Welcome back to school! Over the past year, many of us have adapted to remote working, online learning, and ever-changing safe social practices. How do we optimise our use of the library while keeping safe? Here are some handy ways:
1. Manage loans and requests with your Library account
Need extra time to read the books before they are due? Renewal of your loan materials can be done easily from your Library account. Access your library account via the Library Portal. The sign-in details are the same as your network account. Besides checking the due dates of your loans, you can also monitor the status of your reservations, too.
2. Reserve available Main Lending (Level 4) books
Rushing straight from work to your evening class, and hoping to squeeze a quick trip to the Library to pick up some recommended course reading?
Now you can reserve a book that is available on the shelf in advance and collect it when the book is ready for pick up. Previously, items could only be reserved when they are on loan. Now, books in the Main Lending Collection on Level 4 can be reserved even when they are available on the shelf.
To reserve a book, sign in to your library account.
Once you have placed a reservation (also known as a "hold" in the library catalogue), we will retrieve the item from the shelf and set it aside for you. An email will be sent to your registered email address once the item is ready for collection. You can collect it from the Service Point counter or the self-collection station, the SMART Locker, within 7 days of receiving the email.
3. Contactless item collection To protect users from the risk of Covid-19, NIE Library provides a contactless collection option for reserved or requested physical materials. You can choose to collect your item from the SMART Locker when making your reservation or request.
The SMART Locker is a 24/7 self-collection facility for requested materials. It is located at the lift lobby on Level 1 at Block 4 (Library). For collection, all you need is your matriculation card or staff card.
More SMART Locker compartments added in July 2021 to meet rising usage
4. Access e-resources at home NIE Library has 180,000 e-books, 74,000 e-journal titles and a good selection of education-related databases available for your research and study. All NIE students and staff can access all these resources anytime, anywhere. You just need to authenticate yourself as a valid student or staff using your network account login details to access all these resources.
5. Got a question? Text us!
If you have questions regarding your research, your library account or other enquiries, text us! The NIE Library offers a "live" online Library Chat and WhatsApp enquiry service to facilitate online consultations and provide timely assistance. The online Library Chat service can be accessed from the home page of our library portal. Alternatively, you could WhatsApp us via +65 6790 3627. Both services are available during office hours.