Frequently Asked Questions
What's an ILL? How do I request one? How do I get a book from a library not in the consortium?
Who do I see with a copyright question?
What is my PIN? How do I change my PIN?
How do I check out library materials?
How long can I check out library materials?
Does the library charge fines??
How are items shelved in the library?
Where can I find a map of the library?
What can I do if the material I want to use is in the catalog, but belongs to another library?
What do I place a hold on at item already checked out by someone else?
How can I find out what e-books the library owns?
What can I ask the library to add to its collection?
Can the library purchase a copy of textbooks for use by students or TAs in the library?
What's an ILL? How do I request one? How do I get a book from a library not in the consortium?
ILL stands for InterLibrary Loan. If a book or journal article is not available through the WEBNet Consortium, the Library staff will be happy to process an ILL request for you. Simply fill out this form with as much information as possible. It's important to remember that ILL requests take time, depending on the availability of the item. Copies of journal articles usually arrive within a week of the request, and books may take longer. Speak with a member of the library staff if you need an article more quickly.
Who do I see with a copyright question?
Please ask any library staff member your copyright question. If a particular staff member does not handle your particular copyright question, she/he will know who to ask. Also, copyright questions may be e-mailed to: library@olin.edu.
How do I get a library card?
For all Olin current students, faculty, and staff, your Olin College ID is also your library card. Your library ID is printed on your Olin ID card, after the letters "LIB". It should be a 16-digit number beginning with "221019". Your PIN is the last 4 digits of your library ID. You may use your Library ID and PIN in the Olin College catalog to view and renew items checked out to you, change your pin, and request items from other WEBnet Consortium libraries (Babson College, Pine Manor College, and Regis College). Olin alumni and Brandeis and Wellesley faculty may request a borrowing card which will serve as their library ID. Members of the WEBnet consortium libraries need only show their college ID.
What is my PIN? How do I change my PIN?
Your PIN is the last 4 digits of your library ID. Once logged in, you may change your PIN, view and renew items checked out to you, request items from other WEBnet libraries or request items which are currently checked-out, and use other features.
If you forget your PIN or experience other difficulties, e-mail us at library.tech@olin.edu.
Who can use the library?
The library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all current students, faculty, and staff of Olin College, and to current cross-registered students. The library is open to all others from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, except on College holidays. Borrowing privileges are also extended to valid ID-holders of the WEBnet Consortium colleges (Babson College, Pine Manor College, and Regis College), to Olin College alumni/ae, and to Brandeis University and Wellesley College faculty upon request. Olin alumni/ae and Brandeis and Wellesley faculty may request a borrowing card. WEBnet consortium ID-holders should simply show their ID to a staff-member or student worker.
How do I check out library materials?
Because the library is open to members of the Olin community 24 hours a day but not staffed during all hours, a self-checkout machine is available so Olin community members can check out their own books.
To begin using the self check machine, choose “Magnetic Strip” and insert your Olin ID card into the machine. Place the book spine side in and right side up on the machine, and wait until you hear a click before picking up the book. If you have more books to borrow, place them one at a time on the machine. You do not need to reinsert your card each time.
When you have finished checking out all your books, press the # button to print out a receipt with all the books and due dates. The above instructions will also appear on the screen.
If the self-checkout machine is out of order, please use the manual check-out sheets in the orange folder on the counter, recording your name, item title, author, barcode (a 14-digit number starting with 32101 located on the back or inside back cover of the book), and date borrowed. Borrowers without an Olin ID card need to speak to a library staff member to check-out books.
How long can I check out library materials?
Reference materials and journals may not be taken outside the library. Currently, only those with Olin ID cards and members of schools with whom Olin College has reciprocal agreements (Babson, Pine Manor, Regis, and Wellesley) can check out other materials from the Olin College Library. Materials circulate for 4 weeks, unless otherwise indicated.
Reserve books may be checked out for 3 hours by Olin users only. All others must use reserve books within the library. Audio-visual materials that are not on course reserve may be checked out for 3 days.
How do I renew my books?
Books can be renewed through the library catalog. Click on “renew my materials”. You will need to enter your 14 digit library ID number (found on your Olin ID card, after the word "LIB") and your PIN. If you do not know your PIN number, try the last 4 digits of your library ID. If that does not work, email library@olin.edu to get your PIN number. You can also ask a library staff member to renew your books.
Does the library charge fines?
The Olin College Library does not currently charge any overdue fines. However, book borrowers may be charged for replacement of lost or damaged books. Please note that other libraries in the WEBnet consortium DO charge overdue fines for books returned late by Olin community members.
How are items shelved in the library?
Items in the library catalog are assigned locations and call numbers. Maps (upper level and lower level) are available to help you find specific locations. The Library uses the Library of Congress call numbering system. Each book in our collection is assigned a unique call number, and these call numbers appear on the spine of books. Materials are arranged in the stacks by these call numbers.
Where can I find a map of the library?
What can I do if the material I want to use is in the catalog, but belongs to another library?
Olin College uses a catalog which is shared by all members of the WEBnet Constortium (Babson College, Pine Manor College, and Regis College). To obtain an item from any of them, simply place a hold on that item in the catalog (Be sure to specify that you want the item delivered to the Olin circulation desk!) You will be notified when it arrives. Please note that these items may have different due dates than Olin items--and may be subject to fines if they are late!
What do I place a hold on an item already checked out by someone else?
You may place a hold on this item by looking it up in the library catalog and clicking on the “Request Item” button (you may have to click on “Details” first). Enter your 14 digit library ID (found on your Olin ID card) and PIN to place the hold. A library staff member can also place a hold for you.
Items that are placed on hold will be reserved for you at the Olin College Library Circulation Desk for 7 days. You will receive an email notice when your requested items are available.
If you need an item urgently, please speak to a librarian about the other options as we may be able to recall the item, borrow it for your through interlibrary loan, or obtain another copy of it. However, our privacy policy prohibits us from telling you who has the item checked out.
How can I find out what e-books the library owns?
The library subscribes to two e-book collections: ebrary and NetLibrary. You can search each database individually for the items you need, or you can search both at once via the library catalog. We also have access to over 50,000 e-books that are shared among the five libraries in the consortium. These are called "Electronic Government Documents" and may be searched separately in the library catalog.
To search for e-books in the library's catalog, go to the library catalog, and select "Item Type=Electronic Book" from the drop-down menus. You can add search terms to narrow your search. You can also enter “#0” as a keyword to see all items available.
In addition, you can narrow your search to Olin's holdings by selecting "Library=Olin" from the drop-down menus. This will leave out all of the "Electronic Government Documents," because they are collectively owned by all the libraries. However, it is useful if you want to see Olin's e-book holdings holdings only.
What can I ask the library to add to its collection?
The library collects books, media, journals and realia across a number of subject areas. Members of the Olin community are welcome to suggest or request items for the collection. The library staff will evaluate suggestions against our current collection, our budget, and the fit of the requested item with our collection development policy. E-mail requests to suggestions.library@olin.edu. Please see our Collection Development Policy for more information
Can the library purchase a copy of textbooks for use by students or TAs in the library?
For a variety of reasons, the library does not routinely purchase textbooks for the library collection. Specific titles will be purchased, however, if a faculty member requests them for course reserves.
© 2008 Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering