Grid displaying the names of the 16 partners in OmniPatrons of the Leddy Library have access to physical resources from partner institutions across the province.

New library tool expands access to physical collections across the province

Patrons of the Leddy Library have access to physical resources from 16 partner institutions across the province through the academic search tool Omni.

In January 2020, the library implemented Omni, a collaboration between 16 university partner libraries to provide shared access to their collections. What’s new is its extension beyond digital assets.

“We’re excited to be able to offer our students, faculty, and staff access to physical resources from across all Omni partner institutions,” said university librarian Selinda Berg. “This will provide our academic community access to a province-wide collection of 23.5 million physical items.”

Omni allows members from the University of Windsor to borrow material from other university libraries. If the item is not available at Leddy Library, the system automatically finds the items at one of the partner libraries, which then sends it to UWindsor at no charge. The average delivery time is seven to 10 business days, although delivery times may vary due to a variety of factors.

“This is a great way to expand our collections and offer efficient and equal access to high-quality, academic research material,” said Dr. Berg.

RACER, the existing interlibrary loan network, is still available to borrow physical resources that are not available at any of the 16 Omni partners, as well as all electronic resource requests.

To learn how to place a request, or for more information, visit the Leddy Library website.