Borrowing Library Materials: Requesting, Pickup, & Mailing 

July 22, 2020

Western Libraries has been working to ensure we can comply with the necessary requirements outlined by both the university and by the State of Washington in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. During Phase 2 of the Governor’s “Safe Start” plan, libraries must remain closed to the public, but are allowed to provide limited access to materials when certain procedural and safety requirements are met.  

map of where to pickup up materials from Western LibrariesRequesting Materials 

Beginning Tuesday, July 21, 2020, Western Washington University students, staff, and faculty will be able to place online requests for items from the library collections. These items will later be available for curbside on-site pickup, or they can be mailed directly to you. Only materials within the Western Libraries circulating collection may be requested at this time. Music Library materials and Summit or ILL services are not yet available. (For questions about access to materials in the Music Library, please contact Marian.Ritter@wwu.edu.) 

Requests for materials must be submitted online via the OneSearch catalog on the Libraries’ website. Once you have signed in and placed your request, please allow some additional time for us to implement the retrieving and processing of these items. Initially, it will likely take 7 to 10 days for your requests to be processed, as adherence to the health and safety requirements only allow for 2-3 employees inside the library buildings at one time. Likewise, requests for materials can only be retrieved and processed for pickup at specific times in order to protect health and safety. Once your request is filled, we will send you an email letting you know that your item is ready for pickup.  

Picking Up Your Items 

  • Currently, the only available dates and time for picking up materials will be on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10am to noon, and appointments are not necessary. 

  • Pickup services are completely “no contact,” meaning we will not be able to have face-to-face conversations or physically interact with you. When picking up materials, please bring your own bag if you are picking up multiple items. Staff are unfortunately not able to help bring materials to your vehicle.  

  • Once you have received an email notification that your requested material is ready for pickup, please park in one of the 4 parking spots reserved for curbside pickup, either in one of the two spots in 11G, (marked with sandwich boards that say "This space reserved 6/30-9/15 for Western Libraries curbside pickup,”) or in one of the two 20 minute loading spaces available on High Street in front of the Wilson Library building, (see map here). 

  • After you have parked, please call (360) 650-3084 to let the library staff know you have arrived, (no texting), and library personnel will confirm over the phone your name, W#, and the number of items expected for pickup. Library personnel will check the materials out to you and then place them on the designated table located outside of the Haggard library entrance beneath the skybridge. Once library personnel have stepped back into the Haggard building, you may pick up your materials.  

Requesting Mailing of Items 

If the curbside pickup option does not work for you, you may also request items be mailed to you. When requesting your materials online, select “Mail to address” as your delivery method and enter your mailing address. You will receive an email when your requested item is being sent. Items will be mailed each Thursday. 

Due Dates and Returning Materials 

All materials will be loaned to you until at least September 23, 2020. If you need to return materials before then, the book drop under the Haggard/Wilson skybridge will remain open. If you are unable to return materials to the skybridge book drop, please email library.circulation@wwu.edu  and someone will contact you to discuss other possible options. 

Questions and Contact Information 

If you have any questions about these services, or need to request an accommodation, please email library.circulation@wwu.edu, or leave a voicemail at (360) 650-3084 outside of curbside pickup hours. If we cannot accommodate your request, we will mail the materials to you. 

For more information, please see: Requesting Materials for On-site Pickup and Mailing. Questions? Please email library.circulation@wwu.edu or call (360) 650-3084. Please note, phone messages are checked several times per day; for faster responses, email is preferred.