If you're in need of a study break with friends, why not play a board game?

The library now has a selection of board games available on reserve at the circulation desk! Just like books on course reserve, you can check out a game for three hours to play in the library. 

Available games: Monopoly, Clue, Othello, Jenga, Pictionary, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Sequence, Exploding Kittens, Uno, Dominos, Charades and 20 Questions. 

We only ask that you keep in mind that others in the library are studying, and keep your Monopoly-induced rage to a minimum. 

One of the library's most utilized services is Interlibrary Loan (also known as ILL). But what is interlibrary loan? When you need a book that the library doesn't have in our collection, or an article that we don't have access to, you can request it from libraries around the country. Through this service, the library provides access to many titles that would be hard to come by otherwise. 

How do you use it? By visiting the Library website. If it's your first time using ILL, you'll be prompted to make an account with ILLiad using your HWS credentials, and then you can begin submitting requests. The Library even provides step-by-step instructions on how to format your request. 

Article or book chapter requests will be delivered via PDF, and can arrive as quickly as the same day you place a request (Though they do occasionally take longer, so don't worry if it doesn't arrive immediately). Though the library can't provide you with eBooks via ILL (due to copyright laws), you can request physical books. Some book requests can take between a few days to a few weeks to arrive. Interlibrary loan staff members strive to get materials to you as quickly as possible, and will request from nearby institutions first, when possible. 

If you've never requested an ILL item before, now is the perfect time to try it out! Physical items can take a week or more to arrive, depending from where the item is coming, so you'll want to request any materials for final projects as soon as possible. We recommend getting your requests in before Thanksgiving break to guarantee their arrival before the semester ends. If you decide to submit your first request and get stuck, confused or have questions, staff at the circulation desk are more than happy to walk you through the process. 

In anticipation of the J-Term and Spring semesters, we are reminding faculty about the library’s course reserves service. Reserves are a convenient way to ensure all students get fair use of materials for a specific class. Items are taken out of our Main Collection and set aside in a temporary location at the Circulation Desk for easy access. If the Library needs to purchase a title for your course to place on reserve, please submit your request now to allow us time to purchase and process the item. As you complete the request, under Supply Method, please choose Library does not own a copy – consider purchase and make available through reserves.

The default loan period is 3 hours for in-house use only. One-day and 3-day loan periods are also available and may leave the library. Once the reserves list is complete, it is accessible to students online. Links to e-resources will also be provided. You can place the following items on reserve: print books (library-owned or personal copies), eBooks, articles (print or electronic), and media (physical or streaming). Visit https://library.hws.edu/reserves for instructions on submitting course reserves.

Library Research Fellow Sophia Mughal ‘25 has recently completed an online exhibit detailing her research into two Hebrew scrolls which have been in the library’s collections since 1892. The exhibit outlines information about the scrolls' acquisition, a paleographical and codicological analysis, and the history of the communities that may have possessed the scrolls.

The holiday season and the end of the Fall term are fast approaching, so mark your calendars to keep track of when the library will be closed!

Thanksgiving break*:
Wednesday, November 27: CLOSES at 5 P.M.

Thursday, November 28 through Saturday, November 30: CLOSED

Sunday, December 1: OPEN normal hours, from Noon - 11 P.M.

Friday, December 13: OPEN LATE, from 8 A.M. - 10:30 P.M.

*First Floor will remain OPEN 24 hours.

Winter break hours* (beginning Saturday, December 14):
Monday - Friday: OPEN 8:30 A.M. - 5 P.M.

Weekends: CLOSED 

*First Floor will remain open 24 hours.

Christmas and New Year's closure:
Saturday, December 21 through Wednesday, January 1: CLOSED

During this time, the first floor of the library will also be closed. 

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