Resources for Faculty

Background:

Selection of materials is a shared responsibility between librarian liaisons and department faculty.  Librarians coordinate the depth and breadth of the collections assigned to them depending on funding and the needs of undergraduate and graduate programs.  Faculty can make purchase requests to their librarian liaison at any time.

How are materials requested?

Faculty can email their librarian liaison or utilize the EWU Libraries' Suggest a Purchase form.

Who is my librarian liaison?

Click here to find out.

What types of materials can we request?

One-time expenditures only (books, DVDs, etc.).  For more on video content from EWU Libraries - scroll to the bottom of this page. Serials (journals, magazines, newspapers) and electronic resources (eBooks, e-journals, databases, etc.) that require ongoing financial commitments, as well as potential licensing, must be considered differently from monographic purchases. 

What type of information do I need to provide in my email?

1. A full item citation (minimum: author, title, and ISBN)
2. Reason for the request (upcoming course, personal research, core title, library lacks coverage)
3. “Date needed by” indication
4. Format preference (print or electronic)

1-3 are required; 4 is optional; the default is print.

Can I send Amazon.com links?

Yes, as long as you also indicate items 2-3 above.

What are the deadlines for purchasing materials?

Faculty can make purchase requests at any time.  However, because of library workflows and EWU fiscal year funding restrictions, requests received after May 1 may be delayed until the start of the new fiscal year (July 1).

What if I need an important book for the summer?

Make request as early as possible.  Ordering may be delayed as we reconcile and close the fiscal year (June).  Titles may need to be held for ordering depending on availability and shipping expectations from our vendors the closer we get to the end of the fiscal year.

Will everything we request be approved?

Purchase requests must be weighed and prioritized based on many factors.  Licensing restrictions might prohibit the library from being able to place the order.  Some requests could be returned to the requester for reconsideration.  Others may be fulfilled in ways other than a purchase.  The library is committed to supporting the research needs of the students and faculty at EWU while responsibly managing fiscal resources available to us. As a member of the Orbis Cascade Alliance library consortium, EWU considers the three copy threshold before any purchase is made.

How do we get important journals or databases that we need for our field if we can’t use library funds to purchase them?

Subscription costs for serials and electronic resources have been increasing at higher rates than for other resources.  Therefore, requests for new subscriptions must be considered carefully since these resources could consume a disproportionately higher share of the ongoing collections budget. 

Send requests for journals or databases directly to your library liaison.

I desire more specific information about how purchases are prioritized and made at EWU Libraries.

See our Collection Development Policy.

Looking for DVDs?

DVDs often have licensing and/or cost restrictions that can create use expectations incongruent with our needs as an academic library.  If you search the library catalog and we don't own the video that you want, then try searching the AVON and Kanopy collections listed on the Streaming Video section of this guide. If you still can't find what you want, then contact our Collection Services department or your library liaison.