Yes. You don't need a library account to visit the library and browse the collections.

Members of the public are welcome to visit any library on campus and consult the collections, but can't sign out items without first getting a USask Library card. If you decide you'd like to be able to borrow material from the library, the staff at any library location can create an external borrower account for you.

To get a card you must come in person to the service desk at any USask library location and provide two pieces of identification, one of which must have your current address.

In addition, there are public-use computers in most libraries (no login required) to help you with tasks like searching the catalogue or accessing online resources. Many of the electronic resources we subscribe to are accessible in the library for all walk-in patrons.

For USask students, faculty and staff

Library accounts are automatically created for all current USask students, as well as permanent or term faculty and staff, so there is typically nothing you need to do to get an account set up. Your campus ID card is your library card.

In rare instances, there may be a delay in the automatic HR processes for new faculty and staff. If you are are a new employee who is unable to access your library account, reach out to us:

• in person at a Library Services desk,
• via online Ask Us chat, or
• by emailing library.services@usask.ca. 

To be able to activate your library account, we will need to see proof of employment, such as a letter of offer from your department which includes your start date.

For anyone else

If you are not a current student or permanent or term faculty or staff, we can manually create an account for you. You can request a library account by:

• submitting an online Library Access Request form,
• contacting the library using any of the options listed above (in person, Ask Us chat or email)

Your USask affiliation will determine what kind of University Library account you are eligible for. Access to electronic resources (online databases, ejournals, and ebooks) is determined by licenses that the library signs with publishers, and varies depending on your affiliation. Most licenses permit only current USask students, staff, and faculty (including sessional lecturers, emeriti, adjunct professors, and research associates) to access e-resources from off campus. Alumni and external borrowers have limited access to e-resources.

We will need to see proof of employment, affiliation, or enrollment if applicable. If you are setting up a new account, be prepared to show photo ID.

Expiry dates differ depending on your affiliation with the university.

• Undergraduate student library accounts expire on Aug. 31 of the current academic year. 
• Graduate student library accounts expire on Oct. 1 of the current academic year.
• Permanent faculty and staff library accounts expire on Dec. 31, 2030 (unless employment ends sooner).
• Term faculty and staff library accounts expire at the end of their term of employment.
• Affiliates' library accounts expire either one year from date of issue or at the end of their term of appointment.
• Alumni library accounts expire five years from date of issue.
• External borrowers' library accounts expire one year from date of issue.

You can renew or re-activate your library account in person at a Library Services desk, by using our Ask Us chat, or by submitting an online Library Access Request form.

Yes, alumni can still access the library. Alumni library accounts are free and easy to set up. Full details of alumni access can be found on the USask Library's alumni webpage.

It is not possible for the USask Library to reinstate off-campus access to electronic resources to former USask employees.

The USask Library is unable to extend off-campus access to USask employees past their contract end date. It is common for IT Support to extend some services, such as email and PAWS, past a person's employment contract in order to finish up reports/communications/etc. Those services are under different licensing contracts and restrictions than the library's electronic resources.

Access to electronic resources (online databases, ejournals, and ebooks) is determined by legally binding licenses that the library signs with vendors. The vendors own the electronic resources, and the library leases access under the negotiated licenses’ terms of use.

The licenses for the library’s electronic resources allow for off-campus access only to current USask students, staff, and faculty, including emeriti, adjunct professors, sessional lecturers, visiting professors, visiting research students, and other official research associates. USask alumni have off-campus access to a limited selection of electronic resources.

The majority of current USask students, staff, and faculty will automatically be able to access electronic resources from off-campus using their NSID and password. If you are not able to access USask Library electronic resources off-campus and you believe this is a mistake, you can fill out the Library Access Request form. You will be required to provide official proof of affiliation documentation received from the University of Saskatchewan in order to process your request. An example of acceptable documentation is a signed letter of offer. Without official proof-of-affiliation, the library will be unable to activate off-campus access to electronic resources.

• • Although off-campus access to electronic resources is restricted, anyone (including members of the public) can access most of the library’s electronic resources from public-access computers available in all USask Library locations on campus. You can also use your personal laptop on the campus wifi network, which is also considered ‘on-campus’ access.
  • Former employees may be eligible for alumni or public accounts for borrowing physical items.

Retired USask faculty with emeritus status automatically receive emeritus library accounts. Emeritus library accounts do include off-campus access to electronic resources.

Retired USask faculty and staff other than emeriti automatically receive retiree library accounts. Retiree library accounts do not include off-campus access to electronic resources.

If you lose your USask ID card, report it to the library immediately so that your card can be deactivated to prevent someone else from using it. To replace the card, contact the Shop USask bookstore.

If you lose your library-issued card, report it to the library immediately so that your card can be deactivated to prevent someone else from using it. To replace lost or damaged library-issued cards, visit any Library Services desk during hours of operation.

Updating your contact information can be done in person at the library, or online.

Visit the Library Services desk at any of our campus library locations. Be prepared to show proof of identification, such as photo ID.

My Profile is a campus-wide web application that enables you to personalize your account information such as your password, USask email alias and contact information. Login with your NSID and password to make changes to your contact information.

Details regarding your specific library services may found within My Library Account.

There are two ways to find information about your specific library services:

Option 1:

1. Go to the USask Library website: https://library.usask.ca/.
2. Click on Sign In in the top right hand corner of the page. 
   
3. Sign in with your NSID and password.
4. Once you've logged in, you will see your name in the top right corner instead of the words Sign In.
5. Click on your name and select My Library Account from the drop-down.
6. Click on the Borrower Info tab to see what services your account entitles you to.

Option 2:

1. Log in to your PAWS account.
2. Type the word library into the top search box. You should get multiple results (currently 4 results), one of which is My Library Account.
3. Click on My Library Account.
4. Click on the Borrower Info tab to see what services your account entitles you to.

The University Library has eliminated late fines for most library items, but there are still some situations where fines will be applied.

Although the library has eliminated most fines, you are still expected to return items on time so we can make sure everyone has access to the resources they need. There are a few types of materials that will result in fines if they are returned late:

• Recalled items – if an item is recalled by another library user through the "Request Item for Pickup" button, a recall notice will be sent to your USask email address. If your original due date is more than seven days away, a new due date will be assigned to the items included in the email. If your original due date is less than seven days away, you must return them by the original due date. Renewals are unavailable for items that have been recalled. Recalled items returned after their due date will accrue late fines at a rate of $2 per day up to a maximum of $50 per item. If you have questions about items you have borrowed that have been recalled, please Ask Us.
• Course reserves - Late course reserve items will accrue fines at a rate of $2 per hour up to a maximum of $100 per item. Reserve items must be returned to the same location they were borrowed from.
• Interlibrary loans (ILL) - Late ILL items accrue fines at a rate of $5 per day up to a maximum of $100 per item.
• Lost, damaged, or missing items - If you lose or damage library materials you are responsible for the cost of replacing the items. Please note that if an item is overdue for more than 30 days, it is considered lost and you will receive a bill for replacement. If the lost item has been recalled by another borrower and has accrued late fines you will be responsible for these late fines as well. Report lost or damaged items right away to avoid additional late fines.

You can visit any of our Library Services desks to pay in person, or you can pay your library fines by phone using VISA or MasterCard.

If you have questions about your library fines, call us at 306-966-5958 (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm), or send us an email at library.services@usask.ca.

Loan periods vary depending on the item you're borrowing, the type of library account you have, and when your library account expires.

Most library books and print journals can be borrowed for 30 days. You are guaranteed a seven day loan, after which time the item could be recalled by another user. If you would like to keep your items longer than 30 days, you can renew them up to two times, as long as no one else recalls them.

Some exceptions apply, including:

• Items on short-term loan for course reserves have very limited borrowing periods, such as only four hours or one day and cannot be renewed.
• Journal issues from the Current Journals sections in some library locations may only be borrowed for one day and cannot be renewed.
• Most interlibrary loan (ILL) materials can be borrowed for 30 days, but loan periods are determined by the lending library so some items may differ. See the ILL webpage for more information.

Current grad students, faculty, and staff receive an October 1 due date on library items that normally circulate for 30 days (except for journals which always only circulate for 30 days). You are guaranteed a seven day loan, after which time the item could be recalled by another user. Extended loans can be renewed twice as long as no one else recalls them.

If your library account has an upcoming expiry date (e.g., employees in term positions), the due date will be your library account expiry date if it is sooner than the normal due date. You can find out when your account expires by checking on the "Borrower Info" tab in My Library Account.

Three ways to check when your library items are due:

1. When you check out library items, an email is sent to your USask email address indicating when the items are due. 
2. You can check the due date for your borrowed items in your My Library Account.
3. You will receive a courtesy email to your USask email address two days before the due date to remind you of the upcoming due date. 

You can renew your regular library items up to two times, as long as no one else places a hold on them.

There are multiple ways to renew your item.

Option 1: Renew your item online by logging in to your library account. Under the Checkouts tab, click the "Renew" button next to the item that you would like to renew.

Option 2: Renew your item online through your library account on PAWS. Under the Checkouts tab, click the "Renew" button next to the item that you would like to renew.

Option 3: Contact the library via phone, email library.services@usask.ca, or use our Ask Us chat service to request a renewal.

Option 4: Bring your items to any Library Services desk and ask for a renewal.

You can request a book and have it held for you to pick up at the library of your choice. Eligible distance learning students can also have library materials mailed to them through Distance and Distributed Library Services (DDLS). You can see your requested holds under the Holds tab in your library account.

How to request a book

1. Search for the item using the Library Catalogue.
2. When you have found what you need, click on the blue Request Item for Pickup button. 
3. On the sign-in page, log in with your NSID and password. 
4. Choose your preferred pickup location from the drop-down menu: Murray Library, Leslie and Irene Dubé Health Sciences Library, Education and Music Library, Science Library, Law Library, or St. Thomas More Library.
   You can also choose Distance Learners to have your items mailed to you. You must register for Distance and Distributed Library Services in order to have library materials mailed to you. 
5. Select Go.
6. Select the copy of the book or volume of the journal that you need and click Request Selected Item.
7. Please allow up to five business days for your request to be filled. If you are requesting an item that is currently loaned out to another person, there may be an additional wait period. 
8. We ask that you limit your requests to five items per day to avoid delays.

Yes, but you will need to fill out our Authorization to Use My Library Account form first.

Before sending anyone over to the library on your behalf, please fill out the authorization form to give permission. Your authorized borrower will need to present a piece of photo ID at the Library Services desk to be able to use your account. 

You remain responsible for all items borrowed on your behalf, including any and all charges related to borrowing these materials. Overdue charges apply to reserve, interlibrary loan, and recalled items. Learn more about library fines.

If you're unable to log in to the authorization form, or have no access to your USask email, you can request a paper version of this form at any Library Services desk, or you can print it at home. Paper versions can be handed in at any Library Services desk.

You can view your reading history in your library account under the "Reading History" tab only if you have opted-in.

Follow these steps to turn on your reading history:

1. Log in to your library account
2. Look for the tab called "Reading History"
3. Press the button labelled "Opt In"

This list will only display items you have borrowed after opting in. You will be the only one that can see your reading history. Library staff do not have access to this list.

You can turn this off at any time by returning to your library account and clicking the "Opt Out" button. This will erase your reading history.

When an item is recalled, it means that someone else has requested it using the "Request Item for Pickup" button in the library catalogue.

Items you have signed out may be requested by another user. If this happens, a recall notice is sent to your USask email address.

There are two possible scenarios:

• If your original due date is more than seven days away, a new due date will be assigned to the items included in the email.
• If your original due date is less than seven days away, you must return them by the original due date. You cannot renew items that have been recalled.

Returning items to the library by their due dates is your responsibility.

• If you are going out of town, please ensure that you have a plan to return an item by its newly assigned due date in the event that it is requested by another user.
• If you keep a recalled item past its due date, late fines will accrue at a rate of $2 per day up to a maximum of $50 per item.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) connects you with materials from other libraries when we do not have what you need in our collection. ILL items are different from regular USask Library items and must be renewed in a different manner.

The USask Library's Resource Sharing team must ask the lending library for a renewal and will contact you with either the new due date or to let you know the item cannot be renewed.

You should contact the Resource Sharing team a week before the due date to request a renewal. This allows time for us to make the renewal request and for the lending library to respond. Follow the instructions below to start the renewal process.

Request online (not available for alumni or external borrowers):

1. Go to the Interlibrary loan and scan request page
2. Log in with your NSID and password using the button Create or track a request
3. Under My Requests, click on Books On Loan
4. Find the title and click the + symbol to expand the request information
5. Click on Request Renewal, add any notes if needed, and click the Submit button

Contact the Resource Sharing team to request a renewal for any of your physical interlibrary loan items. Please provide the request number (PAT-########) found on the paper book band if you can. 

• Email: illquery@usask.ca
• Call (306) 966-5963
• Submit a form request

You can return items to any library location on campus. Place your items in the return bins at any Library Services desk during hours of operation.

You can also use the after-hours drop slots at all libraries except Law, or use the outdoor book drop located at the Murray Library loading dock (it's open 24/7). The book drop at the Murray Library loading dock is located on the south-east corner of the building closest to the main doors of Place Riel Student Centre and the transit bus area.

If you’re unable to visit campus, please mail items to the library at your expense addressed to:

RETURNED ITEMS
University Library, Circulation Unit
University of Saskatchewan
3 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK. S7N 5A4

If you lose or damage library items, you are responsible for the replacement costs. Please note that if an item is overdue for more than 30 days, it is considered lost and you will receive a bill for replacement. If you have lost or damaged a library item, please contact the library.