screen where you are instructed to enter identifying pieces of information to create your account
- Click “CREATE”
- You may now login with the account credentials just created
Users who had an ILLiad account will need to do the following the first time at Tipasa login:
- Click the box, “Hammond Campus Tipasa” or “Westville Campus Tipasa” depending on where you want to receive your material
- Click the “FORGOT PASSWORD” link
- You will be taken to a screen where you are instructed to enter your PNW email address
- After entering your email address, click “REQUEST NEW PASSWORD”
- An email will be sent to your PNW email address with instructions and a link to set your password in Tipasa
Contact Information
Hammond Campus
Student Union Library (SULB) Building – Second Floor
(219) 989-2224
libillin@pnw.edu
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Westville Campus
Library-Student-Faculty (LSF) Building – Second Floor
(219) 785-5248
PNW_IPN@pnw.edu
Closed: May 11 to August 18, 2024
PurdueBorrow
PurdueBorrow is a resource-sharing tool between all Purdue campuses. Current PNW students, Faculty, Limited-Term Lecturers, Staff, and Official Retirees can directly request physical items from Purdue West Lafayette and Purdue Fort Wayne from within the library’s catalog.
Lending policies are defined by the lending institution and patrons can request specific items from a specific institution. The patron can pick up and return items to an institution in the network. In addition, students, faculty, and staff can travel to all Purdue campuses and check out items with your PNW ID.
How does it work?
- Perform your search in PNW’s catalog
- Sign in with your Purdue account
- Select the item you want from another campus
- Click on the campus name underneath “Get It From PurdueBorrow”
- Click “Request” underneath “Get It From PurdueBorrow”
- Choose the Pickup Institution (Campus) and Location (Library)
- Send Request
Visit our PurdueBorrow Libguide for more information.
Course Reserves
Reserves are course materials that University Instructors make available for their students to use.
Leganto is our new course e-reserve service that makes it easy to create, access, and manage course resource lists. Instructors can build, maintain, and share resource lists of all material types and library staff can provide resources efficiently.
Students and faculty have access to course materials 24/7 through Brightspace.
Reserve Locations
Available digitally via Brightspace.
Reserve FAQs
Who can access a Reserve?
- Purdue University Northwest Faculty, students, and staff
How do I find a Reserve?
- Easily access lists of course reserves in Brightspace
How long can I access a Reserve?
- Reserve materials can be viewed and accessed for the period designated by the instructor
Advantages of Reserves in Brightspace:
- Students easily access lists for all their courses in one place 24/7
- Engage with the resources, comment on readings, make recommendations for your class and the library
- Build a personal collection of resources to use at other times
How do I place material on Reserve?
- Create lists of up-to-date materials gathered from a range of sources including the Library collection, eBooks, scholarly articles, videos, newspaper articles, websites, etc. and utilize Leganto to add to your courses in Brightspace
- For physical items, complete the Library Reserve Request Form and email or take to the University Library’s Public Services Desk.
What may be placed on Reserve?
- E-books
- Articles available online or uploaded
- Old exams, lecture notes, study guides
- Videos and other media
What may not be placed on Reserve?
- Multiple scanned copies (Copyright Law)
How long does the material remain on Reserve?
- Reading list can stay in Brightspace until removed by Instructor
- Instructors can also set it to have certain material viewable for a limited amount of time
Why use Leganto?
- 24 hour access to course material
- Easily manage and update course resources based on your course needs
- Look at statistical usage of materials by students
- Set your list to be viewed by your students only, or any student
Laptop Checkout for Students
Each campus library has a set of Dell Latitude Laptops and Chromebooks for our PNW students to borrow. Laptops/Chromebooks can be checked out at the Public Services Desk. They are first come first serve basis and we do not allow holds.
Borrowing a laptop
- Laptops are available to students for semester checkouts
- To borrow a laptop, you will need your student ID card
- The laptop will have a specific login and password issued to you upon checkout
- By borrowing a laptop, you are agreeing to the “Laptop Loan Regulations”(see below)
Returning a laptop
- Please return laptops to the PNW library
- One renewal allowed provided laptop is not due for software upgrades/re-imaging. Must renew in person with laptop.
What to Expect when Borrowing:
- Library issue Dell Laptops and Dell Chromebooks are loaned to currently enrolled Purdue University Northwest students with no library blocks
- Laptops will include power adapter and cord
- Only current PNW students with no library blocks can borrow a laptop
- Loans are on a first-come, first-served basis
- Loan period is for one semester regardless of when it’s checked out during the semester
- Only one laptop can be checked out per student
- Please do not take this equipment out of the country.
- Students can request to be placed on a waiting list once all laptops have been loaned
- One renewal allowed provided laptop is not due for software upgrades/re-imaging. Must renew in person with laptop
- Students are responsible for any/all equipment that is missing, damaged, lost or stolen
- Replacement fees up to $1000 are assessed 14 days after the due date, in which $100 of the replacement fee is nonrefundable
- After 30 days past due, all fees become nonrefundable
- The laptop could result in being locked down when past due 30 days or more
- Students will not be allowed to check out another laptop until payment has been received for replacement or damaged fees
- By checking out the laptop you agree to the laptop loan regulations (a copy is also available by scanning QR code on laptop)
Things to Remember While Using:
- We strongly advise you not to leave the laptop unattended
- If stolen or lost, you will be responsible for laptop’s replacement cost
- Do not attempt to repair laptop yourself. Report any problems immediately to the library
- If damaged, you will be responsible for any fees
- Remember to save documents to the cloud as this is a loaner laptop
- Printing is available through wireless printing from PaperCut
Where should I return:
- Laptop must be returned to the PNW Library Public Services Desk
- Do not place in book return. Hand laptop to library staff to be checked in
- Laptop and power adapter with cord must be returned at the same time
- If the laptop is not returned on its due date, replacement fees will be assessed
- Printing is available through wireless printing through PaperCut.
Recommend a Purchase
Looking to recommend a purchase to the PNW library? Here’s the process.
Please search PRIMO, the library’s search and discovery tool, to verify library holdings before submitting a request for purchase.
If you are requesting a purchase, please supply us with as much bibliographic information as possible. For bibliographic information, you can search WorldCat, online booksellers or publishers’ catalogs.
Ready recommend a purchase to the library?
For more information, contact Collection Development Coordinator Sammy Chapman at schapma@pnw.edu or (219) 989-2903.
Request an Instruction Session
PNW library liaisons have expertise in specific areas and can work directly with faculty, staff and students to provide programs, services and library collections.
Request a Library Instruction Session
- Librarians are available to meet your class in Hammond, Westville, Virtually, or be Embedded into your Brightspace course.
- Please book your sessions as early in the semester as possible. We ask for one-week advance notice so we can prepare.
- Faculty are asked to meet with librarian as soon as possible, bringing a syllabus and an assignment for session preparation.
- Instructors should plan to be present for the session.
- One session is good, but multiple sessions can really re-inforce information literacy learning.
The library uses screen sharing software that allows you to see a librarian’s computer screen from your computer off campus to view a personalized demonstration on library resources. Contact your subject specialist to make an appointment via email or by telephone at the numbers below.
- Hammond: 219-989-2676.
- Westville: 219-785-5248.
Library Liaisons
Assistant Director of the University Library
(219) 989-2063
SULB 203F (Hammond)
LSF 245 (Westville)
Liaison for archives, first-generation and University College.
Reference Librarian, Collection Development Coordinator
(219) 989-2903
Liaison for business, science and technology.
Liaison for CHESS.
Assistant Professor of Practice
(219) 989-2523
Hammond Campus, SULB 203B
Liaison for nursing.