All visits by student groups must be arranged in advance by contacting the University Libraries. Please contact your nearest library; or, at University Park, please contact the Gateway Library at 865-6368 or wjg130@psulias.psu.edu.

Group visits should be scheduled
at least two weeks in advance.

When contacting the Libraries to set up a student group visit,
please provide the following information:

• How many students will be visiting?
• What grade(s) are the students in?
• What are your goals for your students' visit?
• When would you like to schedule your visit? Please list several prospective days?
• On the day of your visit, what time will your group arrive, and how long will the group stay?
• How many teachers and/or chaperones will accompany the group?
• What type of research assignment will the students be working on? Please provide detailed information. We would be happy to assist with developing assignments appropriate to our collections, services and your students' needs.
• What type(s) of library resources will your students be accessing?

Please Consider:

• The timing of your visit. Because of the volume of students and faculty that the Libraries serve during the school year, the best times for a student group visit are often when Penn State is not in session, such as over spring break. Study periods, Finals Week and Midterms are not available times to schedule a school group visit in the Libraries. To view the University calendar, click here. We will make every effort to accommodate your requests, but visits must be scheduled at an available and approved time.
• The size of your group. Each library has limitations on the number of students it can accommodate at one time. Large groups require special accommodations and at some locations may not be feasible.

PREPARING YOUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR LIBRARY VISIT

Pennsylvania residents are eligible to register as PSU Libraries borrowers. Would your students like to check out books during their visit? In order to get a library card, they will need to bring a valid form of Photo Identification (school I.D., driver’s license or passport). Students who sign up for a library card are required to follow the lending code and are responsible for returning their materials by the due date.

Encourage your students to explore the Libraries’ web site prior to their visit. It will be useful for them to browse the library catalog (The CAT) in advance, and make note of books and other resources on their topic. To do this effectively, you may want to assign your students to read through The Quick Guide to The CAT before their library visit -- it will help them more readily understand how to search for and find materials in the Libraries.

Checklist for teachers and group leaders.

Checklist for library factulty and staff.

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Please address questions and comments to the Gateway Library.
This page was last updated March, 2006.

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