How do I get a library card?
How do I renew my items?
What is my PIN? How do I change my PIN?
Who can use the library?
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 not owned by Olin College?
What's an ILL?
How do I place a hold on an item already checked out by someone else?
What can I ask the library to add to its collection?
What is the Olin Community Collection?
Can the library purchase a copy of textbooks for use by students in the library?
What is EZ Proxy and how does it work?
How do I get a library card?
For all current Olin 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 and change your PIN. Olin alumni as well as faculty and students from Babson and Wellesley Colleges may request a borrowing card which will serve as their library ID.
How do I renew my items?
To renew your items online, please go to
My Account and log in using your library ID that 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.
What is my PIN? How do I change my PIN?
Your PIN is the last 4 digits of the "LIB" number found on your ID. Once logged in, you may change your PIN, as well as view and renew items checked out to you.
If you forget your PIN or experience other difficulties, email us at
library@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. The library is open to all others from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, except on College holidays. Borrowing privileges are also extended to Olin College alumni/ae, and Babson and Wellesley community members upon request.
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 to Olin community members. To use the self check machine 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 thud before picking up the book. If the machine can't read the RFID tag inside the book (it does not read barcodes), please move the book around a little. 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. The above instructions will also appear on the screen. The system will email you a notification with due dates the next morning.
If the self-checkout machine is out of order, please use the manual check-out sheet in the orange folder on the counter, to your left, recording your name, item title, author, barcode (a 14-digit number starting with 32101 located on the front 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 and Wellesley) can check out other materials from the Olin College Library. Materials circulate for 4 weeks, unless otherwise indicated.
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 DO charge overdue fines for books returned late by Olin community members (that includes all ILL books).
How are items shelved in the library?
Items in the library catalog are assigned locations and call numbers. Maps (PDF: 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 not owned by Olin College?
You can request an ILL (Interlibrary Loan). 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 and how quickly other libraries respond to our request. Copies of journal articles usually arrive within a week of the request, and books may take longer. Please speak with a member of the library staff if you need an article more quickly.
You will be notified when your items arrive. Please note that these items may have different due dates than Olin items--and may be subject to fines if they are late!
What's an ILL?
ILL stands for InterLibrary Loan. If a book or journal article is not available in the Olin Library collection, 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 and how quickly other libraries respond to our request. Copies of journal articles usually arrive within a week of the request, and books may take longer. Please speak with a member of the library staff if you need an article more quickly.
How 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 "Hold" icon on the left. Enter your 16 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 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.
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. Send requests to
suggestions.library@olin.edu. Please see our
Collection Development Policy for more information.
What is the Olin Community Collection?
Each member of the Olin community can request one item for the library to purchase (one item equals one book, or one DVD, etc. In a multi-volume set, each volume counts as one item). The Community Collection forms are available at the main desk in the library.
Can the library purchase a copy of textbooks for use by students 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.
What is EZ Proxy and how does it work?
EZ Proxy is a web proxy server allowing access from outside the library’s computer network. With EZ Proxy you are able to access Olin’s databases without the use of a VPN. Simply click on a database and use your Olin login and password to gain access. Please contact us at
library@olin.edu with any questions or concerns.
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