Information For

Online Students

If you cannot find the item you are looking for in our catalog, book collections, or databases, you can request it from other libraries. Simply fill out our ILL Request Form.

Oakton Librarians are ready to help you find articles and information for your papers, speeches, and presentations. Virtual Research Consultations by AskLibrary online chat or by phone are available for Oakton students. Simply set up an appointment to meet one-on-one with a librarian.

Please fill out and submit our appointment request form.

  • Ask A Librarian Chat Reference: Chat with a librarian during library hours online.
  • Ask A Librarian Email Reference: Email our library staff your reference question. We will answer during library hours.
  • AskLibrary FAQ: Search for answers to common questions asked at our reference desk.
  • Research Guides: Find a guide on a specific topic written by one of our librarians.
  • Oakton Library Call-Back Reference: Call 847.635.1644. Leave a call-back message for help by phone.

To apply for a digital library card/Owl ID, please fill out and submit our Library Card Request Form. Students must be registered for classes in a current or future semester to apply. We will send you a digital copy of your library card within 4 business days to you via email. You can then choose to either pick up your physical card or have it mailed to you (it will take up to two weeks for the physical card to be mailed to you off campus).

The library subscribes to many electronic resources, including magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers, and more. You can access them through O.W.L. Oakton's Whole Library and/or our A-Z Databases list.
 
Off-campus: Log in with your myOakton username and password.

There are a number of ways online students can access books.

Print: Visit either the Des Plaines or Skokie campus to check out books. Search our catalog to find materials.

eBooks: Reach thousands of e-books through the Library website. If prompted, log in with your myOakton username and password.

I-Share: Oakton belongs to a group of over 80 academic libraries in Illinois that partner to share resources. You can check out books at any I-Share library using your Oakton Library card, or you can request books be sent to Oakton or other I-Share libraries for you to pick up. 

Public libraries: While most public libraries do not have the in-depth research materials college libraries do, they can still be convenient and helpful resources. If you need assistance finding your local library, contact us.

Faculty and Staff

The Library Instruction Program is responsible for student instruction in information literacy. Learning opportunities are offered in person and online. In keeping with the Oakton Library's mission of "encouraging critical thinking, promoting information literacy, and providing innovative teaching," our program faculty provide access to the quality education described in the college mission where we seek to facilitate student learning and curiosity. We understand the information landscape to be a bewildering place for many people and endeavor to make that landscape navigable and familiar to students in our classes.

Visit our Library Information for Faculty page for:

  • Requesting library instructions for all classes
  • Research design collaboration
  • Assigning Student Research Consultations
  • Ready-made content for D2L
  • Information on what we teach

If you cannot find the item you are looking for in our catalog, book collections, or databases, you can request it from other libraries. Simply fill out our ILL Request Form.

To apply for a digital library card/Owl ID, please fill out and submit our Library Card Request Form. Students must be registered for classes in a current or future semester to apply. We will send you a digital copy of your library card within 4 business days to you via email. You can then choose to either pick up your physical card or have it mailed to you (it will take up to two weeks for the physical card to be mailed to you off-campus).

Top 5 reasons for Faculty, Staff, and Administrators to get an Oakton Library Card:

  • Check out and renew books
  • Check out videos for four weeks for free
  • Borrow books from more than 80 other academic and research libraries in Illinois
  • Use as an ID at Oakton's Fitness Center
  • Request and renew materials online
  • Be a role model for Oakton students 

Books, articles, and other materials may be placed on Reserve at the Circulation Desk for the semester in which students will need them. Copyright restrictions may apply to the placement of photocopied articles on Reserve. Copyright permission forms are available in division offices.

For more information on how to place materials on reserve, please call:
Des Plaines: 847.635.1642
Skokie: 847.635.1432

Take the book, DVD, kit, etc. and your Oakton Library card to the Des Plaines or Skokie Campus Library Circulation Desk. Staff will check it out for you.

You can borrow an item directly from the other campus library using the Oakton Library Catalog and your Oakton Library card. The easiest way to do this is to ask at the circulation or reference desk for assistance. If you need help requesting books, please call 847.635.1642 or 847.635.1432.

Oakton students and faculty may request interlibrary loan items from other CARLI member libraries through the I-Share Catalog by using their Oakton Library cards (CARLI is the acronym for Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois.) If you need help requesting an item, please call 847.635.1642 or 847.635.1432. The library staff will call you when your item arrives at the campus library where you requested it to be sent. To pick up your item, please visit the circulation desk with your Oakton Library card.

Library Services for Non-Credit Students

Non-Credit Students can apply for a library card while in the library at the circulation desk. They can also apply online using our library card request form. If you apply online, you can choose to either pick up your physical card or have it mailed to you (it will take up to two weeks for the physical card to be mailed to you off-campus).

The following services are provided at the circulation desk:

  • Check out of materials
  • Acceptance of returned materials
  • Pickup of Library Card/OWL ID (must apply for a card online)
  • Pay fines with cash or check
  • Help to find items in our collection
  • Check out login for computers to access our online collections on campus

While off campus, non-credit students have access to select online library resources with an OpenAthens account. To receive an OpenAthens account, patrons must have an Oakton Library card. Non-Credit Students can also check out a computer login at the circulation desk while on campus to access all of the library's online resources. For help with logging in and access issues, visit our Library Electronic Resources Help Guide.

Resources Available Off Campus:

Library Services for Oakton District Residents

District residents can get a library card and check out material from the library. They can also use online Library research resources at the Oakton Library reference computers (login can be checked out for 2 hours at a time from the circulation desk).

Oakton district residents may apply for an Oakton Library Card at the circulation desk at the Des Plaines or Skokie campuses. 

Oakton district residents include:

  • Adults living in the Oakton district (must provide a current valid Illinois driver's license or current valid Illinois state ID card with proof of residency)
  • Employees working for a company in the Oakton district (those working in the Oakton district must provide confirmation of in-district employment on company letterhead, signed by their supervisor.)
  • Students attending a high school in the Oakton district (must provide a high school student ID, current valid Illinois driver's license, or current valid Illinois state ID card)

Take the item and your Oakton Library Card to the Des Plaines or Skokie Campus Library Circulation Desk. Staff will check out the book.

Please note that there is a lost book charge which is the cost of the book if the book is overdue for over 90 days.

For more information, please call:
Des Plaines: 847.635.1642
Skokie: 847.635.1432

While off campus, district residents have access to select online library resources with an OpenAthens account. To receive an OpenAthens account, patrons must have an Oakton Library card. District residents can also check out a computer login at the circulation desk while on campus to access all of the library's online resources. For help with logging in and access issues, visit our Library Electronic Resources Help Guide.

Resources Available Off Campus: