Welcome!

NDSU Libraries are committed to supporting distance education students with the same level of resources, research support, and access as our on-campus students. See below for information about getting research assistance, how to borrow books and other physical materials from the Libraries, and how to trouble-shoot common access issues, including who to contact if you continue to have questions.

Research Assistance

We understand that navigating the Libraries' resources and services can feel a bit overwhelming at first. If you would like to meet with a librarian to get an overview we are very happy to help with that. We can easily create a time to meet on the phone, or on Zoom. We are provide you with specialized research help, such as for literature reviews, theses and dissertations, citation management and more. Use the link below to submit a request, and it will be directed to the librarian best suited to help you. If you already know who your subject librarian is, please email them directly and request a meeting. You can also IM us anytime the "Ask a Librarian" chat is open - there will be a real librarian on the other end to help you!

Who is my subject librarian?

Request a consultation with a librarian

More resources to support your research:

The library has many online tutorials that can help you use our resources: 

We offer support for the following citation management tools: Endnote, Mendeley, and Zotero

Librarians have developed research guides for most degree programs on campus that are meant to serve as a solid starting point for research in your discipline: 

The Center for Writers is available to assist both undergraduate and graduate distance students: https://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/

Borrowing Materials

Distance education students can use interlibrary loan to request articles and books that the library does not have access to. However - you can ALSO use interlibrary loan to request books and other physical items that the library does have (unlike our campus users). When you make a request for a book, thesis, map or other physical item, note that you are a distance education student and provide your mailing address in the notes section. Interlibrary Loan will mail the item to you with return postage included! Interlibrary loan is free for NDSU students.

For more information about interlibrary loan see the Requesting Materials Through Interlibrary Loan section at https://library.ndsu.edu/services/materials.

If you have questions, or encounter problems with your account, please contact interlibrary loan at (701) 231-8885 or at ndsu.library.ill@ndsu.edu.

Getting Full Text

The number one question NDSU librarians answer is "How do I get this...(article, book, document)?" Usually, a student has found an article that is behind a paywall using a search engine, or finds a citation on Google Scholar, ResearchGate or other place and wants to find the full text of it.

Let's start with Google Scholar. You can change the settings in Google Scholar so that links to materials that NDSU has access to will be available. Here are directions for changing your settings: 

NOTE: Sometimes the NDSU links will take you to a citation and abstract with no full text available. When that happens, please use interlibrary loan to request the article.

If you find a citation in a bibliography or online and want to track down whether the Libraries have access to it, the most simple way is to search in Google Scholar for it with your preferences enabled. If you want to find out if the Libraries has a subscription to a particular journal, follow the directions here:  Finally, to see if the library has a book you are interested in, simply search for the title from the search bar on the home page of the library.

Finally, if you still have questions, please contact your librarian for assistance.

Access Issues

Unfortunately, we all occasionally have issues with accessing library resources. Here are some of the most common problems that students may encounter:

I can't login to access this database/article.
The login for databases/articles is your NDSU email with the associated password.

After logging in, you may encounter a second authentication page that asks you to choose a device and an authentication method (Duo Push, Call Me, Passcode). For more information about this multi-factor authentication go to https://kb.ndsu.edu/99733

If you are having problems, please contact the NDSU Helpdesk at https://www.ndsu.edu/it/help/

I can’t login to my library account
The login for your library account is your NDSU email (first.last@ndsu.edu) along with the password you have associated with it. Many distance students more commonly use their NDUS email (for Outlook and BlackBoard). Please make sure you are using your NDSU one to access library services.

If you are having problems (like password doesn't seem to work), please contact the NDSU Helpdesk at https://www.ndsu.edu/it/help/

I can't renew this book. Will the library be open this weekend etc.
Please contact the circulation desk at (701) 231-8888 or at ndsu.library@ndsu.edu for questions about your library account, hours and things like study rooms.

I haven't gotten my interlibrary loan yet. when will my interlibrary loan arrive?
Please contact interlibrary loan with questions about your account at (701) 231-8885 or at ndsu.library@ndsu.edu.