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Accessibility Resources and Services

Forsyth Library is dedicated to providing inclusive and accessible service to all library users

Ask A Librarian

Research Help offered at Forsyth Library includes assistance through:  

  • Schedule an Appointment: This service is available to those needing in-depth reference assistance. Please inform the staff of your special needs, so they can better accommodate you. 

  • E-Mail Reference: - E-mail form for submitting questions to reference staff. 

  • Phone: 785-639-6180 

  • Text: 785-527-9483 

  • Live Chat: Live Chat available during Research Help hours. 

Instruction, Workshops, and Presentations

With one-week advance notice, Forsyth Library will provide special accommodations for library instruction, workshops, and programs. These may include additional instruction notes, enlarged print, preferential or alternate seating, audio lectures, closed captions or transcripts, alternate text formats, or service animal accommodations.

Please contact refserv@fhsu.edu or call 785-628-6180 to arrange these accommodations.

Retrieving and Reserving Print Materials

Retrieving Print Materials

Library staff is available to assist you if you cannot retrieve books or other materials from library stacks. Ask at the Learning Commons Desk on the main floor.

Proxy Borrowing

If you are not able to come to the library in person to pick up books or other materials, you may specify one or more individuals who are allowed to check out materials for you. To add a proxy borrower to your account, please call the Learning Commons desk at 785-628-4434 or email us at forsyth@mail.fhsu.edu. You can also reserve materials for pickup in advance as described below.

Reserving Print Materials

Most library materials may be reserved to pick up at the Learning Commons Desk up to two weeks in advance.

When searching online for an item in the library catalog

  1. Select on the item you want to reserve
  2. Sign in using your TigerNet ID
  3. Under the "Get It" section of the item description, select “Place a Hold”

You can also call 785-628-4434 to have an item reserved and made ready for pickup. 

Screenshot of Forsyth Library catalog item "Hood Feminism" with Place a Hold circled in red

Document and Interlibrary Loan Delivery

Document Delivery

All students can request up to 50 pages at a time from Forsyth Library's physical materials to be scanned into .pdf form and delivered to your interlibrary loan account using the Interlibrary Loan platform. We offer format conversion for document delivery. If you need Forsyth Library materials delivered in a specific format, such as a screenreader-friendly PDF, please specify this in the “notes” field of the ILLiad Interlibrary Loan platform request form.

FHSU Online

FHSU Online students and faculty can use Interlibrary Loan to request physical items (from Forsyth Library or ILL lending libraries) to be mailed. The address you use to create your ILLiad account will be the mailing address used to deliver any physical materials. Physical items will be mailed to your personal address at no cost. However, you are responsible for paying return shipping back to Forsyth Library. We can only mail items to patrons who live in the United States.

Renewing Materials Online

Books and library materials may be renewed through your library account.

  1. Sign in to your library account using your TigerNet ID
  2. Under Loans, click on Renew All 

Screenshot of My Library Account, with a red circle around Renew All

You can also renew items in person at the Learning Commons Desk, or over the phone at 785-628-4434.

Laptops, tablets and technology must be renewed in person at the Learning Commons Desk.

Interlibrary loan materials can be renewed through your interlibrary loan Illiad account, if the item is eligible for renewal. 

Read Aloud HTML and PDFs

HTML Read Aloud Database Features

Many EBSCO and Gale databases provide a read aloud option and download to mp3 feature for full text articles available in HTML format. 

             

  •  Select the HTML Full Text link. 

  • Click on the orange play icon (appearing just under the article's title) to start the audio. 

  • You can select up to three accents from the drop down menu box. 

  • Click the download icon to download an mp3 file of the audio. 

 

PDF Read Aloud Readers

Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat both have a read aloud feature. This feature will allow PDFs that are ADA accessible to be read out loud for patrons. 

In Windows OS to turn the read aloud feature on: 

  • open the PDF 

  • go to the View option at the top of the screen and select Read Out Loud and then scroll down to the last option listed called, Activate Read Out Loud 

  • click on the screen to begin reading 

  • To pause, select a specific section, or, read to the end of the document, select view, the read out loud option, and then the appropriate option (pause, etc.) 

In Mac OS to turn the read aloud feature on: 

  • open the PDF 

  • go to the Edit option at the top of the screen and select Speech and then select the option, Start Speaking 

  • reader will start automatically 

  • To stop, select Edit at the top of the screen, then select Speech, and last select the option, Stop Speaking