Using your library is easy! There are a few things to know that will make your library experience even easier.
Brown Library librarians are here to help. We have a wide range of experience and expertise, and we’re happy to put you in touch with the librarian who can best help you.
The library is on the main campus. We are across Taylor Street from Tower Hall. Our actual address is 600 Taylor St, Joliet, IL 60435 in case you want to map some directions. Here’s a map of campus to help you see where you can park and exactly where we are on campus. Here’s what our building looks like:
Your USF ID card is your library card! If you are coming to use the library in person, and you don’t have an ID yet, stop by Security (located in Tower Hall) before you visit us. Bring a state ID or driver’s license, and security will get you set up with an ID card. This card will allow you to access locked areas of campus (like the library after hours) as well as serve as your ID card and your meal card (if you have a meal plan).
You don’t always need an ID to use the library. If you are a current student or an alumni with a login, your portal login and password will gain you access to thousands of online resources. From books to videos to journal articles, you can use the library from your kitchen table. (Alumni can contact IT for a portal login and password.)
You can chat with a librarian from your kitchen table as well.
You can also request physical books and resources like DVDs from libraries across Illinois and around the world using your portal login and password. When you come to pick up these materials, you will need a USF ID.
Wadsworth Commons is open 24/7, but access to librarians and library materials happens during these hours.
The library is different from the bookstore. All library services are free to USF students, faculty and staff; many services are also free to USF alumni. The bookstore is the place you want to be for buying or renting textbooks for your courses. Although some course materials are available at the library, if you need a textbook for a class for the entire semester, start with the bookstore.
The course materials available at the library are called course reserves. Course reserves are books that your professor has requested for their students’ use. Course reserves are available at the library’s front desk and usually have restrictions on checkout – some you can only use in the library, some have shorter checkouts than regular library books.
In the Brown library catalog and databases, you can also find a wide variety of materials related to your courses which can be helpful if you are looking for clarification or want to expand your understanding of a topic.
Brown Library librarians are an invaluable resource throughout your research process. If you are working on a paper or research project, we can help you search for books and articles, talk through your topic, and recommend additional resources for your research and writing.
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