Off-Campus Library Services – University College

University System Library Cards
A valid University of Maine System library card is required to request books through URSUS and to access online journal indexes and databases. Library cards may be requested online or by calling 1-888-266-4950. It may take a week to process your request, so please apply for your card early in the semester. If you have not received your card within ten days of submitting an application, please contact our office.

Library cards must be reactivated if you do not register as a student for consecutive semesters.

Reference Assistance
If you need help narrowing a topic, doing in-depth research, finding resources, answering a quick question, or tracking down a citation, please utilize our Ask-A-Librarian Service, or call the OCLS office. The Off-Campus Library Services staff can provide long distance reference service tailored to your research needs—from the simplest question to the more complex research project. Let us know how we can help you!

Article Requests
Many articles are available in the indexes and databases as full text (the complete article is included). These can be printed from your home or office, giving you immediate access. Some are just citations (all the information needed to locate the article). These can be requested from the Off-Campus Library Services (OCLS) office. Fill out one Article Request Form/ILLiad Document Delivery for each article and submit online. (It may be helpful to print the citation so you have all the information needed to fill out the form.) Articles will be sent to you electronically or mailed to your home address at no cost to you.  Information on ILLiad and the one-time registration can be found here.

Articles not owned by the University College’s home library will be requested from other libraries and may take from one to four weeks for delivery. Please plan ahead and allow ample time for interlibrary loan requests.

Book Requests
Books and other circulating items can be requested through URSUS, the University of Maine System online catalog.

Please follow the procedures outlined below in order to obtain items available in the URSUS online catalog. Remember that a valid University of Maine system library card is required to request material. Please contact us if you have any questions.

1. From the Off-Campus Library Services homepage, click on URSUS, the online library catalog.
2. Search by title, author, keyword, subject, etc.
3. When you find a book or document title you want to request, click on the "REQUEST" button.
4. Enter your name and barcode number in the boxes, as prompted. In the campus/center/site location box select "OOS," (for Out-of-State) and click on the "Submit above information" button.
5. Once your request has been properly submitted, you will receive the following message on the screen: "Your request has been successful"; you can now return to the list of other citations, or you can "START OVER" at the main menu.

The book(s) will be checked out to you and mailed to your home address. The loan period will be for four weeks, with an additional two-week renewal available upon request.

Book Renewals

1. View your Record. Enter your name and barcode number in the spaces provided, and then click the Display Record button.

2. Click the link that shows how many items you have checked out.

3. You may click the Renew All button, or check the box next to individual titles and then click Renew Selected Items.

You should check to see that the item was actually renewed, with a new due date. Sometimes an item cannot be renewed because it is overdue, another person has requested it, or it has been renewed too many times. If an item cannot be renewed, it should be returned to the library. You can also request renewals through the OCLS online renewal form or by calling our out-of-state toll-free #: 1-888-266-4950.

Book Returns

Return books requested through URSUS on or before the due date using United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express, US Postal Service’s 2nd Day Air, or a similar trackable, insured mail carrier. Please ship books directly to the lending library in a well-sealed padded envelope or padded box. Keep your receipts in case books do not make it back to the lending library. You will be billed for overdue books and non-return of library items and your borrowing privileges will be blocked. Your shipping receipts will be your only evidence of return if books are lost in the mail or do not arrive back on time.

Need Help? Visit our Ask a Librarian page.

University of Maine System

Copyright 2008 UMS.  All rights reserved.

Last revised: Friday, May 30, 2008