Remote Resources

When you are working remotely or when the University Libraries are closed, there are many ways the University Libraries can provide you with expert help and services.

Online Materials and Tools

We have thousands of digital materials available for you that can be accessed remotely by most user groups. Learn more about off-campus access.

* If you are having trouble accessing databases, open a proxied session first and then log into the VPN.

Get Online Help

Last-minute citation question? Want help with research? Need to reach us from off-campus? Ask us! You can email us or chat with a librarian from the convenience of your home. This service is staffed by subject librarians who are happy to help you with your research needs.

Chat with a Librarian!

Ask Us! Learn more about our 24/7 chat.

The chat option above is primarily intended for research questions; all other inquiries should be directed to our Help Desk as outlined above.

Librarian Consultations

Subject librarians with expertise in specific areas are available for remote consultations with faculty and students via phone, email, or online (e.g. Zoom).

Data Services

Data Services staff are available to assist you directly at the Online Help Desk via Zoom. Support is also available by appointment with the Data Services Appointment Request Form.

For more information, please consult the Data Services page or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Research Guide for additional details.

Research Studio

The Research Studio provides appointment-based access to specialized software relating to geographic information systems (GIS), data management, data visualization, qualitative data wrangling, and quantitative data wrangling. See our full list of software available and learn more about remote access.

Class Resources

Students

Faculty and Instructors

Course Reserves

  • All Ares eReserves requests need to be submitted through the Ares website.
  • For adding course reserves to your online course, we recommend directly linking to Library resources. You can link directly to articles from WashU-subscribed databases from your Canvas site via the permalink for a source. For more information on how to do this or get a librarian’s assistance, please see our guide Integrating the Library into Canvas.

Library Instruction

Librarians will continue to support courses through asynchronous instruction. We can work with faculty and students via email, on Canvas, and on meetings in Zoom. See our Library Instruction page for additional details.

Copyright Considerations

For more information on copyright and online courses, see Rights Issues for Rapidly Shifting Courses Online.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and MOBIUS

  • Patrons can request physical materials through Interlibrary Loan and MOBIUS.
  • We will supply PDFs from the University Libraries’ electronic and print collections. We will also obtain PDFs of articles and book chapters from other libraries.
  • ILL is only available to current WashU students, faculty, and staff.
  • Becker Medical Library and the Law Library operate separate ILL services.

Special Collections

Curators in the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections are available to assist Washington University faculty, staff, and students with obtaining access to materials for research and instruction. We also encourage our users to take advantage of our extensive Digital Projects & Collections resources.