Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the UI&U Library’s Virtual Transition

What is the virtual transition?

The Union Institute & University Library will transition to a fully-virtual library on June 23, 2011. In 2008, the Gary Library building along with the physical resources housed therein were sold to the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Since the sale, we operated under a temporary, three year lease arrangement, sharing the library facility. That lease is ending in June 2011, at which time, the Vermont College of Fine Arts will begin operating the Gary Library on its own. The UI&U library staff will move at that time to a new work space being created in Stone Science Hall on the Montpelier campus. Over the past several years, UI&U has been creating a totally virtual library model, building a substantial collection of online books, journals, dissertations, and other web-based resources in preparation for this new, entirely virtual, library model.

What virtual resources will I have access to?

The Union Institute & University Library has an extensive collection of online scholarly resources, including sixty thousand e-Books, hundreds of reference e-Books, one million dissertations, thousands of peer-reviewed journals, and over a hundred article databases with access to millions of full-text articles. The UI&U Library is committed to expanding this virtual collection and will continue to add e-Books and other online resources over time. If you would like to learn more about finding and accessing these online resources, the library is offering research workshops throughout February, March, and April. Workshop dates and descriptions are available on the library’s Ask a Librarian page.

What if I need a book or other resource that is not in the virtual library collection?

If you need a book or article that is not in our online collection, please contact the library. We may be able to find you an alternative resource or obtain a copy of the document you need through interlibrary loan.

What services will be changing? What will remain the same?

The UI&U Virtual Library will no longer have direct access to the physical materials housed in the Gary Library after the transition. The UI&U library staff will be moving to a new office space in Stone Science Hall in Montpelier. All other services, including course and residency instructional presentations, online research workshops, reference and research support, and interlibrary loan, will remain the same.

Can I check-out print books belonging to the Gary Library in the months prior to the transition?

Yes, the circulation of print books will continue as usual until the last lending date, April 22^nd. During this time, all overdue fines will be waved. All Gary Library books need to be returned no later than May 31, 2011.

What will happen if I check-out a book on April 22^nd?

All books checked-out on April 22^nd will be due on May 31^st and cannot be renewed. Please help us make this transition as smooth as possible by returning your Gary Library print books by their due date. To return books, please mail them to 62 Ridge Street, Suite 2, Montpelier, VT 05602 or use the return mailing label provided with your books.

Will interlibrary loan services still be available?

Borrowing books and articles from other libraries will continue, as usual, through the transition process. These interlibrary loan books will have their own due dates separate from the Gary Library due date.

What is happening to the learner studies currently located in the Gary Library?

Bound Bachelor of Arts culminating studies and microfiche versions of MA program theses completed prior to 2002, when Vermont College was owned by Norwich University, will be transferred to the Norwich University library archives for permanent safekeeping. Undergraduate and Master’s theses produced by Montpelier-based UI&U academic programs produced since 2002 will either be stored in Stone Science Hall or returned to the academic program offices in question. All of UI&U’s Montpelier based academic programs (BA, MA, M. Ed) are now submitting their learner theses to the library as virtual documents, and these will continue to be made available to library users as full text links in the UI&U virtual library catalog since they require no physical storage.

How should I contact the library if I have questions or need help?

All contact information, including mailing address, will remain the same both during and after the transition. Staff members can be reached by email at library@myunion.edu or by phone, toll-free, at 888-828-8557, extension 8747.