Helpful Research Hints Using the MAC Library Web Page

ACCESSING MAC LIBRARY:

• Go to MAC website
• Click on “Library” (at the top of the website, toward the right, in red)

TO ACCESS RESEARCH DATABASES:

BEST WAY TO FIND BOOKS:

Use “BOOKS IN PRINT”:

• Follow the steps to access MAC Library (above)
• Click on “Research Tools and Other Links”
• Click on “Books in Print”
• In the “Search” box, click on one of the following: “keyword,” “title,” “word in title,” Author,” or “ISBN”
• Type your search in within the box
• Hit enter
• You should now have a list of books on your topic (or a list of the various printings of one particular book if that is what you have chosen to find). Your job is to now either click on these titles and review the summaries and/or contents of these books to see whether they are conducive to your research.
• Should a particular book be one that you want to check out of the library, you can add it to the “My List” section of “Books in Print.” (NOTE: If you do not have a “My List” set up, you can quickly set up a file with “Books in Print.” There is no charge for this service and all the books you place on your list will remain there until you delete them. HINT: Having this list could become a backup record keeping system for your research program.)

NEXT : Should you want to check out one of these books from MAC:

• Print out your list of books
• Go back to the MAC Library Home Page
• Click on “Search MAC's Library Catalog”
• In red, you will see “”Advanced Keyword,” “Title,” “Author,” “Journal Title,” “Author and Title,” etc. (See below for other types of searches including call numbers, IBSNs, etc.). CHOOSE one of these fields and click on it.
• Plug in your information
• Hit enter

NEXT (What to do if MAC HAS the book; What to do if MAC does NOT have the book.)

• If MAC HAS the book, copy or print the retrieval information and find the book in the library.
• If MAC does NOT have the book, CLICK on “MOBIUS” and follow the instructions below.

TO ORDER A BOOK FROM MOBIUS (this is a free service):

• Mobius will probably have the book you're looking for. If so, the screen will indicate that the book is in the Mobius collection.
• CLICK on the book you've just brought up on screen.
• CLICK on “Request this Item.”
• SELECT “GALAHAD” as your cluster.
• Hit “Submit.”
• Enter your name and your id (your social followed by MAC)
• Choose “GALAHAD” as your “Pick up cluster”
• Choose “Mineral Area Library” as your “Pick up location.”
• Hit “Submit”
• You will now see a screen (usually and hopefully!) that says “Your request [. . .] was successful.”
• If tragedy befalls you and your attempt to request a Mobius book is not successful, you can do one of two things : 1) Wait and retry the attempt at a later date. You would take this step in most cases because usually a book is unavailable because it is checked out by another patron of the lending library—the computer screen will let you know if this is the case.

2) Ask the MAC librarian for assistance. You may, for some unknown reason, be locked out of the MAC library system, and the librarian can get you back in.

Other important information about checking out books.

MAC does not notify you when a book you've requested via Mobius has come in. You must check with the library to see whether it has arrived—you may call the library at 518-2141 or you may check with the circulation desk when you are on campus to see if your book is in. MAC's librarian has told me that the arrival time for a Mobius book is usually 3 to 5 days.

Most books are loaned to students for three week periods. Loan times with Mobius may, on occasion, vary. However, most Mobius books are also loaned for three weeks.

WHAT TO DO IF MOBIUS DOES NOT HAVE YOUR BOOK:

Unfortunately, at this time ILL (Interlibrary Loan) is NOT available through MAC—at least not through their web page. The librarian informs me that typically MAC students can find what they're looking for via MAC or MOBIUS. HOWEVER, should you desperately need a book that is not available via MAC or MOBIUS, you may have to look for it on Amazon.com or Half.com, etc.