See also
3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19104-6206
Assistance
Orientation
Staff are pleased to conduct orientation sessions as needed. Email requests to ALT@upenn.libanswers.com.
Photocopying
Patrons are encouraged to bring a person with them to help with photocopying. If this is not possible, patrons with disabilities should contact the Accessibility & Learning Technologies group at ALT@upenn.libanswers.com.
Microtext/current periodicals & newspapers
Staff are available to assist patrons with disabilities in using materials and equipment in this department. Please contact Johnathan Segal for assistance.
Reserves
Staff are available to assist patrons with disabilities in retrieving materials that are on reserve.
Facilities
Butler Assistive Technology Room
This room (G 101.11) is located in the Goldstein Undergraduate Center near the bank of elevators. It is restricted to Penn Card holders and is always locked.
Available Hardware and Software:
We have technology for all kinds of needs and our aim is to make accommodation to support student learning. In order to get the best and latest equipment for our users we often wait for a potential user to request the type of equipment needed rather than purchasing equipment that no current student wants. Please contact Susan Shapiro, Director, Student Disabilities Services, with your equipment needs (email | voice: 215-573-9235 | TDD: 215-746-6320).
Workstations
Wheelchair-accessible computer workstations are located in the Goldstein Undergraduate Study Center on the ground floor.
Carrels
Carrels are study desks located on the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors of the library. Carrel holders may charge books to a carrel for an academic year. These easily accessible carrels are available to graduate and undergraduate students with disabilities. To arrange for a suitable carrel, please use the Staff contacts on this page.
Bathrooms
Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located on the east side of the building on the ground, second, third, fourth and fifth floors and in the third floor west elevator lobby.
Phones
There are no pay phones in the library. There is a free campus phone in Mark's Café on the ground floor which can be used to dial University 417, 573, 746 or 898 numbers.
Services
Books by mail
For a summary of this service, please see the Books by Mail page. Please contact Susan Shapiro in the Office of Student Disabilities Services to inquire about eligibility.
Alternative format materials requests
If you need any library materials converted into an accessible format, please send an email request to ALT@upenn.libanswers.com and include the item information and type of remediation needed (i.e. accessible pdf, captions, transcription, image description, etc.).
Sensus access
SensusAccess is an easy-to-use OCR tool that allows users to transform documents into many formats, including MP3, DAISY, EPUB, and digital Braille. Penn now has a subscription for all university students, faculty, and staff:
Procedures
Fines
All patrons are responsible for returning library materials on time. For assistance with problems concerning overdue books, please use the staff contacts on this page.
Contact
Accessible entrance
The accessible entrance of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center opens into the Goldstein Undergraduate Study Center. This entrance is on the ground floor of the building facing Blanche P. Levy Park. A wheelchair accessible doorbell is located on the railing leading toward the door.