9 library collections you can still check out from home

For the time being the library doors are locked, but UO Libraries still has great collections to share with the UO community.

Whether you’re close to campus in Eugene or working remotely, a DuckID and password are your credentials to log in and access a wealth of electronic resources including e-books, online journals, streaming services, digital collections and more. Cardholders can also continue to request and check out physical materials from the library collections.

While the libraries regularly subscribe to a wealth of resource databases and provide access to many additional sites on a trial-term basis, now is a particularly fruitful time to delve into these resources as many vendors are providing free or enhanced content access in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“There is a wealth of material available and the estimated value of what is being provided for free is in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said collection management librarian David Fowler.

“We really encourage faculty, students and staff to explore and use these trial databases, because we use data and feedback from the trials to help inform our decisions about which subscriptions to pick up in the future,” he said. “Amidst these unusual times, this is a once-in a-lifetime opportunity to evaluate dozens of electronic databases, journals and books for potential future acquisition.”

Time permitting, you can dig into the full list of library trial databases. In the meantime, here are nine examples of cool collections that can get you started exploring the library from home:

Film posters

Watch 50 feature films streaming on Swank Digital Campus

Through Swank Digital Campus, the library has selected 50 first-rate feature films with unlimited access through June 30.

“Films are an important part of the syllabus for many courses and instructors look to the library to provide rights-cleared copies they can show to their classes,” said humanities librarian Elizabeth Peterson. “This selection from Swank is based on specific requests from faculty who are teaching remotely this term, and they represent a diverse set of disciplines.”

Anyone with UO ID can login anytime and watch everything from “10 Cloverfield Lane” to “Waiting for Superman.”

Get more viewing opportunities with AVON

Academic Video Online is the most comprehensive video subscription available to libraries, delivering 68,000 titles with curricular relevance: documentaries, interviews, feature films, performances, news, demonstrations and raw footage. Academy, Emmy and Peabody award winners are among the diverse offerings. Access expires June 23.

Cambridge Companions titles

Learn something new with Cambridge Companions Online

Written by leading experts, Cambridge Companions are a series offering introductions to major writers, artists, philosophers, topics and historical periods.

From Hippocrates to hermeneutics and operetta to the Rolling Stones, there’s a range of knowledge to explore. You can browse, bookmark and read titles online, download PDFs or send to your cloud drive or Kindle.

Additionally, Cambridge University Press has made more than 700 Cambridge Textbooks free to access online during the coronavirus outbreak. Access expires May 31.

Explore your family history at Ancestry Library Edition

Spending extra time with family? It could be an interesting activity to trace your roots using the world’s largest online family history archive and resource. Through the library edition of Ancestry, you get expanded and instant access to hundreds of billions of historical documents and millions of historical photos from all over the world. Access expires June 23.

Jazz periodical titles

Explore the history of American music in jazz periodicals

The library’s collections include this treasure-trove of 105 historic jazz journals. From slick monthlies to trade journals to hand-copied magazines, these digitized issues document a century of American life and culture through the lens of its music.

For more digital stacks of music journalism, visit the RIPM Online Archive of Music Periodicals. Access expires May 31.

Listen to jazz, or practically any other genre, at Music and Dance Online

Open your ears to the largest, most diverse catalog of online music content aimed to support teaching and research. This site features high-definition audio and video works from thousands of respected artists, covering hundreds of genres from alternative rock to opera to zydeco. Access expires June 23.

Boots from the collection

Become fabulously well informed at Bloomsbury Fashion Central

Whatever your style, feel free to kick up your heels while exploring this dynamic digital hub for interdisciplinary research in the art and industry of dress.

The tale of these two boots? Introduced in 1994, the faux-leather Dr. Martens “Vegetarian Shoes” model would still look great with Ducks gear today. The Manolo Blahnik “Dot Boot” was designed by conceptual artist Damien Hirst in 2002.

Fashion not your fit? Explore many other subjects also available in Bloomsbury Digital Resources. Access expires June 12.

Stay up-to-date on the latest, authoritative COVID-19 information

Many vendors and organizations have bundled their content specifically related to COVID-19, infectious diseases and epidemiology and are making it freely accessible through academic libraries. The list grows almost daily and examples include:

Access varies, but most organizations have pledged to make resources available throughout the pandemic.

Check out library collection materials with pick-up window service

The doors may be locked, but the library remains open for business and almost everything in the physical collections is still available to check out. UO faculty, staff and students can request materials through LibrarySearch, then get them at the new Knight Library pick-up window.

“Our staff has done an amazing job with only a few weeks to prepare,” said David Ketchum, head of access services with the libraries. “We’re facing a whole new set of logistics for library lending, and our librarians, staff members and student employees have all risen to the challenge.”

Located near the east front entrance of Knight Library, the new pick-up window is open Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Curbside pickup is also available at the John E. Jaqua Law Library and the Portland Library and Learning Commons, but pickups must be scheduled in advance. Access continues until campus reopens or further notice.

—By Jason Stone, University Communications