Library Opens February 2. What to Know Before You Go!

Updated February 1 at 7:00 a.m.

We are excited to re-open our doors for Spring 2021! Any member of the Bentley community who is enrolled in the University’s COVID-19 testing program is welcome to visit the library starting Monday, February 1, 2021 Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Please be prepared to show your Bentley ID and display a current COVID testing program wristband to enter.

You can view the complete library hours calendar, including our online Reference Help hours, for the entire trimester online. Hours are subject to change due to holidays, inclement weather, or unforeseen circumstances. 

Additional guidelines and information are provided below. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.


Bentley Library Building Opening

  • The Library is operating in accordance with state and university COVID-19 public health guidelines. All library users and staff are required to wear face coverings, maintain 6 feet physical distance, and practice hand hygiene. Please perform your daily health self-check and stay home if you have any symptoms of COVID-19.  
  • Like all buildings on campus, you will need both your current Bentley ID and the appropriate wristband from the COVID testing program to enter the library through the main entrance.    
  • Building occupancy will be limited and monitored. When you enter the library, you will be given an occupancy card representing a seat or spot in the library. The cards are color coded by floor. You will need to return the card when you leave. As long as there are cards available, there will be a seat in the building. Due to the occupancy limits, we ask that you please be courteous to others and mindful of your time in the library.  
  • Do not leave any personal belongings in the building, as you may not be able to re-enter to get them if we are at capacity. 
  • Disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer are available throughout the library. Please wipe down any shared surfaces before and after you use them. 
  • Food is prohibited in the library until further notice. 

Study Rooms and Spaces 

  • The library’s study rooms are subject to reduced capacity and physical distancing guidelines. Many study rooms are limited to single occupancy; some of the larger rooms accommodate two people. Please check the occupancy sign posted on each room. Study rooms are available on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are not available, but you can check current room availability online before visiting.  
  • Face coverings are required in all library spaces at all times, including in study rooms, study carrels and pods, and at study tables. 
  • Furniture is arranged to ensure proper physical distancing. Please do not move furniture. 

Borrowing Library Materials and Using Course Reserves 

  • To minimize face-to-face interactions, we request that you use the library’s self-check machine to check out your items.  
  • Please return your library items in the book return drop, located at the main entrance.  
  • Search the Course Reserves site to see if your professor has set aside a copy of the textbook or other required materials for your class. You can also check the “Course Documents” section of your Blackboard site for any readings your professor may have put on electronic reserve.  

Online Research Help 

  • Reference librarians are available online to help you with your papers and assignments. Use live chat, email refdesk@bentley.edu. or text 781.728.0511 to get research, database, and citation help. You can also book an appointment for a research consultation via Zoom. The virtual Reference Desk hours and contact information are posted on the Research Help page.  
  • Visit our Getting Started Online guide for more details about remote resources.

Computers & Printers 

The library provides computers and printers (color and B&W) for you to use if you need one. To install the Bentley print drivers on your laptop, visit the Falcon Printing website. You will also find information about printing funds and costs on that site.  

Get Updates 

Keep an eye on your inbox for our regular monthly In the Know email, and don’t forget to follow @BentleyLibrary on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook for updates, news, events, and photos.  

Library Status & Services: January 19-31

Happy New Year! Like all of you, the Library has been busy preparing for the start of online classes on January 19th. During the first two weeks of the trimester library staff will continue to provide services and resources online to the Bentley community. We plan to reopen the building on February 1st, barring any changes to the University’s scheduled resumption of in-person operations. We will post updated information here when we reopen.

Starting the Spring Semester Online
Library Services and Resources
January 19-31, 2021


Contactless Pickup & Returns

  • We will be offering contactless pickup on Wednesdays in January from January 13th-27th (excluding course reserves). Simply search our online catalog, click “request” on any item you want, sign in with your Bentley credentials, and submit the request. You will receive a confirmation email with pickup instructions.
  • If you have books or DVDs to return please place them in the book return drop, located at the main entrance.  The book drop is open 24×7.

Online Library Services Help

  • If you have questions about borrowing/renewing books and other library items, Course Reserves, Museum Passes, or building operations, please contact Library Services via phone 781.891.2168, email or live chat.
Library Services Help Hours: January 19 – 31
Sunday noon – 8:00 p.m.
Monday – Friday8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturdayclosed

Interlibrary Loan and Scan on Demand

Online Resources and Research Help 

  • The library website—library.bentley.edu—is your portal to accessing online library services and resources. Your Bentley email address and password grant you remote access to most library databases and electronic resources – anytime, anywhere. 
  • Librarians have created research guides for popular topics and specific classes such as GB214 and GB320. The guides are a great help in getting started when doing research for projects and papers. Don’t wait to check them out – your first assignments will be due very soon!    
  • Contact the Reference Desk for research help via email refdesk@bentley.edulive chat, or text 781.728.0511. Research consultations via Zoom are available by appointment.
Reference & Research Help Hours: January 19 – 31
Sunday1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Monday – Thursday8:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Friday8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Visit the Reference & Research Help page for full services and contact information.


Additional details about the library’s operations can be found on the Bentley Library Status and Services page. For information about online resources please visit the Getting Started @ the Bentley Library – Online guide. Please contact us if you have any questions or need assistance finding materials, accessing electronic resources, or conducting research.

Libraries in the time of COVID-19

Image courtesy of St. Charles Public Library, Charles, IL

Libraries across America are caring for their patrons in so many ways. We are still very much a part of teaching, learning, scholarship and service during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are just doing it remotely. Bentley librarians are providing research instruction to classes through Zoom, answering reference questions via chat, email and text services, and having virtual meetings with students and faculty. Staff are scanning book chapters and articles to put in Blackboard course sites, purchasing streaming films, and continuing to order journal articles through interlibrary loan. Our technical services department staff continue to catalog and process electronic books, communicate with vendors, pay invoices, and order print materials. We are doing what libraries have always done in times of crisis … adapting.

Bentley library staff are here to support you and continue to provide you with the best service. As Ramiro Salazar, president of the Public Library Association said, “We cannot create a sense of normalcy for [library users], but [libraries] can use this new reality to offer something different.” Bentley Library is proud to be doing just that.