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Information for Distance Users
CSU Online & Distance Learning

Library Accounts

A quickstart guide to activating and using your CSU Libraries accounts.

Want help setting up your library accounts or working from a distance?

Contact our distance learning liaison at Ph.970.491.6952 (8-5 M-F) / email.

Before You Begin

Course registration establishes you in the Libraries' system as an active CSU student.

You will generally need to have active registration in at least 1 CSU course credit before setting up these accounts.

You will also need to know your CSUID - a set of 9 numbers that begins with 8.

If you already have a Ram Card, you can find your CSUID in the barcode: Ram Card

If you're new to CSU and do not know your CSUID, contact the Registrar's office at Ph. 970.491.7148.

If you've forgotten your CSUID but have already set up and know your electronic identity (eID), you can login to RamWeb and look up your CSUID under the My Account tab.

Create Your 'My Record' PIN

You choose and activate your My Record PIN (personal identification number) online.

A tutorial on setting your PIN is available from the My Record set-up screen.

As a distance user, you will use your My Record PIN in combination with your CSUID to:

  • access CSU Libraries databases from any off-campus computer
  • request in the Sage Catalog CSU Libraries books and other items for home delivery (you'll select Distance Learner as the pick-up location in the request screen)
  • request in the Prospector regional catalog books and other items for home delivery (you'll select Distance Learner as the pick-up location in the request screen)
  • renew Sage and Prospector items online, by signing in to your My Record account.

Activate Your Interlibrary Loan Account

You will need your CSUID, an active email address, and a mailing address.

If you are a graduate program distance student, select the status Distance Ed Grad in your account set-up.

If you are an undergraduate program distance student, select the status Undergraduate in your account set-up.

What is Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is the CSU Libraries document and item (book/other) request service.

The online system that you will access for this service is called ILLiad.

As a distance student, you may use ILLiad to request:

  • a PDF copy of a journal/newspaper/magazine article that is not available in fulltext online through the CSU Libraries (you will receive an email when the PDF is delivered to the Webview area of your online interlibrary loan account)
  • ERIC documents that are not available in fulltext online through the CSU Libraries
  • home delivery of books and other physical items that are not available through the CSU Libraries. (you will pay only the mail cost when you return the item)

Learn more about interlibrary loan (help, FAQs, etc.).

Access Electronic Reserve

You will login to electronic reserve using your last name and your CSUID; no account set-up is required.

Course instructors may use the CSU Libraries electronic reserve system to make course materials available to you online.

Materials may include chapters from books, articles, tests, and exams or assignments, for example.