FAQs

Can I bring food and drinks into the Library?

Drinks in containers with secure lids are allowed everywhere in the Library. Food is allowed in individual amounts. Library staff cannot accept food deliveries. Any Library staff member may ask a patron to remove drinks or food from the Library at any time for any reason. All patrons are expected to clean up after themselves and keep their workspaces clean.

Can I reserve a room for group study?

The Library has four group study rooms for the use of OU-Tulsa students, residents, staff, and faculty. Rooms can be reserved for up to three hours a day. To schedule a room, please visit our online reservation system at https://ou-tulsa.libcal.com or ask a Library staff member in person or by calling (918) 660-3220.

Can you send me a PDF of this article?

We can send articles through our Interlibrary Loan service. This fast, free service allows OU-Tulsa students, residents, staff, and faculty to request any article or book at no charge.

Can I recommend a book for purchase by the Library?

Yes, book purchase recommendations can be submitted at bit.ly/SchusBookRec

Can members of the public use the Library?

Yes, guests are allowed to visit the Schusterman Library. Children under the age of 18 who are not current OU students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

How do I connect to the wifi?

OU-Tulsa students, residents, faculty, and staff can connect to WIFI@OU by following these instructions.

How do I access the full text of articles and e-books?

Our library catalog has full-text links to articles and ebooks, as do most of our databases.

What is OK-Share? Can I check out books at other campus libraries?

OK-Share is a cooperative agreement among Oklahoma institutions of higher education for sharing of library resources. Schusterman Library patrons with no overdue materials may obtain an OK-Share card at the Front Desk to use at other participating libraries. You can find further information and a list of participating libraries at OK-Share.

Where can I learn to use software?

Tulsa City County Library offers an excellent free service called Learning Express. Learning Express contains online tutorials on subjects such as computer skills (including Microsoft Office), some school subjects, college prep, GED, adult education, workplace skills, and more. It also offers practice tests for certain occupational exams, GED, ACT, SAT, reading skills, ASVAB, and more. You’ll need a Tulsa City County Library card to use this service.

What if I have feedback about the library?

You can share your thoughts and suggestions in our online suggestion box at library.tulsa.ou.edu/feedback.

Interlibrary Loan FAQ

How do I make an interlibrary loan request?

Two ways:

  1. Complete this form on our website: https://outulsa.cliohosting.com.
  2. When you find a book or article you need while searching in the library catalog, click on the title to see the item’s full record, then scroll down to the Get It section. You’ll see one or more interlibrary loan links. Click the Tulsa link. You’ll be asked to log in to the Interlibrary Loan system, and once you do, your item’s information is automatically populated into a form. Click Submit, and your request is on its way.
What if I no longer need an item I ordered? How do I cancel a request?

No problem! You can email the library at ariel-tulsa@ouhsc.edu, or call 918-660-3220, or send us a chat on the library website to let us know you no longer want the item.

There's currently not a way to cancel your ILL online, so just contact us in any way you can, and we'll take care of it.

What happens if I forget to pick up a book?

If you haven’t picked up your book 10 days after we’ve notified you, we’ll return the book to the library we borrowed it from.

The notification email we send you reminds you that if you can’t make it within that time, you can make other arrangements with us. But if we don’t hear from you, we won’t be able to make that happen. So please contact us (918-660-3225,  ariel-tulsa@ouhsc.edu) if you have any questions or special requests regarding your ILL book.

What type of items can you get?
  • In addition to electronic articles and book chapters, you can request most items that other libraries are willing to loan or send, such as books, books on tape, DVDs, and VHS tapes, anything on a medium that can be mailed.
  • You’re not limited to just academic items. Feel free to request fun stuff, like novels, music, or movies.
  • If you’re wondering about a specific item, email the library at ariel-tulsa@ouhsc.edu, or call 918-660-3225, or send us a chat on the library website and ask us.
Can I get an entire book scanned and sent to me electronically?

No, as that would likely violate copyright restrictions. We can however scan a small percentage of the book, so it’s fine to request one or two chapters. And feel free to order a print copy of the book.

I need to request a lot of articles and I don’t want to enter them all into a form. Will you do it for me?

Sorry, this isn’t a service the library provides.

How long does it take to get items? How long will it take my book/article to get to me?

It depends on the item.

  • Electronic articles arrive very quickly, anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days.
  • Books and similar items take longer, anywhere from 7 days to two weeks, as they have to be mailed from another library. We try to borrow from nearby libraries first, but some items may have further to travel, and will take longer to arrive.
  • Sometimes it’s harder to get newer books, as fewer libraries have them, and those libraries may be less willing to loan them to us. But request them anyway, as sometimes we’ll be able to buy your book for the collection.
  • If you’re wondering about a specific item, email the library at ariel-tulsa@ouhsc.edu, or call 918-660-3220, or send us a chat on the library website and ask us.
Can I renew a book?  How do I renew my book online?
  • Check your ILL book label for due dates, and to see if your book is renewable (some are not.) The due dates are set by the library we borrowed the book from, not by us, and some libraries give you a longer lending time than others.
  • Be sure to request your book renewal before your lending time is up, as you won’t be able to after your due date.
  • To request a renewal for your book online,
    • Login into your interlibrary loan account.
    • Click the History tab on the top menu.
    • Scroll down the request list to find your book. If it’s renewable, you’ll see a blue “Request Renewal” button.
    • Click that button. You’ll see a green message that says “renewal request sent.”
  • We have to request a renewal from the library we borrowed the book from. Whether a renewal is granted is completely up to the other library.
  • If you don’t see the blue “request renewal” button, that’s because the other library has already indicated that they will not renew the book. If you still need the book, you should request another copy of the book through interlibrary loan.
What happens to a lost or damaged book?

Our library has to pay the lending the library for replacing a lost or damaged book. Therefore, we will invoice you for replacement costs for a lost or damaged ILL book. The same policies that apply to our regular books apply to ILL books.

Who do I contact for more information?

You can contact the interlibrary loan office directly at 918-660-3225, or email ariel-tulsa@ouhsc.edu. Or just call the library front desk at 918-660-3220, and ask to speak to someone about interlibrary loan.

Full Text Troubleshooting

The article record says there’s full text, but when you click through, you find a paywall, or an error message.

Most of our catalog records have a “Report a problem” link nearby. Click that link and follow directions to report the link.

    It’s important to report these problems because sometimes that’s the only way the library knows there is something wrong – we literally have millions of full text articles to keep track of.

Some issues are caused by our campus’s VPN configuration. If you are accessing library resources from off campus and are using the VPN, try the following steps:

  • Log out of the VPN entirely Shut down all browser windows
  • Open a fresh browser window.
  • Start over with the resource you are using. You should at some point see a logon to library resources (this is called a “proxy challenge”.)
  • Logon , and try to access full text.
  • If that is not successful, please contact the library. You can use the “Report a problem” link in the article’s record to report the problem.
     
The article is in the catalog, but it says “No Full Text.”

Solution 1. A “No full text” message may mean that the library does not own or have access to this material.     Most of our catalog records have an “Interlibrary Loan” link nearby. Click that and follow directions to get a free copy of the article delivered to you.

Solution 2. Sometimes, if you clear your browser cache, the "No full text" message will be replaced by full text content.

You can clear the cache in most browsers by pressing the Control - Shift - Delete buttons on your keyboard. Shut down and reopen your browser for good measure, then try to access the full text again, to see if that solved the problem. If it didn't, try Solution 1, above.
 
You have a citation, but you can’t find it in the library catalog

Use the library’s interlibrary loan/document delivery service (https://outulsa.cliohosting.com/) to get a free copy of the article delivered to you.
 
You find the article and click through, but it’s the wrong article.

Most of our catalog records have a “Report a problem” link nearby. Click that link and follow directions to report the link. Then, use the library’s interlibrary loan/document delivery service (https://outulsa.cliohosting.com/) to get a free copy of the article delivered to you.
 

Book Delivery FAQ

What is book delivery?

The Schusterman Library will deliver books to your campus mailbox to current OU-Tulsa faculty, residents, staff, and students.

What books can I have delivered?

You can request any book in our library or any interlibrary loan book delivered to your campus office.

Exactly how are you delivering books?

Books are delivered to campus mailboxes by campus mail. 

How long will it take to get my book delivered?

Books delivered through campus mail should arrive within a day or so of your request. Please note that interlibrary loan books must first arrive from another library before we deliver them to you, and that will add several days to your delivery.

How do I find out what books I can get from the Library?

Search for books in the library catalog at https://library.tulsa.ou.edu. You can access the library catalog by clicking either the OU or OUHSC tabs in the search box and entering your book title. You can also limit the search once you're in the catalog by selecting the "Everything" dropdown menu and limiting it to "Print Books." Try searching for "Leisure Reading" or "Medical Monday" to find books in our specialized collections.

How do I request book delivery?

Use our existing Interlibrary Loan form (https://outulsa.cliohosting.com.) You'll see an option in the Book Request form for pickup or "Interoffice mail to campus office." You'll need a campus address on file so we can deliver the book to you, which you will be able to enter once you log on to our interlibrary loan service.

If I have the book delivered, how do I return it?

Books delivered to a campus mailbox can be returned either through campus mail or physically returned to the library.

What about overdues for books that get returned late?

We are happy to give you a renewal or extension as long as you contact us before your book becomes overdue.

What if I don't return a book?

If you don't return the book, we consider it lost at 45 days after the due date. Nonrefundable library charges will then be applied to your account. See our library's Late, Lost, or Damaged Items Policy, here: https://library.tulsa.ou.edu/help-info/policies.