Library Instruction for High School Visits -

 University of Denver Libraries (Anderson Academic Commons) 

What is the purpose of your visit? 

If you are interested in a tour of campus, those can be scheduled through DU Admissions.  

If you are interested in your students receiving instruction on how to search for and evaluate sources held by DU Libraries, use our Library Instruction Request Form to share details about your visit, indicating in the form that you are a visiting school group. A librarian will be in touch to discuss the details of your students’ assignment and negotiate a possible date for your visit after you submit the form. 

Please also read the information below as it covers some of the most frequently asked questions about school visits to the Anderson Academic Commons.  

When is the best time to schedule your visit? 

Library visits should be scheduled at a less busy time of the year to cut down on competing for classroom space (which can be hard to come by). DU’s quarters run from September-November, January-March, April-June, June-August. Winter interterm (December) or the last weeks of a quarter are often better times to schedule a visit. It can be difficult to accommodate library visits during the middle of quarters due to teaching and classroom demands. 

How many students can attend a library instruction session? 

Our library classroom can accommodate 25-30 students. Our computer lab is outside of our classroom space and includes 14 PCs and 9 Macs (23 computers). If you would like your students to have hands-on search time during their visit, we recommend the number of students for the visit be capped at 23, as students must use our lab computers to access library resources and cannot use their personal laptops.  

How can students access library resources during their visit? 

If students are participating in a library instruction session led by DU librarians and you would like them to have the opportunity to search our library resources, they will need a temporary computer pass for the visit. Personal laptops cannot be used to access library resources, only library lab computers will allow access to library databases and e-books. This is due to our license agreements with our database vendors and is not something we can change, unfortunately. 

How can I get computer passes for my students for their visit? 

A representative from your school should gather the following information on a spreadsheet for each student attending the visit. This information is needed to create a library account: 

• Student’s first and last name 

• Student’s email 

• Student’s phone number 

• Student’s address 

This information should be shared with the DU librarian working with your class at least two weeks prior to the visit to give our Access department staff time to create computer passes for each student attending the library instruction session. On the day of the visit, students will also have to sign a computer use agreement when they arrive at the library.  

How can my students get access to library resources after our visit?  

On-site computer access and material borrowing privileges can be obtained in one of two ways: students can complete a referral form at a Colorado Public Library or they can purchase a visitor access card.  Off-site access to library resources is not possible, due to our database licensing restrictions. Students must use computers in the library to access our articles, ebooks, and other online resources. We do have a considerable number of open-access resources available through our website, such as e-books and journal articles. 

Where can I find information about where to park? 

A parking map and information about visitor parking can be found on DU Parking’s website. There are two paid hourly parking lots near the library (lot 315 and 301) and other paid lots can be found further away. To turn into Lot 315 you must be heading west on Evans Avenue to turn into it. Lot 301 is located on the bottom floor of the Evans Parking deck (301). 

Free street parking is available in the neighborhoods around DU. It can fill up quickly, but some potential places to try include: Josephine St., Warren Ave., Iliff Ave. (including the parts of Iliff Ave. that cut through DU), High St., Williams St., and Wesley Ave. 

Where will we meet on the day of the visit? 

Classes should meet at the entrance to the Anderson Academic Commons so students can sign their computer use agreement at the Lending Desk. After signing the agreement and receiving their passes, a librarian will lead them to one of our instruction rooms for the library instruction session.