We would be thrilled to visit your class! Most faculty want us to provide instruction sessions covering how to access library resources, but we can tailor our instruction to work with whatever your goals for the session are. If you aren’t interested in an instruction session, alternatives are available. We could provide a librarian-lead tour of the library, or can be on hand to support your students while they do their own research.

We can come to your classroom, or we can host your class in the library’s Inspirational Learning Center classroom space (maximum of 30 students).

If you have any questions or are interested in setting up a visit, please contact Library Director Tom Pfeifer by phone (816.501.2912) or email (thomas.pfeifer@avila.edu).

The Hooley-Bundschu Library & Learning Commons’ course reserve program is a collection of print resources that support student learning in Avila courses. If you would like to have items added for your class’s use, please contact Library Director Tom Pfeifer or stop by the library’s Circulation desk. Here are some examples of items that are frequently added as course reserves:

• Books & articles to be read for class.
• Textbooks.
• DVDs.
• Test-prep or licensure materials.

When placing an item on reserve, library staff may provide you with a course reserve form to fill out, or may ask you the questions on the form. You may also complete the form ahead of time and bring it with you. You choose how long a reserve item will be lent for, whether that be 3 days, 7 days, a few hours without the item leaving the library, or another time frame. Items placed on reserve are findable in the library catalog, under the Browse tab.

If the reserve item is owned by the library, we will transfer it to the course reserves area and shelve it under your name. We can also add items you own personally to the reserves shelf. We will briefly catalog it, and add a spine label and a barcode sticker. The item will be returned to to you at the end of the semester, or by a date you designate.

If you need to provide your students with access to an online resource, please contact us, we are happy to provide access to any resource in our collection.

As a meeting point and study space for the Avila community, the Hooley-Bundschu Library & Learning commons is a great place to share information with students. The library has several ways to do this:

Flyers and Signs

The library has a wall where flyers with information on school events, classes, and other relevant topics can be shared. Please post as you see fit, check with Library Director Tom Pfeifer before posting if you are unsure if your flyer is appropriate for the space. Please contact Career Services if you are interested in posting to the Job Board or Career Corner.

Professor’s Suggested Reading 

The library maintains a Professor’s Suggested Reading collection, which consists of books from the library that professors have selected. Unlike Course Reserves, which are intended primarily for use by an instructor’s students, Professor’s Suggested Reading is a place for you to recommend books that you recommend, or consider important that the Avila student body or students in a specific academic program read. Contact Library Director Tom Pfeifer if you would like to have books added to the collection under your name, or removed.

Displays

The library sets up displays throughout the school year to showcase library collections, celebrate holidays, observe important dates, and highlight Avila programs. Library displays are planned and arranged by library staff. If you have an idea for a library display, for example to promote an academic program or share information about an overlooked community at Avila, please contact Library Director Tom Pfeifer.

Avila staff and faculty have free access to all library resources. Avila’s collection offers the academic resources you need for teaching and research, but we have plenty of non-scholarly items if you are reading for enjoyment.

Online Resources

The library has over 30 databases and over 15 E-book collections available, which contain tens of thousands of periodicals and hundreds of thousands of eBooks.

To search the entire library collection, both print and online, try Search Everything. Almost every database is included, so it’s the single best place to start your research. Create an EBSCO account to save your research in Search Everything across devices.

When you click on a database link, you will usually need to sign in, unless you are on a campus computer or connected to non-guest campus Wi-Fi. Use the same Avila username and password that you use to sign in to Canvas or MyAU. For more information on the process, view this tutorial.

The library also offers several tools to enhance your research experience on Google Scholar and other websites.

• LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that adds a button to article pages on Google Scholar, PubMed, Publisher’s websites, and other pages. Most buttons will connect you to full text from the Avila library, the Access Options shows you other options besides online full text, such as library print subscriptions or Interlibrary Loan
• Publication Finder is a quick way to check if the library can provide access to a book, journal or video. Type in a title or author, and Publication Finder will show you any library database that provides full-text access.
• BrowZine is similar to Publication Finder. It only works with scholarly journals, but offers a better reading and browsing experience.

Resources In Print

Our collection includes over 35,000 print books, over 1,500 DVDs, as well as a variety of magazines and journals. There are no late fees for faculty and staff, but we ask that you turn in items on time if possible. You can find print items in Search Everything, but the library catalog only shows these items, so it’s easier to find what you are looking for. From the catalog, you can place holds on books and view your current checkouts by signing in with your Avila username and password.

Most library DVDs are limited to faculty and staff, and consist of documentaries and cinema for classroom, research, and personal use. The library keeps most of our books in a closed stacks area. Unless a book is checked out, if you place a hold it will be ready for you to pick up by the following day. Stop by the library if you need it sooner, and we will retrieve it for you.

If you want access to a article, book, video, or other resource that the Avila library does not have, you can borrow from other libraries through the MOBIUS catalog and our Interlibrary Loan service.

MOBIUS Catalog

Avila is a member of MOBIUS, a consortium of 70+ libraries, most of which are located in Missouri and serve college and university communities. The MOBIUS catalog contains over 24 million titles, so there’s a great chance that it has what you are looking for.

Borrowing from MOBIUS libraries is free for Avila students, staff, and faculty. To request that an item be sent to Avila for you, click on the title of the work that you are interested in, then click the Place a Hold button. You will then be asked to sign in with your Avila username and password to complete the request.

Items usually arrive within 7 days, but if the book is being sent from out of state, please allow 10 days for it to arrive. Some items, such as e-resources and periodicals may not be borrowable through MOBIUS.

Interlibrary Loan

The Avila library provides an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service to provide access to resources that are not available through our collection or the MOBIUS consortium. When you submit an ILL request, we ask libraries throughout the United States to send the resource to us. ILL requests come in 2 forms, item loan or copy, which are referred to on our website as “ILL Book” and “ILL Article” respectively.

When you place an item loan request for a book or DVD, the item is sent to the Avila library, where you can pick it up. When you place a copy request for a journal article or book chapter, a PDF copy is made, which will be emailed to you. Copies usually arrive within a week, while loans may take 1-2 weeks or longer to arrive.

There is no charge to submit an ILL request. To place an ILL request, fill out and submit the form on either the ILL Books or ILL Articles page. On rare occasions, libraries will charge a fee for a book or article. The library will pay this fee for faculty, while students and staff can decide if they want to pay the fee and proceed with the request.

The Hooley-Bundschu Library & Learning Commons has 8 rooms that can be reserved, and dozens of booths, tables, and other seating options. The library is a good choice if you need a seating area between classes, or want a break from your office. The library’s largest room that can be reserved, the Inspirational Learning Center, is suitable for classes of 30+. Here are some of the library’s options:

Non-Reservation Spaces

Any tables, chair or booth in the main library area or quiet study area are first-come first serve, so you can stay as long as you like. The library has hundreds of power outlets, so it’s easy to find a space where you can also charge your devices. Here are some popular areas for faculty & staff:

• Booths: there are several along the far wall as you enter. The windows provide ample natural light and a good view of any sports taking place at the Zarda Multisport Complex. Outlets are easily accessible.
• Computers: faculty and staff are welcome to use the library’s computer, simply sign in with your Avila username and password. There are 16 Windows computers, 6 near the circulation desk and 10 in the Quiet Study Area. 6 Apple computers are located near the the center of the library.
• Quiet Study Area: you can find the Quiet Study area by taking a right as you enter the library, then take another right just past the bulletin boards. The Quiet Study Area is the best place in the library to get focused work done, as it is the only area where strict noise rules are enforced. There’s plenty of natural light, a view of the quad, and many seating options, including at library desktop computers.

Reservation Spaces

The library has 6 study rooms and 2 larger spaces that can be reserved. Each room has white walls that can be written on with dry erase markers, and at least one table with seating. Many rooms have TVs. If you have a Microsoft computer, you can cast your screen to the TV via Mirror Op software. Ask the circulation desk if you have any questions about this process.

Reservations can be made by at the circulation desk or by phone (816.501.2912). Making reservations in advance are encouraged, but same day reservations are allowed. Please allow 15-30 minutes for same-day reservations if someone is currently using the space. If you have not occupied the room within 15 minutes of your reservation start time, your reservation may be cancelled.

Here is a list of the rooms that can be reserved:

• Inspirational Learning Center: 6 tables, seating for 30+ people, 2 TVs.
• Mabee Transformational Learning Center: 4 tables, seating for 20+ people, 4 TVs.
• Hager Family Study Room 1: table suitable for up to 5, TV.
• McCullough Family Study Room 2: table suitable for up to 8.
• Schutte Foundation Study Room 3: table suitable for 5-6, TV.
• Sunderland Foundation Study Room 4: table suitable for 5-6,  TV.
• Fahey Family Study Room 5: table suitable for up to 8.
• Hunter Family Study Room 6: table suitable for up to 5, TV

If you need assistance, library staff are happy to meet with you, whether that be in person, on Teams or Zoom, over the phone (816.501.3621), or via email (library@avila.edu). We can assist with research, help you locate the resources you need for your classes, or provide information about library services.

Course Prep

We can help you find the articles, books, videos and other sources that you need to prepare for a course, and provide you with links or files to share with your students. When possible, we ask that you share a link to a library book or article rather than a file, so that we know which resources are being used by the Avila community.

Information Sessions

We love sharing information about the many resources and services provided by the library, including many of the resources and services listed on this page. Contact Library Director Tom Pfeifer if you have any questions about what we provide.

Research

We can help you find the sources you need, whether they come from the library collection, or if we are able to get them through Interlibrary Loan. You can schedule a meeting with us, or give us information on sources you are interested and have us check on the best way for you to access them.