Nine months out of the year, there are students in the McDowell Veterinary Library 24-7. Some are there to work on the computers, some take advantage of the small meeting rooms, some are using reference books, and some are just looking for a quiet place to study. But the library can also be a great resource for alumni, Oregon veterinarians, and the general public.
I recently interviewed Library Technician Derrick Padar about services for non-students:
Q: What resources are available to non-students?
A: Copies of journal articles can be sent to OSU alumni anywhere, and to veterinarians and members of the public within the state of Oregon. If they are interested in a book but don’t need the whole thing, maybe just a couple of chapters, I can scan and send those.
Q: Does it cost anything?
A: No, as long as I can send it as a PDF attachment.
Q: How can they contact you?
A: If they want a copy of an article, it is best to email me, then I can reply with an attachment. They can contact me at cvmlibrary@oregonstate.edu.
Q: How can they look up journal articles?
A: They can use the online catalog for the Valley Library. They can use the Search function to look up a topic, then narrow the search by scrolling down and selecting McDowell Veterinary Library from the menu on the left.
Q: What information about the journal article do you need in order to find it?
A: Journal title, volume and issue number with pages. Author and title of the article are helpful. I need something more than a vague description of an article about leukemia in cats in the Journal of the AVMA that may have been in the last five years. But sometimes, if they are just lacking a couple of things, I can find what they are looking for.
Q: How many journals does the library have?
A: We have more online than we have physical. It could be in the hundreds. We pay for some online journals and we have free access to many, but sometimes they carry an embargo on the most recent 6 months.
Q: Can people check out books?
A: They can come in and check out books in person. They will need to get a community borrowers card from Valley Library. There is information on the library website on how to do that. It costs just a dollar and they should have proof of Oregon residency – typically a driver’s license. Then they would be able to check out books from our library with the exception of reserve books and reference books.
