ArtCenter librarians and reference staff provide customized in-person and online instruction for classes, individuals, or groups. Learn how your librarian can become more deeply involved in your course to provide semester-long support, assist with research assignment development, skills assessment, research readiness as well as the following services: assist you in locating content such as articles, books, book chapters, e-books and films that support your course needs; direct you to library services that may be useful, such as Course Reserves; create library Research Guides that meet the needs of students in your course; provide in-person and online instruction to your students about specific library services or resources; and engage in inter-departmental outreach efforts.

For research and reference services, we encourage you to request an appointment or contact your Research Librarian.

The Library offers digitization services, bringing essential course material to your students in convenient and secure digital formats. Complete the forms below to get started, or contact Christina Eilar to find out how the Library can assist you with your digitization needs.

Image Requests
The Library's Digital Collections Lab (DCL) can help digitize images from books or magazines (up to 12 x 17 inches max) for your course(s), giving you the option to share high-resolution images with your students. To request images for inclusion in the ArtCenter Visual Resource image repository in LUNA, submit a completed Image Request Form. Image request turnaround time is 2 weeks or less for up to 40 images per request.
Image Request Form

PDF Requests
To request the creation of a PDF of a chapter, article or short excerpt for the Library's E-Reserves or an ArtCenter Canvas course complete a PDF Request Form. Turnaround time for PDF requests is 1 week or less.
PDF Request Form

In addition to digitization requests, the Library supports online collections for Archives and Special Collections and the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography at ArtCenter Virtual Archives. On an ongoing basis, the Library digitizes print and slide media to our LUNA database for the ArtCenter community to access online.

Electronic reserves including ebooks, ejournal articles, and streaming media are recommended for all courses, especially online, hyflex and hybrid courses. For in-person classes or where electronic versions are not available, books, magazines, DVDs, and other items for your students can be reserved for viewing using the Library's Course Reserves.

How to Place an Item on Reserve
Complete this form to request Print Reserves for the Library's Front Desk. The Director of Access and Outreach will process your request and contact you with further instructions.

What Can Be Placed on Reserve
Materials owned by the ArtCenter Library, as well as personal copies of books, DVDs, and other material. If we don't own a specific title, please allow an additional two to three weeks for the Library to locate, purchase, receive, and catalog the material. Course Reserve materials must be "required reading" or "required viewing." Unfortunately, we are unable to place "suggested reading" and "suggested viewing" materials on Course Reserve.

Course Reserve materials must be required for the entire class. Library materials may not be placed on Course Reserve in perpetuity. All Course Reserve materials will be removed at the end of the term to comply with copyright law. Faculty may request for materials to be placed on Course Reserve on a term-by-term basis.

In order to better assist your students, please include the course syllabus with your request.

For any questions about Course Reserves, contact Alfonso Huerta.

We've partnered with a number of content providers that supply electronic resources and databases of articles, e-books, images, video and more including AP Images, Art & Architecture Source, Artstor Digital Library, Bloomsbury Design Library, Car Design News, Docuseek2, Ebook Central, Films Media Group, Flipster, JSTOR, Kanopy, Material ConneXion, the New York Times, O'Reilly Learning, OverDrive, Science Direct, Stylus, Swank, the Vogue Archive, WGSN, and much more. Visit artcenter.libguides.com/az→ to see the entire list.

We understand that your time is valuable and that there is little time in your day to travel from the ArtCenter campuses to get the library materials that you need. To lend a helping hand, the Library provides a pickup service for faculty, students and staff.

Policies and Procedures
Browse our online catalog then click on the “Request” button either next to the item in a browse list or in the upper left corner of the item record. Set your pickup location with the drop-down menu. Ten items can be requested at a time. Non-Circulating items can be requested but are View in Library Only. Items can be returned to the library drop boxes at either location. All items will be held for one week at either location after a request has been fulfilled. Any items not picked up after that time will be delivered back to its original location. Visit our FAQ for more detailed instructions on requesting an item.

Please contact Alfonso Huerta, Director, Access and Outreach, with any questions.

The ArtCenter Library welcomes all requests and recommendations for its collections. Requests will be reviewed by the Resource Acquisitions Librarian and the appropriate departmental Research Librarian as needed.

After checking to make sure the ArtCenter Library doesn't have the item, complete this form to the best of your knowledge.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a convenient way to request material not owned by the ArtCenter Library. This FREE service is available to current faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students including ArtCenter Extension and ArtCenter for Teens students. The ArtCenter library will contact other libraries to borrow books, copies of journal/magazine articles, book chapters, theses, reports, etc.

Complete the appropriate form to request a book, article, etc.

Plan ahead to allow enough time for ILL items to be shipped. Most books arrive in one to two weeks. Digital copies of journal/magazine articles or book chapters typically arrive more quickly than books and media—often two to three days after the library has processed your request.

As an ILL borrower, it is your responsibility to comply with U.S. copyright laws. You are responsible for observing the conditions of the lending library which may restrict use of material to the library, or prohibit photocopying. You will be held responsible for any damage or loss incurred while borrowed material is in your possession.

For further questions about ILL, please refer to the Interlibrary Loan Research Guide.

As members of the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium (SCELC), ArtCenter faculty can request reciprocal faculty borrowing privileges from participating academic research libraries. Please contact Alfonso Huerta, Director, Access and Outreach, to apply for the SCELC Reciprocal Borrowing Program.

The ArtCenter Library has an arrangement for reciprocal privileges for faculty with two local college libraries.

Caltech Library
ArtCenter students, staff and faculty may register here for visiting and borrowing privileges at the Caltech Library. Please allow a few days for the application to process, and wait for a confirmation email before visiting the Caltech Library.

When visiting the Caltech Library, check in with your ArtCenter ID at the Service Desk of the Sherman Fairchild Library location. ArtCenter users may borrow up to 4 books items for a maximum of 4 weeks. Search the library catalog here.

Sherman Fairchild Library
Building 43
1200 E. California Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91125
626.395.3405

Link to Caltech Library Access Application
Link to Caltech Library Catalog

Occidental College Library
ArtCenter faculty may register for visiting and borrowing privileges in person at the Occidental College Library. When visiting the Occidental Library, check in with your ArtCenter ID card at the Occidental Library Circulation Desk. Search the library catalog here.

Mary Norton Clapp Library
1600 Campus Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
323.259.2833

Link to Occidental Library Catalog