Both Summit and Interlibrary Loan (ILL) are services to share resources among libraries, but they fill different needs. Here is a brief description and comparison of the services. 

Summit is the borrowing system for member libraries of the Orbis Cascade Alliance--academic libraries in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. To maximize efficiency and predictability, libraries agree to basic policies and procedures. For example, 

• All books in a library's general collection circulate through Summit. Individual libraries may allow additional physical collections to circulate, such as audiovisual items.
• Summit supplies physical loans only--no copies of articles or chapters. 
• The standard book loan is 6 weeks. If a library allows an additional collection to circulate through Summit, the loan period is either 6 weeks or 6 days.
• There are no renewals.
• There is no cost associated with each individual request, since a contracted courier delivers materials on a fixed expense to the library.
• You find and request materials through Primo

Interlibrary Loan involves over 10,000 academic, public, and special libraries across the United States and the world. There are standards of practice but no shared policies or procedures for participating libraries. 

• All kinds of materials are shared through ILL. The broader network of libraries loans books, audiovisuals, microforms, and other physical items not available through Summit borrowing, and it supplies scanned copies of articles and book chapters. Some libraries also scan items they will not lend physically (special collections and archives, for example) to share electronically.
• The owning library sets the due date for a physical item loan. When you receive an electronic copy, it is yours to keep. 
• Renewals are at the discretion of the owning library.
• Expenses associated with individual requests vary due to lending fees and shipping costs. 
• One pathway to make a request is ILL request tab. 

To find articles on a particular topic start with EOU’s Primo.

Type a search term into the box and then select the Articles Only scope from the drop-down menu.

This will filter your results to just articles that the library has access to.

Use the options on the left side of the results list to refine your search.

Here you can limit to peer-reviewed articles or refine by type, subject, date, etc. Click on the article title to access the full text.

It is important to be note that Primo does not contain all of the library resources. EOU Library subscribes to many databases and not all database content will be available in Primo. Often it is best to go directly to a subject-specific database in order to find more focused results and to conduct more exhaustive research.

To learn more about selecting and using a database for finding articles please see our FAQ How Do I Find Databases?

Using Books and Other Items

EOU students, faculty, and staff can checkout EOU owned library items through a request process. Library staff will pull items you request, and items can be picked up at the library or mailed to your home address. Please note that for mailed items you will be responsible for return postage. Instructions for requesting items through Primo are listed below. Please contact us with any questions.

How To Request Items from EOU

1. Begin by searching for your topic or item in Primo.

2. Click on the title of the item you want. Sign in to Primo to access the request option.

3. In the Find & Request section choose the link that says “Request From EOU”.

4. Fill out the request form.

• If you want to pick up the item at the library select the EOU Library pickup location and you will receive an email when the item is ready for pick up (usually within 1 business day).
• If you are an online student or unable to pick up the item then select the Home Address pickup location and the item will be mailed to the mailing address listed in your EOU account. If you need the item sent to a different address, please specify this in the comments section. You will be responsible for return postage when sending the item back.

Once you have filled out the form click on the Request button to submit the request.

5. Once your item has been processed you will receive an email to your EOU email address with further instructions for pickup or confirmation that your item has been mailed to you.

Books sent to you should have come with a self-addressed shipping label. You are responsible for the cost of return shipping. IF for some reason you didn't receive the label or it was misplaced you can request a new label by emailing 

How To Request Items from Summit

Items in Primo that are owned by other Summit Consortium libraries can also be requested. These items will be delivered to the EOU Library, where they can be picked up OR will be mailed to your home address if you are an online student.

 

To request a Summit book click on the “Find & Request” link and then the “Request from Summit” link.

 

If you are not signed in then you will need to do so with your Mountie Pass.

Once you are signed in, click on the “Request Summit Item” link.

 

The form should pop up and look like the image below....

Submit the request form to complete your request.

You will receive an email when your item is ready to be picked up at the library. If you are an online student we will send your item(s) to your home address and you will be responsible for return postage.

EOU graduates have access to the physical library during public opening hours. Alumni can borrow EOU materials by applying for an EOU Alumni Library Card. Alumni do not have access to Summit or free Interlibrary Loan services. Interlibrary Loan requests can be made at a per-item charge. Alumni do not have online access to databases or library resources.

Think of each part of a citation as a part of an address in which to find the article. As you can see in the image below, once you identify the parts you can begin searching for article with that information.

You could search by author or the article title but if that isn't working you can look for the specific journal(periodical). If there is a hyperlinked DOI (digital object identifier), the last piece of the citation, you could search that.

If you are looking for a specific journal article, you can see whether EOU library has access to it by using the Primo Journal search tool. You will first need all of the citation information for the article – author’s name, article title, journal title, date, volume and issue number. If you do not have all of this information then you can use Google Scholar to search for the article and get the full citation information.

Once you have the citation information click on the Journals link on the EOU Library website. Then type in the title of the journal in the search box and click search.

If EOU Library has access to that journal then you will see the item listed in the results. If the item is available electronically it will say Online access below the item title. Click on the Online access link to access the journal. You will either be taken directly to the journal or a page with one or more links to databases or websites with full text access to that title. If there are several links you can select whichever database has the date coverage for your article.

Once you select a database you will need to then click on the appropriate date, and volume and issue number links to find your article.

If the item is available in print it will say Available at EOU Library. Click on the item title to see the call number and location information.

If there are no results for the journal title search then EOU Library does not have access to the article. However, the article can be requested through Interlibrary Loan. To request the article first go to the Interlibrary Loan webpage and click on the Article Request link and then sign in with your Mountie Pass and enter the article citation information. ILL article requests take 1-3 business days to process and then you will be sent an email with the article attached.

To use library databases, start at the library homepage library.eou.edu and click on the Databases link. Which will take you to an alphabetical list of our databases.

How to Select a Database

Once you are viewing our list of Databases, you can select a database by clicking on the name. If you aren’t sure which database is best for your topic, Academic Search Complete is a good general-purpose starting point. You can also use the Subject Drop Down Menu to limit the list of databases to a general subject such as “business” or “sociology”. That way you will only see the databases that cover that broad subject area. You can always ask a librarian or your instructor for suggestions as well.

Once you’ve chosen a database, select its title from the list. If you are working from off campus, you may have to log in to your library account to get access.

Search features vary from one database to another, but nearly all will let you search by keyword, by topic or subject, by author, or by other criteria. In some databases, those from EBSCO for example, there is an option to limit your search results to scholarly, peer-reviewed articles.

Most of the databases contain full text, meaning copies of the articles you find will be available in the database. But sometimes databases don’t include the actual articles, just information about them, possibly including abstracts (summaries).

In these cases, look for a Find It button.  Find It will search all the library’s databases and will take you to the full text, if available, or present other options.

Primo

EOU’s Primo is your access point to a vast amount of information resources, including books, DVDs, CDs and other physical items found in library collections. To search for books and other materials owned by EOU, start with the EOU Library search scope.

A keyword search is the best way to start if you are looking for materials related to a general topic. If you are looking for a specific book or other item, you may want to use Advanced Search to search by title or author, or choose to search for items in a particular format.

Choosing “Advanced Search” will let you construct a search with many different conditions. For example, you can do a keyword search narrowed down to a certain author. You can also search by language, publication date, or other criteria.

Once you have a list of results, you can narrow down to a particular resource type.

If you would like to request books to either pick up at the library or be sent to your home then please follow the instructions on the Request Materials page.

Summit

If you can’t find what you need in EOU’s collections, try expanding to the EOU + Summit search scope. This will give you access to books and other materials owned by other Summit Libraries. To request a Summit book click on the “Find & Request” link and then the “Request from Summit” link.

If you are not signed in then you will need to do so with your Mountie Pass. Once you are signed in, click on the “Request Summit Item” link.

Submit the request form to complete your request. You will then receive an email when your item is ready to be picked up at the Circulation Desk.

Interlibrary Loan and WorldCat

If EOU and Summit Libraries don’t have what you are looking for you can search in two other catalogs and then request the item through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Option 1: Sage

Sage is a group of public and school libraries in eastern Oregon. Items available in Sage can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.

1. Search the Sage Catalog

2. If you locate the item, fill out the Interlibrary Loan Request Form with the relevant information. You will receive an email when your item is ready to be picked up at the library. If you are an online student, we will send your item(s) to your home address, and you will be responsible for return postage.

Option 2: WorldCat

WorldCat is a database of items from libraries around the world. Items available in WorldCat can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.

1. Search WorldCat

2. If you locate the item, fill out the Interlibrary Loan Request Form with the relevant information. You will receive an email when your item is ready to be picked up at the library. If you are an online student, we will send your item(s) to your home address, and you will be responsible for return postage.

Finding eBooks

You can see what items you have checked out and when they are due by logging in to your library account.

Using the navigation bar across the top to select "Loans" if the list of your items doesn't automatically appear. You can select individual items to renew, or renew the whole list.

Each item will indicate if it is renewable.

Items from EOU and Summit can be renewed online directly in your library account. Interlibrary Loan items can usually be renewed but must be requested through the Interlibrary Loan Department.

How To Renew EOU Items

• Click on the Renew link next to the item in your account.
• The new due date will update immediately.

How To Renew Summit Items

• Click on the Renew link next to the item in your account.
• The item will show that the renewal is pending approval.
• You will then get an email on whether or not the renewal has been approved.
• Some renewals may not be granted if the book has been requested by another patron.
• If a Summit item does not have the option to be renewed in your account then please contact Kadie Backlund, kbacklund@eou.edu for assistance.

How To Renew Interlibrary Loan Items

• To request a renewal, contact the Interlibrary Loan Department at least two days before the due date with your name and the title of the item.

See the Borrowing and Access page for full details on loan periods, renewals, and fines.

You can access your library account from the Primo homepage. In the upper right hand corner you will see a sign in option.

This will take you to the OneLogin and you'll use your user name and password that you also use for Canvas.

Your library account allows you to keep track of what materials you have checked out, renew materials, and see requests that you've made.

 

You may still use the databases if you physically come to the library to do so. However, under the contract terms for database subscriptions, we may only provide off-campus access to current EOU students, faculty, and staff.

If you are able to come into the Library, you would need to check in at the front desk to sign a Community Patron Internet and Computer Use Agreement.

There are also several places you can search for freely available scholarly literature from off campus (not all articles have full text, but many do ):

1. Google Scholar has an amazing number of links to open-access scholarly articles (when they are available, be sure to use the links to the right hand side of the citation, rather than clicking on the title).
2. If you are in Oregon, the State Library and your local public library provide access to Gale databases, including Power Search and Academic Onefile, which have a lot of full text scholarly resources. 
3. PubMed is medically focused, but includes a wide variety of scientific topics, some of which may deal with your topic.
4. ERIC covers education topics, including some related psychology.
5. Agricola is produced by the USDA and focused on agriculture and its subdisciplines (which include many topics you mightn not initially think of)

The library study rooms are first-come-first-served.

First-Come-First-Served Rooms   Room 015 Ground Floor Room 016 Ground Floor Room 206 Mezzanine Room 207 Mezzanine Room 208 Mezzanine

Study Rooms Map

Wiley Online provides access to different types of materials. If you are trying to access course materials you'll need to talk with your instructor.

If you are trying to access Wiley