It’s that time of the year again. The white stuff could be coming any day to mess with campus commutes. Here are some ways to stay on top of closures, inclement weather, and campus emergencies.
For Himmelfarb Library closures and hours changes, follow us on Twitter or Facebook! Himmelfarb hours are also regularly updated on our website.
GW Campus Advisories - Visit https://campusadvisories.gwu.edu for traffic, weather, safety, and metro alerts. Closures and delays will be posted here.
GW Alert - This service sends emergency alerts to e-mail addresses, cell phones (text messages), social media and university web pages. Sign up through the GW Alert portal to receive alerts.
GW Information Line - Call for a recorded message on university status, adverse weather conditions, important issues concerning safety, and anything else that may disrupt normal operations. 202-994-5050 for Foggy Bottom, 571-553-8333 for Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn.
CapitalAlert.gov - Get alerts about the wider Metro DC region through CapitalAlert. It includes emergency, traffic, weather and Amber alerts, and information about school and government closures. You can choose which jurisdictions you want alerts for.
GW Guardian App - Download this app to your smartphone to get campus alerts and connect directly to GW Police and emergency services. The app can assign a virtual Guardian to monitor your progress and safety while commuting or walking alone on campus. Available for iPhone or Android.
Social Media - Follow @GWTweets for non-emergency safety and security information, and @GWPolice for emergency safety information. The university Facebook page has similar content.
Welcome and welcome back to all of our students, faculty and staff! We are excited to meet students who are on-campus for the first time, as well as see some familiar faces. It is so great to have all of you here with us at GW!
Regardless of whether you are new to campus or returning, we wanted to provide information about navigating Himmelfarb Library onsite. Perhaps you've been wondering....where are printers located at Himmelfarb? Are there study rooms available to use? How do I find Room B103? For those of you who don’t know all of Himmelfarb’s nooks and crannies, we offer you a guide to navigating the library. Read on...
Library hours
Visit the Himmelfarb Library website for our current hours of operation. Our daily hours are always posted and updated on the Himmelfarb Library website. Presently we are open:
Mondays - Thursdays: 8am - 10pm
Fridays: 8am - 6pm
Saturdays: 12pm - 8pm
Sundays: 12pm - 10pm
We plan to return to 24/7 hours of operation in September.
Getting in and out
Entry gate
The entry gate is located just beyond the library lobby. A current GWorld card is required in order to get in.
Exit gate
The exit gate is to the right of the entry gate as you are leaving.
The exit gate opens automatically as you approach it.
No need to use your GWorld card when leaving Himmelfarb.
Getting around
Library floors and room numbers
Himmelfarb Library has four floors:
Room numbers starting with 1 (for instance, Room 107), are located on our 1st floor.
Room numbers starting with 2 (for instance, Room 202), are located on our 2nd floor.
Room numbers starting with 3 (for instance, Room 305H), are located on our 3rd floor.
Room numbers starting with B1 (for instance, Room B103), are located on the B1 level (one level down from the first floor).
Stairwells and elevator
Himmelfarb has two stairwells, one on the library’s courtyard side (west) and one of the 23rd St. side (east)
Staff at the Circulation Desk (located just beyond the entry gate on the right) can direct you to either.
Only the courtyard-side stairwell takes you to the B1 level.
Himmelfarb has one elevator, located to the right of the courtyard stairwell.
It goes to all floors.
Places to study
Study rooms to reserve
We have small rooms that you may reserve for individual or group study on our 2nd and 3rd floors. Please make a room reservation (for up to four hours) prior to occupying the room.
Book and AV item locations
Books available for 3-week loan are housed on the B1 level. Reference books (in-house use only) are located on the 1st floor next to the Reference Desk. A smaller Reference collection is housed at the Bloedorn Technology Center on the 3rd floor. DVDs and audio CDs available for 3-week loan are also kept at the Bloedorn Technology Center.
Service desks
Circulation Desk
The Circulation Desk is located ahead to the right as you pass through the library’s security gate. The Desk is staffed during all open hours. Here, you can check out everything from books to iPhone/iPad chargers to dry-erase markers and erasers to use in our study rooms. This is also where you can check out items on reserve. Circulation’s phone number is (202) 994-2962, and their email address is mlbcir@gwu.edu.
Reference Desk
Himmelfarb’s Reference Desk is staffed Monday - Thursday from 8:30am - 8pm, and Friday from 8:30am - 5pm. You can reach a Reference Librarian via text, email, or chat. Or you can stop by the Reference Desk (located next to the Circulation Desk) to speak in-person with a Reference Librarian. Reference’s phone number is (202) 994-2850. They can help you with literature searches, citation resources, and much more!
IT Help Desk
The School of Medicine’s IT department is conveniently located at the Bloedorn Technology Center on Himmelfarb’s 3rd floor. IT offers assistance weekdays from 8am - 5pm, and they welcome walk-up questions. You may also call them at (202) 994-9400, or email them at casshelp@gwu.edu.
Technology
Computer workstations
Computers are available for use on the 1st and 3rd floors, as well as on the B1 level in Classroom B103 (depending on room availability). Just log in with your NetID and password.
Computer labs
Our largest computer lab is in Room B103 (on the B1 level). It is available to use except when reserved by departments for classes and exams. Our other computer lab is the Women’s Board Teaching Classroom (WBTC), located in the Bloedorn Technology Center on the 3rd floor. It is also free to use as long as a class or exam has not been scheduled.
Printing
Public printing is available on the 1st and 3rd floors of Himmelfarb. Three WEPA printing stations are located directly across from the Circulation Desk. An additional WEPA printer is located at the Bloedorn Technology Center’s middle computer lab. GW’s Colonial Printing website tells you how to print from various devices, and lists the cost of printing as well as how to pay.
Scanning
Flatbed scanners are available to library users on the 1st and 3rd floors. The 1st-floor scanner is located near the Circulation Desk. Scanners on the 3rd floor are located in the Bloedorn Technology Center.
Free writing consultations
GW Writing Center
The GW Writing Center offers one-on-one consultations for all types of writing assignments. Their main location is at the Gelman Library (Suite 221 on the entrance floor). The Center offers face-to-face appointments at Gelman throughout the week (hours listed below). Zoom appointments are also available, which is useful for those living off campus.
The Writing Center’s hours of operation are:
Monday - Thursday: 9am - 9pm
Friday: 9am - 3pm
Sunday, 5pm - 10pm
Visit WCOnline to schedule appointments. Once registered, you can sign up for up to three appointments per week, up to two weeks in advance.
If you are working on a long-term project, take advantage of the Writing Center’s Long-Term Project Program. This program allows you to partner with a single consultant on a major project for up to a full semester.
Restrooms
Restrooms for men and women are located on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors of the library in the southeast corner (23rd Street side of building). A restroom for women is also located on the library’s B1 Level, as well as a Lactation Room. Ross Hall offers a nearby gender-inclusive restroom, located next to Room 101.
Restroom foot pull door openers
All restroom doors are equipped with no-touch foot-operated door openers.
Hand sanitizing stations
Two hand sanitizer dispensers are currently located at Himmelfarb Library: one in the library lobby and the other near the first floor, courtyard-side stairwell.
Himmelfarb Library's building will be closed on Thursday, February 18, 2021. Online access will remain available 24/7 and library staff will be available to assist during regular hours. Ask a librarian!
Himmelfarb Library's building will be closed on Monday, February 1, 2021 and will re-open at 9 AM on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Online access will remain available 24/7 and library staff will be available to assist during regular hours.
Himmelfarb Library will be closed Thursday, January 7, 2021. While the physical library will be closed, our online services will remain open. If you have questions or need assistance, please ask us; we are available via instant message, text, phone and email.
Himmelfarb Library will reopen on Friday, January 8, 2021 at 8 a.m.
The Himmelfarb Library will open on Monday, June 15 to patrons that have been approved to be on campus during phase 1 of reopening and to students currently enrolled in classes or on clinical rotations. Our summer hours (subject to change) are:
Mondays – Thursdays: 8am – 8pm
Fridays: 8am – 6pm
Saturday – Sunday: 12n – 8pm
We are implementing a number of safety measures to promote social distancing and safeguard your health.
Masks
Users are required to wear a mask at all times inside the library.
Getting around
Directional signs will be posted throughout the library to indicate proper distancing and traffic flow.
Only one person at a time may use the elevator; priority goes to handicapped users.
Our stairwells will be one-directional:
To go up, use the stairwell on the Courtyard side of the building next to the elevator.
To go down, use the stairs on the 23rd Street side of the Library.
Using study spaces
We have arranged study tables and chairs in a way that ensures 6 ft. of space between users. Floor decals will be used as markers for each and every approved seat to make sure that the patrons are social distancing
Please do not move furniture.
Keep chairs stationed over their floor decals.
All study rooms at Himmelfarb Library MUST be reserved in advance on our web page.
To ensure that all students have access to our limited spaces, rooms may only be reserved for a maximum of 4 hours per day.
Only 1 user is permitted in a study room at a time, except in the following rooms:
2 users are permitted in: B100B, B100A, 201, 203G, 204H, 203C, 204C, 304I, 304C, and 305H.
4 users are permitted in: 303.
Please limit the amount of food and drink you bring into the library (You can only eat in a library carrel or study room.). Please clean up your space before you leave.
Hand sanitizer and wipes will be available throughout Himmelfarb.
Handling library materials
If you pull a book off the shelf that you don’t plan to check out, please return it to a shelving cart.
Library staff will quarantine all books on carts for 3 days after usage.
Library staff will quarantine all borrowed books for 3 days upon check-in.
Borrowed equipment will be cleaned upon return and prior to checkout.
Restrooms
Restrooms will have a one-person occupancy limit.
Please announce yourself before entering to make sure the restroom is unoccupied.
To open the door without using your hands, use the “foot puller” .
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. You may text a librarian at 202-601-3525, or send an email to: himmelfarb@gwu.edu. You may also contact the Circulation Desk at 202-994-2962.
During the week of March 16, Himmelfarb Library's hours have been changed:
The library will be open for use and Circulation Services will be available:
Monday, March 16 - Thursday, March 19: 8:00am until midnight
Friday, March 20: 8:00 am until 8:00 pm
Saturday, March 21 - Sunday, March 22: 8:00 am until 6:00 pm
The Library's Reference Desk will provide service to users during normal hours via remote options including instant message, email, and text. Please Ask a Librarian - we are ready to provide reference and research support!
Monday, March 16 - Thursday, March 19: 8:30 am until 8:00 pm
Friday, March 20: 8:30 am until 5:00 pm
Saturday, March 21: 12:00 pm until 5:00 pm
All electronic collections are available: 24/7. For instructions on remote access, please refer to our off-campus access page.
Consortium Loan Service will have normal operations; Documents2Go service will provide normal services for electronic holdings; services for print items will not be available. If the status of these services changes, we will provide updated information.
In response to the University’s move to online classes and some student populations being off-campus during that time, Himmelfarb Library has extended due dates for print materials coming due March 14 through April 5th. Those materials are now due by end of day Monday, April 6th, 2020. Please contact the library’s circulation managers at 202-994-2962 or mlbcir@gwu.edu if you need to extend due dates beyond then or have other questions about borrowing physical materials.
We expect that Documents2Go interlibrary loan services for digital book chapters and articles will continue as normal. Delivery of some physical materials from other libraries may be delayed as they have closures or reductions in service. Contact document delivery staff at mlbdoc@gwu.edu or 202-994-2860 with any questions about borrowing materials from other libraries.
Due to the inclement weather forecast, Himmelfarb Library will close at midnight tonight (January 29) and reopen tomorrow morning (January 30) at 7:30 am. For more information on campus closures, see the GW Campus Advisories page.
Snow!
