Help and Tutorials

Library FAQs

How do I access the library’s resources from off-campus? 

  1. Go to the NLU home page at www.nl.edu. Then click on "NLU Portal"  Type in your user name and password. 
  2. If your password is not accepted or you do not remember your password, call the 24/7-computer help desk at 800-443-5522, xHELP (x4357) or 866-813-1177.
  3. Once you have logged into the NLU Portal, click on the “NLU Library” link under NLU RESOURCES.

How do I change the timeout period for NLU Portal account? 

  1. You will need to change the time that the Portal will stay online for more than 15 minutes.
  2. To change the timeout, login to your NLU Portal.
  3. Then click “My Account” in the top left corner of the Portal.
  4. In the middle of the page, change your timeout to 180 minutes, and then click on “Save Changes.”
  5. You will need to logout and log back in for the changes to take effect. You will only need to do this once.

What is my library borrower ID number? 

  • 19xxxxxxxx2840 x=your NLU ID minus the “N”. The “9” replaces the “N” in your NLU ID number.
  • Your library ID number is also listed on your NLU Portal page under Personal Information.
  • Use your Library borrower ID number as the Barcode when creating an account in the NLU/I-Share book catalog. Check out the Searching for Books‌ page for more details.

For how long can I check out materials? 

  • Most NLU books circulate for 12 weeks.
  • There are some exceptions: DANTES material (4 weeks) and videos ( 2 weeks – faculty & staff only).

What materials do not circulate? 

  • Reference materials
  • Journals
  • Curriculum materials
  • Videos and DVDs are held at the Wheeling Campus Library and circulate to faculty & staff only. Students may view videos/DVDs in the library.

How do I find out which full text journals NLU has available online? 

  • From the library’s home page, go to "Research" and scroll down to the Articles. Then click on the Full Text Journals link.
  • The “Find e-resources and Full Text” search page will open. From this page you can search for the NLU electronic journal holdings by Title or by Subject.
  • After you enter a title and click “Go”, all of the journal titles for that search will appear.
  • Clicking on the title will take you directly to the database in which the journal is available.
  • For more details, view the Browsing Full Text Journals page.

How do I find and/or request dissertations and theses? 

  • To find NLU dissertations and theses, search the NLU Online Book Catalog.
  • Dissertations and theses are located at the Wheeling and Chicago campuses, but can be requested for pick up at another campus.
  • Theses may be checked out; however, dissertations may not.
  • Many non-NLU dissertations and theses are indexed through the I-Share Online Book Catalog and several NLU databases. However, most dissertations and theses are not available through interlibrary loan.
  • Many dissertations and theses are also available in full text electronically through ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database, and selected NLU dissertations can be found at: digitalcommons.nl.edu.

How do I find and/or request videos and DVDs? 

  • Videos & DVDs may be checked out to faculty & staff only.
  • To find videos and DVDs, search the NLU Online Book Catalog. Use the “Quick Limit” to search for “Audio/Visual” materials.
  • Once you have found the video(s) and/or DVD you are searching for, click "Request" and follow the instructions to choose a pick up location, as you would for requesting a book.

What if NLU does not own materials that I want? 

  • You can request materials (such as books and journal articles) not available in the NLU Library from other libraries. This is called interlibrary loan (ILL). However, please note that there are some materials that generally are not available through ILL – see below.
  • Interlibrary loan requests are usually filled within 1 – 3 weeks.
  • Loan periods may vary from library to library and the date due will appear on the book band.
  • Overdue fines also vary from library to library and the borrower is responsible for any fines or fees incurred.

Requesting I-Share Books 

  1. If the book(s) you would like to request are not found in NLU Library Book Catalog, click on “Repeat search in ALL I-Share Libraries” link, or change the "Local Catalog Only" drop down menu to "All I-Share Libraries" and click Find. For a tutorial, view the Searching for Books‌ page.
  2. If a copy of the book is available, click on the title of the book; then click the "Request Item" link in the item record.
  3. You will be prompted to log in to your account. Log in with the username and password that you created. 
  4. Choose your pick-up library. Select "National Louis University" from the list of libraries.
  5. Then choose your pick-up location. Select the NLU campus library from which you would like to pick up the book. If you are an off-campus or online student, you may select "Off-Campus/Online Mail" to have books mailed to your home.
  6. Click on the Request button.
  7. If you requested to pick up a book at a particular campus, you will receive an email when the book is available for pickup. 
  8. Click on “Your Account” at the top right corner of the screen to check the status of your requests or to renew books.

Requesting Journal Articles 

  1. You can request full text journal articles not found in the library’s databases through ILLiad, the electronic delivery and tracking system used by the Interlibrary Loan Office.
  2. From the Library’s Home page, click on the "Services" link and choose ILLiad.
  3. First time users will need to create an account before requesting materials. Click on the blue “Click here if you are a First Time User” link and follow the directions for creating an account, which includes completing the New User Registration for ILLiad form.
  4. To request an article or other material, click on the links under New Request in the left sidebar. Note: You will need the citation information of the article to complete the request. Then click “Submit Request”.
  5. You will receive an email notification when the article has been delivered and is available for viewing.
  6. To view the article, go to ILLiad, login to your account, and click on “Electronically Received Articles” under View in the left sidebar.
  7. For more information about ILLiad, see the ILLiad FAQs.

What materials are generally not available through interlibrary loan (ILLiad)? 

  • Whole issues of paper journals and periodicals
  • Rare, archival, and genealogical materials
  • Most dissertations
  • Current textbooks
  • Films, videos, CDs, records, audiocassettes, and other multimedia materials

The above materials may be non-circulating, charged out, or on reserve at another library. They may circulate only for short periods of time (four weeks or less) and/or subject to recall.

Accordingly, library patrons should not:

  • Rely on ILL to obtain textbooks or other high-demand materials or expect library staff to obtain syllabi or reading lists and request required texts for particular courses; and
  • Anticipate extended loan periods for materials obtained through ILL.

How long can I check out interlibrary loan (ILL) materials? 

  • Lending periods for ILL materials are determined by the lending library and it is important to note that other libraries have different loan periods.

How do I renew my materials? 

  • NLU books may be renewed a maximum of two additional 12-week periods unless a request has been made for the book.
  • NLU books may be renewed through the online catalog, over the telephone, or in person. To renew books online – see below.
  • DANTES (4-weeks) books can be renewed twice by phone or in person.
  • ILLiad books cannot be renewed

Renew Books Online

  • Log in to your NLU Catalog account.
  • Once you have logged in, click on the Checked Out Items link on the right side of the page.
  • You will see all of the items you currently have checked out and their due dates.
  • Check the Renew box next to the title of the book you wish to renew.
  • Then click Renew Selected Items located under your list of books.
  • NOTE: NLU books can only be renewed twice, I-Share books 3 times, and some books may not be renewable.
  • After you have renewed the item, you will have a new Due Date and the Status of the book will changed to "Renewed."
  • Once you have finished renewing your items, remember to log out of your account by clicking on the Log Out link at the top right corner of the screen.

What happens if I have overdue materials? 

  • NLU materials not returned within 4 weeks of due date are assumed lost and will be billed for the cost of replacement. This amount will be added to your student account bill.
  • For I-Share materials, overdue fines vary from library to library. The borrower is responsible for any fines or fees incurred and these fines must be paid directly to the lending library.
  • Library privileges will be suspended for overdue or lost materials.

Do the libraries have Internet access? 

  • Yes. All NLU Campus Libraries have public computers for Internet access. These computers are generally reserved for Library research. If you have questions, please ask Library personnel for help.
  • Wireless access is also available at all campus locations.

 

Locations

  • CHICAGO DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

    NLU’s Chicago campus on South Michigan Avenue occupies five floors of the historic Peoples Gas Building. This landmark building, across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park, is easily accessible by train, bus and car and is surrounded by restaurants, parking lots/garages and shops.

    122 S. Michigan Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60603
    800.443.5522

    Info » | Directions »

  • ELGIN

    Conveniently located in a fast-growing business district off I-90 and Route 31, NLU Elgin features 10 classrooms with high-tech media equipment; a computer lab with high-speed Internet access; two conference rooms; and comfortable student lounges. Parking is free at this recently remodeled and upgraded teaching site, which now includes wireless Internet access.

    620 Tollgate Road
    Elgin, IL 60123
    800.443.5522

    Info » | Directions »

  • NORTH SHORE

    Opened in the summer of 2006, NLU North Shore at Skokie is a state-of-the-art modern campus located just off the Edens Expressway near the Old Orchard Shopping Center. The campus includes 44 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a walk-in lab in the library; six conference rooms; a public café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; and multiple, comfortable student lounge areas.

    5202 Old Orchard Road
    Skokie, IL 60077
    800.443.5522

    Info » | Directions »

  • LISLE

    Located just minutes from the East-West Tollway (I-88), NLU Lisle features 42 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a separate walk-in lab in the library; a café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; conference rooms; and six comfortable student lounge areas with wireless access.

    850 Warrenville Road
    Lisle, IL 60532
    800.443.5522

    Info » | Directions »

  • WHEELING

    Located in one of Chicago's major northwest suburbs, the newly renovated NLU Wheeling includes 20 classrooms with high-tech media equipment, four conference rooms, four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, large student lounge areas with wireless capabilities and interactive video capabilities, and an extensive research library. The site also houses the university library research collection.

    1000 Capitol Drive
    Wheeling, IL 60090
    800.443.5522

    Info » | Directions »

  • FLORIDA (TAMPA)

    Established in 1988 and located in one of the city's major business districts, NLU's Tampa campus serves students in 13 counties in central Florida. In addition to six classrooms, the campus features a conference room, a computer lab with high-speed Internet access, an extensive research library and comfortable student lounges.

    4950 West Kennedy Blvd. #300
    Tampa, FL 33609
    800.366.6581 | www.nl.edu/florida

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  • WISCONSIN

    NLU's Milwaukee campus has a proud history of serving graduate students in education in southeastern Wisconsin. Nearly one in five certified Wisconsin teachers looks to NLU for graduate education programs – more than any other university in the state. In addition to classrooms with high-tech media equipment, the campus offers a state-of-the-art computer lab with wireless Internet access and an extensive IDS research library.

    12000 West Park Place, Suite 100
    Milwaukee, WI 53224-3007
    414.577.2658

    Info » | Directions »