Frequently Asked Questions

During COVID-19, services for guest library users - including alumni - are limited. Alumni are welcome at the Miller Nichols Library so long as they abide by health and safety protocols and the Safe & Respectful Environment agreement. 

• Limited guest computer logins are available to UMKC alumni, retirees and members of the Guest Researcher Program for the purpose of using UMKC databases. Priority use of library space is reserved for UMKC-affiliated users.
• Guests at the library can connect to the UMKC wifi with a guest password, but it does not provide access to electronic library resources.
• Contributing Members of the UMKC Alumni Association can check out materials at the Miller Nichols Library. Show your Alumni Fund card at the library Service Desk.

Visitors to the UMKC campus can connect to campus wifi with a guest password. 

• Network: UMKCWPA
• Username: UMKC-visitor
• Password: The guest password is reset weekly.

Stop by a library service desk for the current week’s password, or contact the UMKC IS Technology Support Center at (816) 235-2000 for the password.

For device specific instructions, see UMKC Wireless Connectivity.

Click a Download or Download PDF or button or link if one is present on the eBook page you are looking at. 

Read the PDF on your computer as usual, or download Adobe Digital Editions for free to read a PDF or EPUB file as an eBook while offline.

If you have any questions about the initial setup of your device for downloading books or any problems downloading, please contact us or view our eBook guide.

Non-UMKC users are welcome at the Miller Nichols Library so long as they abide by health and safety protocols and the Safe & Respectful Environment agreement.

• No guest computer logins are available at this time as priority use of library computers is reserved for UMKC-affiliated users. See information about library resources and services for UMKC alumni and retirees during COVID-19.
• Guests at the library can connect to the UMKC wifi with a guest password, but it does not provide access to electronic library resources.
• Members of the Guest Borrower Program can check out books at the Miller Nichols Library or use a computer.

Books coming from Missouri Academic libraries (through the MERLIN or MOBIUS systems) are delivered within 3-5 business days. For books coming through the InterLibrary Loan system that allows us to borrow from libraries around the world, 40% of books arrive within 5 business days, 65% within 10 business days, and 70% are delivered in 15 business days.

Classrooms 151, 351, 352, 451, and 452 are all on the learning center side (called MNLC) of the Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center. Classrooms 121, 325, 420, and 422 are on the library side of Miller Nichols Library and Learning Center. Check out our Miller Nichols Library Floor Plan map or the Health Sciences Library Floor Plan map to find the study rooms and classrooms you need.

Yes, students, staff, or faculty affiliated with a UM System school may use Miller Nichols Library.

• To log on to a computer at UMKC, users with an account on another campus domain may need to follow these steps.
• Printing is not available.
• UM System affiliates on the UMKC campus can log in to the eduroam wifi network using their UM System Single Sign On (SSO), in the form of SSO@umsystem.edu, and password. 

For assistance with a UMKC campus computer or wifi, contact UMKC Information Services at (816) 235-2000.

Yes, the Robot Cafe in Miller Nichols Library sells food and beverages including a variety of coffee drinks.

The Robot Cafe is open for a portion of the library's open hours when classes are in session: Robot Cafe hours. Vending machines in Miller Nichols Library and the School of Medicine Building (where the Health Sciences Library is located) also offer some coffee drinks. 

Yes, headphones, phone chargers, and other equipment are available for checkout at the library Service Desks. The headphones do not include microphones. See all the equipment available for checkout at Miller Nichols Library and the Health Sciences Library. 

Yes, contact us to learn more.

Yes! Use library catalog to find items you want, click Request, and choose UMKC Health Sciences Library as your pick up location.

Connect to the UMKC campus wifi network, UMKCWPA, and use your UMKC username and password to log on.

Adjust the wireless network settings on your phone or laptop using the instructions for your type of device. 

For assistance setting up wifi on your device contact the UMKC IS Technology Support Center at (816) 235-2000.

The library's research resources are almost all available online through our website, and library services are available remotely. Meet with a librarian on video, or ask questions on live chat to learn more about how search our online databases, or take advantage of services remotely.

The library offers pickup and returns outside the building for books and materials if needed because you are in a high-risk category. See the library's Accessibility page for details on setting up your account for outside pickup and making requests.

Yes! The computers on the first and second floors of Miller Nichols Library have built-in webcams that pop up from the top of the monitor. Bring your own headphones and microphone. 

Headphones without microphones are available to borrow at the service desks on the first floor of Miller Nichols Library and in the Health Sciences Library.

At Miller Nichols Library, the computer in the Presentation Practice Room MNL 108A has a webcam. The room can be reserved up to one week in advance. Reserve the Presentation Practice room online.

To see if other UMKC campus labs have computers with webcams, check with UMKC Information Services. 

MOBIUS is the combined online catalog of 60+ libraries in Missouri, listing all of their books and materials. You can request items by selecting MOBUIS from the A-Z list of Databases, or by using the link in the UMKC Catalog that says New MOBIUS Request. Select Miller Nichols or UMKC Health Sciences Library as your pick up location.

Library materials are quarantined for 1 day after they are returned. Library employees sanitize their hands before retrieving materials for a library user, disinfect their own work stations where book handling occurs every hour, and use alcohol-based spray to sanitize electronics. 

You can request books and articles from any library in the world by placing an Interlibrary Loan request. 

Log in with your UMKC username and password and request the item you need. You'll get an email when your book or article is on its way. 

• The Library puts all returned items into quarantine before another person can check them out.
• Campus Facilities Management cleans and sanitizes the library buildings, and library staff do additional sanitizing of high-touch surfaces in the libraries throughout the day.
• Sanitation stations are placed regularly throughout all floors of the Libraries for users to take advantage of.
• Plexiglass shields work to protect staff and students at all service desks, and furniture has been carefully arranged to promote physical distancing.

The UMKC Libraries doesn’t have up-to-date access to the New York Times because our online database has a 3 month delay, and our collection of the New York Times on microfilm is updated monthly.

• See available dates on microfilm for recent issues plus historical access back to 1857
• Access past issues online with a UMKC login: The New York Times Recent, 01/01/2008 - present (Full Text Delay: 3 months)

For online access to the most current New York Times, and access to historical issues, sign up for free for a local public library card and get access through the matching link below.

• Kansas City Public Library
• Mid-Continent Public Library
• Johnson County Library

The UMKC Law Library keeps print issues of the current month of the New York Times. Visit the Law Library in person to use them.

If you are a New York Times digital subscriber or wish to purchase hard to find articles, you may want to use the New York Times Article Archive.

No, food and drink can damage the rare, unique, and irreplaceable materials in our collections so they are prohibited to protect the materials or artifacts you or others may work with in LaBudde Special Collections. Food and drink are allowed in other parts of the library building.