Waidner-Spahr Library General Information
Updated 1/4/2021
SPRING SEMESTER 2021 PLANNING UNDERWAY: We are working on a safety and staffing plan to provide students with access to the main and upper levels of the library building during the Spring 2021 semester. More details will be provided in January.
Jan. 4, 2021: Remote library services resume following the College holidays closure. Faculty requests for items needed for the spring semester (for purchase, for digitizing, or via ILL) may be submitted at any time using these forms; requests will be processed starting Jan. 4:
Spring Semester 2021: Additional service offerings and modifications for the spring 2021 academic semester are still being finalized. This guide will be updated as information becomes available.
See details below, as well as the tabs above for specifics on services available for students, faculty and staff, and alumni and visitors.
- General questions? Email circ@dickinson.edu
- For research assistance, see our Ask A Librarian page
- For assistance with Archives & Special Collections, email: archives@dickinson.edu
Books & Archival Materials
- Hundreds of thousands of e-books are available for student, faculty, and staff use. Login to JumpStart (from the Gateway or the Library homepage) to search the library catalog and link to full-text.
- Over 180,000 books from the library's print collection are available online through the HathiTrust temporary emergency access agreement. Links to the available online versions are visible in JumpStart after logging in. See our HathiTrust guide for more information.
- Contact the Archives team (archives@dickinson.edu) to make arrangements for accessing Archives & Special Collections materials remotely.
Public Library Services
Anyone living in Carlisle or Cumberland County, PA (on or off campus) has access to the rich resources of the public Cumberland County Library system including print, electronic and audio books, streaming films and DVDs. Bosler Memorial Library is the location on High Street adjacent to the Dickinson campus. See the Cumberland County Library System website to obtain a library card.
E-Journals, News Sources, Databases
E-journals, databases, online news sources are still available online with your Dickinson login.
- Use links from the library website, and login with your Dickinson credentials if prompted. Your local bookmarks may not work from off-campus.
- Using Google Scholar? See our instructions for enabling links to Dickinson library materials.
- A few resources require individual registration, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, HathiTrust. See the special access instructions guide for details.
Selected Open Access Journal & Book Collections
These collections are always freely available online without a paywall. Additional open access collections are indicated on our Databases page with an open padlock icon 
.
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Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) Open (freely available) books from academic publishers. Coverage: Full text.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Full-text access to free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals. Coverage: Coverage: Varied. Full-Text.
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Open Library of Humanities Provides open access journals from across the Humanities. Titles showcase diverse research taking place in the humanities disciplines today – from classics, modern languages and cultures, philosophy, theology and history, to political theory, sociology, anthropology, film and new media studies, and digital humanities.
Returning Physical Materials to the Library
Return print books, DVDs, interlibrary loan items, and other non-equipment items by placing them in the book drop to the left of the main library entrance on High Street. To return equipment, please email circ@dickinson.edu.
If you do not live locally and you want to return your checkouts, you can return items by mail to:
Dickinson College Library
28 N. College St.
Carlisle, PA 17013
Attention: Circulation Desk
Contact Free Pick-Up
Dickinson faculty, staff and students approved to be on campus may place requests contact-free pickup of many of the print books and DVDs from the Waidner-Spahr Library. Reference books and books available online as part of the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service are NOT eligible for borrowing. See the HathiTrust guide for more information.
Placing a Request:
Requests can be placed through JumpStart. Please limit the number of requested items per day to 5.
Instructions:
- Sign in to JumpStart with your Gateway credentials.
- Find the item you want and open the JumpStart record.
- Click “Request Pick Up” from the Get Print/Physical Copy option.
- Click ”Send Request” to finalize process.
Contact-Free Pickup:
Pickup times are 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., Mon. - Fri.
Items will be in a bag labeled with your name and placed on shelving inside the vestibule of the library’s main entrance off High Street. Please maintain social distancing requirement when picking up your items.
Questions? Email circ@dickinson.edu
Dickinson College Information
Dickinson College Spring 2021 Dashboard and FAQs - Official source of information for Spring 2021 semester.
Technology Resources for Working, Teaching, and Learning Remotely - from Dickinson Information Services.