Now Serving You — Welcome To Our New LITS Staff!

• Kate Strain — Research and Instruction Librarian for Emerging Technologies
• Rachael Nutt — Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian

Library Hours Starting September 10

Rolvaag Library:   

• Mondays—Thursdays: 7:45 a.m.–Midnight
• Fridays: 7:45 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Saturdays: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Sundays: Noon–Midnight

Music Library:

• Mondays—Thursdays: 8 a.m.–10 p.m.
• Fridays: 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Saturdays: Noon–6 p.m.
• Sundays: Noon–10 p.m.

Our full hours are also posted online.

New Home for St. Olaf’s Distinctive Collections and College Archives

St. Olaf’s Distinctive Collections and College Archives have a new home! We have moved into a newly renovated space on the second floor of Rolvaag Library. You can find us by descending the stairs by Rolvaag Library’s historic main entrance, or via the stairs to the right as you enter the Library’s current main doors. 

As a result of the renovation, Distinctive Collections and College Archives now has both a dedicated classroom and a proctored research room where students, faculty, and staff can more easily engage with the unique resources in our special collections and archives, such as our Nordic American imprints, the Bodman East Asian book collection, artists’ books, and materials from all eras of St. Olaf College history. There is also a spacious reading room holding our genealogy collection, which is used by researchers around the world.

The Norwegian American Historical Association (NAHA) has relocated to this space with us, bringing their nationally known collection about Norwegian-American life and adding to the richness of resources available. We are pleased to be working with them to provide increased access to our collected materials, all in one location. The reading room will be open to the public Monday through Thursday from 1:30-3:30 p.m. and by appointment. Please come visit!

The DiSCO and Makerspace: Where Are They Now? 

Some big changes this summer! The DiSCO has spun-off the makerspace, down to a larger area on the 3rd floor. The new makerspace takes with it the crafting, sewing, and 3D printers. The DiSCO remains the media production hub with computers and audio/video recording spaces. The DiSCO classroom is joined by an additional meeting & instruction space at the top of the spiral staircase (where the maker space had been). All spaces may be reserved by request. 

New Library and IT (LITS) Website 

On August 20, LITS launched a new website that brings library and IT services together, as the two are a combined department, sharing resources, goals, and technology. We hope you find this refreshed website an informative and user-friendly access point for all LITS services. Any links that went to the separate library and IT websites will now be directed to the LITS website.

HelpDesk Knowledge Base and Technology Support

HELP! That’s all you really need to remember when you are looking for IT assistance. Pointing your browser to help.stolaf.edu takes you not only to our ticketing system for requesting assistance from our team during office hours, but also to our Knowledge Base where you can find step-by-step instructions that answer many of your questions! Using the search bar at the top right of the page will serve up Knowledge Base articles that often answer your questions right away, at whatever time you might be working (no judgement). If you don’t find what you’re looking for, the search also points you to appropriate ticket request forms for further assistance.

The IT Helpdesk offers in-person assistance in Rolvaag Memorial Library room 353 or via phone at 507-786-3830. Visit help.stolaf.edu for IT Helpdesk hours.

New faculty/staff can find answers here to the most frequently asked technology questions.

Computer Care 

We are seeing an increase in St. Olaf owned laptop repairs due to liquid spills. To avoid extra costs incurred by St. Olaf and disruptions to your workday, IT recommends intentionally organizing your work space, creating a clear boundary between electronics and liquid hazards. By establishing a dedicated “No Liquid Zone”, laptops, smartphones, and iPads will be safe from spills. Even little splashes can short circuit components, corrode contacts, and lead to device failure. Other methods to avoid spills involve using spill-proof containers, or using separate side tables for your drinks. Also, please do not place stickers on St. Olaf owned laptops.

St. Olaf eduroam 

If you are new to St. Olaf, best practice is to remove any other eduroam profile from your devices.

Why You Need a New Profile?

• Unique Credentials: Your username and password belong to your specific school.
• Security Rules: Every campus manages its own network certificates and security
• settings.
• Connection Errors: Old profiles often block new ones from working correctly and can cause login errors.

For information about removing and connecting Eduroam to your personal devices see Connecting to the Wireless Network (WiFi)

LibKey Nomad 

Researching online and want to know if the library has access to journal articles or ebooks? From publisher sites to Wikipedia and Amazon, download the LibKey Nomad browser extension for quick links to access content available to you, thanks to your library. More information in this LibKey Nomad article.

New Version of Catalyst 

This August, the St. Olaf and Carleton libraries launched a redesigned catalog search box on their library homepages and the latest version of the Catalyst online catalog. The updates provide simpler, more intuitive interfaces, more sustainable infrastructure, and an improved user experience — all while preserving the core functionality you rely on.

Have questions or feedback about the new interfaces? We’d be happy to hear from you. Please submit your questions or feedback via our online form.

Controlling Your Directory Listing

You can control what shows up in your online directory listing. Using StoFaces, you can show or hide parts of your listing, such as photo, home address, and home phone. You can update your directory photo, name pronunciation and pronouns, and office hours. You can also set your voicemail greetings and create/update your professional page. Changes show up in the directory within a minute or two and can be updated as often as you wish.

Better Security with Passkeys and Biometrics 

As cyber threats continue to evolve, authentication, identity, and traditional passwords remain primary targets for threat actors. Often, stronger security requires more complicated or time-consuming processes. Now there is an option that improves security while being easy and convenient: passkeys.

Passkeys are a modern authentication option that uses public-private key pair cryptography, working like a digital lock-and-key system. Your device holds a unique “key” that proves your identity without ever sharing sensitive information over the internet.

Biometric authentication uses your unique physical characteristics—such as your fingerprint or face—to verify your identity. These physical traits are virtually impossible to fake, so they provide a highly secure and personalized way to access your accounts.

These technologies work together seamlessly: your passkeys are stored securely on your device, and you access them using your biometrics. When you need to authenticate, a simple fingerprint scan or face recognition unlocks your passkey, which then handles the secure authentication process. This connection makes the experience both highly secure and highly convenient. Instead of entering a long, complex password and completing a multi-factor authentication step, you can do it all with a single simple biometric verification.

Passkeys are already available as a login option through Google Authentication. To set up passkeys on your device, sign in to your Google Account, go to Security settings, and select “Passkeys and security keys” under the “How you sign in to Google” section. From there, follow the steps to create a passkey that will be stored securely on your device or password manager of your choosing—whether you’re using Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android. Once configured, you can use your device’s built-in biometric authentication (fingerprint reader, facial recognition, or similar) to quickly and securely access your account. 

Access to Newspapers 

Did you know the library provides access to the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Star Tribune, and Washington Post for all students, faculty, and staff? You can sign up via the Online Access to Current Newspapers guide for access to those publications.

Buying an iPad with IPAT

Faculty members with tenure, tenure-track, or special appointments (excluding those who possess professional development support as the holder of a named professorship) are granted up to $1,500 each fiscal year (June 1–May 31) for professional development support, including scholarship or creative activity needs. Those funds can be used to purchase an iPad or tablet if you work through IT. Please contact Shelbie Pleskonko (plesko1@stolaf.edu) or the IT Helpdesk for assistance selecting and purchasing the appropriate device for your needs. More information about your IPAT account can be found here.

A/V Checkout Equipment 

The library has a variety of equipment available for all St. Olaf community members (students, faculty, and staff) to use, including cameras, speakers, projectors, and audio recorders, and much more. You can browse and reserve items at go.stolaf.edu/equipment. Equipment is picked up and returned at the equipment circulation desk at Rolvaag Library, across from the IT helpdesk. For temporary laptop loans or classroom equipment, however, please fill out a ticket. 

If you want items reserved for students during the semester (ex: iPads to bring on a J-term trip abroad or to be used for an exhibit), you must contact the equipment team at equipmentstaff@stolaf.edu at least three weeks before the start of the term they are needed. Failure to give advance notice may mean we cannot fulfill your request. 

If you are having students borrow equipment from the library, please keep in mind that we have a limited number of items available, so students may need additional time for assignments, particularly if they have to wait for the equipment to be returned.

Moodle @ St. Olaf

At St. Olaf, Moodle is our primary, and only fully supported, learning management system. Even if you have a need or strong preference for using other means of distributing materials and communicating with students, we encourage you to use your automatically created Moodle site to link students to those sources, as they look to Moodle as their hub for all their courses.

If you are teaching multiple sections of a course, or sharing materials with another section, you can request a metacourse that combines the enrollment of the two courses. Even if you wish to present some information separately to individual sections, this can still be done within a metacourse, while sharing the majority of the course content, saving you the time and hassle of maintaining two separate sites.

Your iTech team is here to consult with you on how to format your course and set up your assignments and activities, and we’re more than happy to meet with you at the beginning of the semester to get your gradebook up and running – something our students regularly say they appreciate in their courses.

BoodleBox AI Platform

St. Olaf is providing limited access to BoodleBox, a collaborative AI workspace that aggregates access to free and paid versions of the major AI large language models. BoodleBox allows for shared AI chats where multiple users can interact with the same thread, a class assignment feature that provides instructor monitoring and interaction with students on directed AI exploration, and both built-in bots as well as a bot builder that assists you in creating your own custom bots. You can request access to BoodleBox for yourself, or for students in your class incorporating AI activities.

Verizon, Apple, and Dell Discounts 

Faculty and staff get discounts through Verizon, Apple, and Dell on products. To see those discounts, as well as other discounts and promotions you can use, please visit the Employee Discounts page.

Free Software

Faculty, staff, and students get access to many different free software applications through the college. If you are interested in seeing what free software is available to you, scroll through this Knowledge Base article on Free Software and Online Resources.

Request an Instruction Session with a Librarian or Technologist

All faculty have access to a Research and Instruction Librarian with expertise in their area. Librarians can suggest research materials, show your students how to use our resources, help with digital projects, and more. For more information about our services and to contact your liaison, please visit our Faculty Research Support page.

If your class project involves technology (audio/video production, mapping, online exhibts, data visualization, etc) or the maker space, Instructional Technologists are available to consult with you on your assignment and provide instructional sessions for students. 

Our instruction schedules are already filling up for the fall term, so if you are interested in having an R&I librarian or Instructional Technologist visit your class, please reach out to plan this as soon as possible. 

Faculty Survey: Use of Affordable Course Materials Fall 2026 

This survey of St. Olaf faculty is being conducted by the LITS Open Educational Resources (OER) Committee (lits-oer@stolaf.edu) as a follow up to the 2023 Textbook Project survey conducted by the Student Government Association (SGA). The goal is to learn about current awareness, perceptions, and use of OER at St. Olaf. The results of this survey will help LITS determine how we can best support SGA’s course materials affordability initiative. The submissions deadline is October 16. Please click here to take the survey.

Course Reserves: Help Students Access Required Materials 

The library’s Course Reserves service gives students access to required course materials. This service gives students an alternative to purchasing individual copies and helps reduce cost and access barriers. Course Reserves can include books, films, and scores. Materials are kept at the front desks of Rolvaag Library and Halvorson Music Library and can be borrowed for 4-hour or 24-hour periods.

Please let us know what materials you’d like us to place on Course Reserves:

• Sign in to Catalyst.
• Find the item you want your students to use.
• Select Place on Course Reserve for Your Students.

New Walking Pads in Rolvaag Library

Looking for a way to add a little movement to your work hours? Four new walking pads are now available in Rolvaag Library on Levels 4 and 3½. These low-speed walking pads offer an opportunity to stay active while reading, studying, or working. The walking pads were generously funded by the Student Government Association (SGA).

To use a walking pad, visit the library’s front desk to borrow a walking pad key. Before checking out a key, you’ll be asked to review and sign a User Waiver. Once you have the key, head to one of the walking pads and enjoy your walk!

Library and IT Events and Engagement Team Upcoming Book Displays

• September 15–October 15: Hispanic/Latinidad Heritage Month Display
• October 1–31: Halloween Book Display
• November 1–30: Native American Heritage Month Display

Book Display Opportunities 

Did you know you can curate a book display in Rolvaag Library or Halvorson Music Library? Our libraries have rich collections, and creating a display is a great way to discover what we have while also using the library to connect with the campus community and promote your group, event, project, or theme. 

Classes, student organizations, and campus centers and programs can create displays around almost any theme – from a class project or area of interest to a campus event or current issue. It’s a great way to highlight your organization, showcase student work, or help the campus community discover resources related to something happening on campus or in the world.

Interested in creating a display? Submit a Display Request and tell us what you have in mind!

Northfield Public Library Visit 

On Wednesday, September 23, from 2–4 p.m., the Northfield Public Library will be on campus to table in the Rolvaag Memorial Library atrium. They will be taking sign-ups for public library cards, as well as talking about their upcoming events and answering any questions you may have.

Carleton College’s Gould Library 

In addition to using the libraries on our own campus, St. Olaf students and employees are welcome to take advantage of Carleton’s College’s Gould Library as well. You can easily have Gould Library ship requested materials to Rolvaag Library or Halvorson Music Library for pickup. You’re also very welcome to use Gould Library as a study space and take advantage of its library resources whenever it’s open.

Check Gould Library’s building hours before you go. After 8 p.m., Gould’s doors are locked and require a card swipe, but St. Olaf students and employees are still welcome. Just call the Loan Services number posted on the door and show your St. Olaf ID – they love having Ole visitors.