Success Tools
Our library offers a suite of powerful tools designed to support students, faculty, and researchers throughout the academic journey. Whether you're managing citations, planning assignments, or organizing research, we provide guidance and consultation on the following resources.
Lean Library (Off-Campus Access)
Lean Library is a browser extension for access and assistance. It enables more seamless access to OU Libraries’ online resources when searching on the open web by authenticating OU access to full text articles and journals that the libraries subscribes to, even when you are not on campus.
Lean Library also connects you to OU Libraries’ interlibrary loan request forms for articles that the libraries does not have full text access to. You will spend less time figuring out if you have access to information and more time researching!
Installing the extension is easy! Simply, download the Lean Library extension to your browser and select OU as your institution.
Bibliographic, Citation, and Reference Management Sofware
Bibliographic management tools, also know as reference managers or citation managers, allow you to gather, organize, cite, and share all types of research sources in multiple citation formats.
University Libraries currently supports and recommends Zotero, a tool that helps you collect, organize, and cite your research.
For detailed instructions on using Zotero (including an installation demonstration video), please see our Zotero research guide. If you have questions, need help using Zotero, or are interested in scheduling a workshop for your group or class, please contact your liaison librarian.
PowerNotes
PowerNotes is a browser extension that allows you to annotate and highlight PDFs and webpages that are relevant to your research. With PowerNotes, you’ll be able to gather, organize, and keep track of your research all in one place!
PowerNotes is available to all OU users through the Libraries educational license.
Our PowerNotes expert is Ashley Smith, OU Libraries’ Student Success & Engagement Librarian. Reach out to Ashley if you have any questions!
Assignment Calculator
Break down your assignments into manageable steps with this interactive planning tool. Simply enter your due date, and the calculator provides a customized timeline to help you stay on track from research to final submission.