Blake Library

This guide has been prepared to acquaint you with library resources and services which are available for students taking courses at a distance.

We provide online catalog access, reference assistance, interlibrary loan services, and online course support. The Library staff encourages you to take advantage of our many resources and to ask for assistance when you need it.

Also, don't forget to try out our Online Tutorials to help answer questions regarding our resources.

The following information pertains to UMFK online courses only.

• Circulation
• The Collection
• Computer Assistance
• Contacts
• Interlibrary Loan
• Library Cards
• Reference

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Circulation

Library Cards:
Blake Library offers online research for articles through our OneSearch interface and databases. These databases and articles found in OneSearch are accessed by having a valid University of Maine System student ID/library card or an activated UMS Portal account (handled through email activation). In addition, if you have physical access to a University of Maine System library, site or center, you may request books through the online catalog, URSUS.

If you are considered a UMFK student:
and have registered through UMFK for a UMFK online course, are not taking any classes on campus, and do not yet have a Bengal Badge (UMFK ID card), then you can apply for a card by going to: UMFK's online card application. You may also contact Dana Appleby in the library circulation department.

If UMFK is not your primary campus (you are enrolled at another campus but taking an online course at UMFK): you will need to make arrangements for library cards/student ID's through that campus if you plan to check out books or other physical materials. However, you will still be able to access UMFK resources through your portal.

Borrowing Privileges:
UMFK students who are Out-of-State and would like to borrow books from either our library or other libraries in the system, please see the Off-Campus Library Services site for instructions. If you are In-State and not near a library that provides interlibrary loan services, please fill out the interlibrary loan form for Fort Kent books.

Articles are requested differently. Please see the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) section to learn more.

Please contact Dana Appleby to discuss fines accrued from late materials or with help on borrowing materials.

Electronic Reserves:
Students can access electronic reserves through URSUS, then search under Course Reserves. Your professor will provide you a password to access the materials. For more information on getting to the electronic reserves, go to our reserves site.

The Collection

Blake Library has an assortment of books which you may request online through URSUS, the online catalog, if you are near a participating library (see the Circulation section for specific criteria). In addition to the circulating collection, Blake Library has other collections which may be of particular interest.

Ebooks:
Our library currently has access to thousands of ebooks. These books are accessed through URSUS (our online catalog) located on the Blake Library web page.

Electronic Journals:
A list of electronic journals can be found off of Blake Library's serials page. Our electronic journals, listed alphabetically and by subject, will link you to the online version of journals we have at the library.

Databases:
The databases provide you with a way to search thousands of articles within hundreds of journals. We have both subject specific and general databases that will provide research in all subject areas. We use OneSearch to search all or most of the databases at once. If you ever have trouble accessing the databases or OneSearch or finding appropriate research, please contact Sofia Birden, the reference librarian for help.

Computer Assistance

Computer Instruction:
Library staff provides instruction on the use of a variety of software applications. We provide complete instruction for the beginner as well as questions that have just stumped the advanced user. Have a project and you're not quite sure what would be the best software to get the job done? We will help to steer you in the right direction. If we get stumped, we will find someone who can help.

Online Course Software Support:
If you need help accessing your course or are having trouble using the course software, please contact Leslie Kelly. If all else fails, you can send a question by email to which we will respond as quickly as possible.

Computer Support:
Some courses may require the student to have specific software. If you need assistance downloading and installing software, contact IT staff.

Additional Information and Contacts

If you are calling long distance, you may dial toll free: 1-888-TRY-UMFK (879-8635) and use any of the four digit extensions below to reach us

Contact Information

Reference-Research/Computer Assistance/Brightspace/eportfolios
Sofia Birden
(207)834-7527
sbirden@maine.edu

Circulation/Interlibrary Loan
Dana Appleby
(207)834-7526
Dana Appleby

Brightspace/e-portfolios
Leslie Kelly (Director of Information Services)
(207)834-7522
lesliek@maine.edu

Interlibrary Loan

Requesting articles and books from other libraries through UMFK:
Students can request articles and books through the Interlibrary Loan department (see the Circulation section for specific criteria regarding books). The process does require some time, so it is important to plan ahead. Also, all interlibrary loan activity is subject to limitations as defined in federal copyright laws and accompanying guidelines.

Requesting articles is different from books for several reasons:

• Unlike books, articles are not campus specific with regard to how you request them and how you get them.
• If you find an article you can't get online, you can send us the citation information either through our ILL form or by email.
• Once we have the article, we send it to your email address.
• There will never be fines associated with articles. However, sometimes there may be fees charged by the library from whom we need to get the articles. Make sure to mark the appropriate box on the form with regard to fees. Or, if you email us, make sure to tell us if you are willing to pay for the article or not. Be aware that some libraries will charge $15 or more per article. You always have the option to say you don't want to pay anything, and we will search only those locations that provide free articles.
• If there are fees associated with getting an article, we will place these fees on your student account. Once placed, you can call the business office and pay the fee with a credit card. Once we get confirmation from the business office that the fee has been paid, we will send the article to you by email. (If there is a library nearby that offers interlibrary loan services, you will probably get your articles faster using that library if there are fees associated with the article).

Fees: Blake Library does not charge any fees for Interlibrary Loan services. However, other libraries may. When making your request, please make sure the fee payment information is filled out to your satisfaction. Students are expected to pay these fees before receiving the requested material.

Fines: Students should be aware that books borrowed through Interlibrary Loan will be subject to late fines if they are not returned on time. Please make note of the due dates of your materials.

Reference

Reference Assistance:
We offer instruction in the use of OneSearch our discovery system, URSUS or online catalog, ebooks, Internet searching, online course management systems such as Brightspace, and the various Databases to which we have access. We also provide general help on standard computer applications. Whether you need help finding books and articles in our OneSearch system or use of specialized databases, we are here to help. 

Research Help:
The "Research Help" page is linked off the Blake Library homepage. This site provides additional resources for your research needs. You will find links to sites for citing resources, evaluating web pages, and more.