Student FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions from Students
Library Policies
Finding Resources
Library Features
General Info
Why do we have to "swipe" our OneCards at the entrance?
We believe the slight inconvenience of swiping your OneCard through the turnstile reader is worth it! It benefits you – the LMU student. The Von der Ahe Library is an attractive library with good resources, so it draws the public. We don’t want you – our primary clientele – to compete with the public for library resources and study space to which you’re entitled. Also, controlling access keeps online subscriptions costs down. We pay for our electronic databases and e-journal subscriptions based on the total number of potential users – right now that means our campus community. We would have to pay more if we allowed the public at random to use these resources, too. One other important point -- we’ve had fewer stolen wallets and other petty crimes since we’ve begun controlling access. Lastly, you need your OneCard at the library anyway. You use it to check out books, do printing in the reference area, and make copies in the photocopy room. You can also add flexidollars to your OneCard at the dispenser in the library lobby.
Why can’t I get into a library database from off-campus?
Our electronic subscriptions require that we limit use to LMU community members only. When you are trying to access the library’s electronic databases and e-journals from off-campus, you’ll need to prove that you are a member of the LMU community – you do that with your name and barcode number/Library No. You name and barcode should automatically be in your library record in our system, but if not, either bring your OneCard to the Circulation Desk and they will add it, or call the Reference Desk at 310-338-2790 to add your information. It is also important to make sure your computer is configured to connect from off-campus . After that, whenever you’re at an off-campus computer and you want to access our e-resources, just enter your name and barcode/Library No. when the system prompts you.
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Why can’t I check out a video or DVD from the library?
The media collection must serve a large and varied community, and its main purpose is to support classroom instruction. Therefore, only faculty are allowed to take media items out of the library to use in their classes. However, we do make exceptions for students who need to use an item for a classroom presentation – we have a form that the student must fill out ahead of time, get the professor to sign indicating the purpose, and submit the form to the Media & Reserve Services Department. The student may then check out the video for a 3-hour period to use in class.
The Media & Reserve Services Department has plenty of carrels for students to watch videos and DVDs, listen to CDs, audiocassettes and LPs, or look at slides and CD-ROMs. The department is open all hours the library is open.
Who chooses what books, videos, and periodicals are in the library?
Historically, faculty have done most of the choosing, and still do a large part of it as they know best what subjects they are teaching and what materials you will need. Also, every librarian is responsible for a particular subject and collects library materials in that subject.
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Can students suggest books for purchase?
Absolutely. Students can make recommendations for book purchases here . We buy many of the books that students recommend. However, please don’t make anonymous recommendations.
If I’m not done with a book I checked out, can I renew it over the phone?
No, but you can renew it online. See the instructions for self-renewal. Keep in mind that if there is a “hold” on it, you won’t be able to renew it. A “hold” means another patron wants to check it out and is waiting for you to return it.
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My professor put something on “reserve.” How can I find it?
Reserves are the way your professor makes a limited item available for the whole class to use. There are two ways your professor can do this – by placing a book, video, or photocopy of an article on reserve in the Media & Reserve Services Department or electronically using the ERes ® system.
If your professor tells you to use ERes® , then go to the library’s home page and click on Find Course Reserves . Then follow the instructions for ERes ® or go directly to http://eres.lmu.edu/ . Click on “ Electronic Reserves and Course Materials ” and follow the path to your course. Make sure you have the course password designated by your professor. If you don’t have that, you can ask at either the Media and Reserve Services counter or at the Reference Desk.
If your professor is not using ERes ®, then go to the library’s home page and click on Find Course Reserves. Then, click on “ Reserve Lists ” by course or professor name. If you need to check out something from Reserves in the Library, please note that you will need your OneCard and that reserve items do not leave the library unless the professor has indicated otherwise.
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LINUS says the library owns the book or journal I want. Why can't I find it?
Please know that it’s important to us that you get the books you want. Here are some steps to follow which may help you find the item. First, is the book already checked out? LINUS will tell you when it is due back under “status.” Next, are you sure you’re looking in the right place? Call numbers can be tricky. Be sure you have written down the whole string of numbers and letters, not just the first few. If you’re sure you’re at the right shelf, scan nearby shelves. Maybe another student used the item and put it back in the wrong place. Also look at nearby “sorting shelves”. A “sorting shelf” is where items are put until library staff can re-shelve them in their proper location. Still can’t find the book or journal? Is the book too big for normal shelves? LINUS will tell you “ oversize ” as the location. Oversize books can be found at the beginning of the book collection – ground level, southwest corner. Is it mid-terms or finals or another busy time of year? If so, a student may be using the item somewhere in the library. Check the photocopy room. This is especially true if what you're looking for is a journal. Students can’t check out journals, but maybe a student took it to the photocopy room to copy an article and left it for re-shelving.
Most important – ask for help at the Circulation counter or the Reference Desk. If you’ve taken the above steps, a staff member will be happy to help you. If the book can’t be found, you can fill out a Search Request Card available at the Circulation and Reference Desks. Our Circulation staff will then look for the book numerous times over a few weeks or months. In the meantime, if the book is already checked out or “ on search ,” you’ll be able to borrow the book from another library through LINK+ , a service that allows us to lend and borrow books at other California libraries.
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How can I find out if the library has a particular journal?
That’s easy; go to the library’s home page . Click on “ Journal List .” Type in the name of the journal you want, or search by using the alphabet links. When you find the one you want, first notice the start and end dates. If there is a start date but no end date, the subscription is current and we’re still receiving it. You can also search LINUS . Enter the title of the journal. Again, look at the start and end dates. A start date, but no end date means a current subscription.
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After that, how do I find the journal?
While you’re still in the journal list and looking at the journal title you want, look at “location.” Or if you're in the LINUS record for that journal, look at the "location." A periodical may have multiple locations because we may receive it in print form, online in a database, or on microfilm. If the location is:
- a call number, it’s a journal in paper form and you’ll find the current, unbound issues in the periodicals stacks. Here are a couple of examples of what a call number for a journal looks like:
Daily Variety PN1993.D3
Savoy E185.5.E45
Urban History Review H127.U7
When we receive all of the unbound issues of a volume, we then bind it into a book. These older, bound journals are stored off-campus at the Iron Mountain storage facility, but are retrievable. To retrieve an article from a bound journal, go to LINUS. Do a title search for the periodical (not the article title!). You'll see a button that says " Request. " Complete the form and submit it online. Include the information requested on the form about the article you want. A photocopy of the article can be picked up in two days at the Circulation Desk. There are more detailed instructions for Iron Mountain retrieval .
- “ microfilm ” or “ microfiche ” -- go to the Media & Reserve Services Department and they’ll help you find the microfilm reel or fiche and show you how to use the microfilm/fiche reader/printer.
- “ Circulation ” – go to the Circulation counter; the staff will get it for you.
- “ Lexis ,” EBSCO ,” ProQuest ,” or just about anything else means the journal is online in one of our databases. Go to the Reference area and a reference librarian can help you search the databases for it. You’ll be able to print articles from the journal at the reference area computers.
An important hint: if the Journal List shows that the periodical is in print form (a call number) and in a database (like Lexis or EBSCO ), then don't request it from Iron Mountain. It's quicker to get the article online from the database.
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Why aren't all of the paper-form periodicals in the upper level periodicals stacks?
The library has simply run out of space. Something had to be stored off-site. The University Library Committee (a committee of faculty and students) decided that the bound periodicals should go to storage. But, they are retrievable as explained above. If you can’t find a journal, ask for help at the Reference Desk. We'll be glad to help you find it.
Why are some journals housed as individual issues, but others are bound volumes that look like books?
It’s for preservation and ease of use. Journals last longer when they are bound. Current issues are unbound individual issues. When all the issues of a volume have arrived, it is then sent to the bindery for binding and on to Iron Mountain Storage facility where it is kept until you need it.
If LINUS says a book is “ stored offsite ,” what does that mean?
It means the book has been stored off-campus at the Iron Mountain storage facility in Azusa, California. The book is retrievable, so request it by clicking on "request" when you're in the LINUS record for that title. The book will arrive from Iron Mountain in a couple of days and you can pick it up at the Circulation Desk.
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I heard that the library doesn't have much. Should I go to UCLA’s instead?
No! You heard wrong. But, University administration has generously funded the library materials budget in the last 15 years. We probably have what you need or can get it for you. Don’t waste your time driving to UCLA, paying for parking, and trekking around campus to the different libraries there. Instead, if you can’t find what you want here:
- Ask a reference librarian. Most of the time, it’s knowing how to find what’s here that makes the difference. Don’t assume just because you can’t find it that we don’t have it.
- Did you try LINK+ ? If we don’t have a book you want, LINK+ will. LINK+ is a group of 42 California and Nevada libraries which borrow and lend books to each other. To get to LINK+, search for a book in LINUS. Connect directly to LINK+ by pressing the LINK+ button in LINUS . Click on it and place your request to borrow the book. It’ll arrive at the Circulation counter in a few days and you can pick it up. It's free!
- If you need a journal article and we don’t have it in print, microfilm or online, we can order it for you through interlibrary loan services for $3.00 per article.
Does the library have wireless capability or ports for me to connect my laptop to the network when I'm in the library?
There are outlets and ports in three group study rooms on the ground level near the atrium stairs, and in open carrels in the northwest side of that floor (look for the signs above the carrels). Wireless connection to the campus network is also available throughout the library, as long as you have a wireless network card in your laptop computer.
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It can be very noisy in the library. Aren’t there designated quiet areas?
There are a few reasons for the noise. First, the three-story atrium allows noise to carry. Also, the building is too small for our student population, so there is heavy traffic almost everywhere in the library. Finally, although libraries must have quiet areas for individual study, they also need areas of collaboration, such as group study rooms and the reference area, and these generate noise. Our small building is crowded; we can’t easily keep the noisy areas separate from the quiet study areas. The quiet study room on the lower level is the best place to get away from noise as no talking, whispering, or typing is allowed.
What happens in Archives and Special Collections?
The area behind the glass wall on the lower level is the Department of Archives and Special Collections. It is the university's repository for rare books, manuscripts, and works of art. The department has original research materials on a broad range of subjects--from motion picture history, to the history of Los Angeles, to the history of LMU. The department also has a distinguished rare book collection and the largest picture postcard collection west of the Mississippi. Don't be put off by the closed door. It's not locked. Faculty and students are encouraged to use these collections either individually or as part of a class. When searching LINUS, if the location of an item says "SPEC COLL," then that's where you should go to get it--between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Materials do not circulate, but you are welcome to use them in the department's reading room. If you want to turn the pages of a fifteenth-century book, this is the place for you!
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I need a group study room. What if all of them are taken?
We know the group study rooms fill up fast. If your group needs a room and you see one occupied by only one person, feel free to ask him to leave. Or you can ask the staff at the Circulation counter to help you. If all the other group study rooms are filled with groups and your group must meet at a table in the open, please do so on the entry level in the reference area so that you won’t disturb others trying to study.
I prefer to use the Internet. Why should I use the library?
Because the Internet doesn't have everything you need. Most professors want you to use college level, scholarly materials in your studies. That means books and journals. You can't get these for free on the Internet. You get them in paper form and in online subscriptions in the library.
Keep in mind:
- Anyone can put information on the Web. There are no quality or accuracy filters. Contrast that with published books and referred scholarly journals.
- Websites skim the surface. The technology necessarily limits comprehensive, analytical approaches to complex ideas. You'll get that from books and journals.
- You get what you pay for. The Internet is free to you; so is the library. But, the library pays for paper and online journal subscriptions. Take advantage of those subscriptions for the highest quality, most current information.
- The Internet started in the late 1980s. Important knowledge was recorded prior to that and won't be found on the Internet. Access the world's knowledge base -- it's at the library.
- The Internet is like a shotgun - scattered hits and misses. The library's online indexes and the help of the reference librarian can ensure you get the best information quickly and efficiently.
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How can I understand the library better and feel more comfortable using it?
We know exactly how you feel; we were students, too. And libraries are only getting more complicated with all the different formats – books, journals, electronic journals, microfilm, CD-ROMs, and so many more. So, please, ask when you need help. Students often walk up to the reference librarian on duty and say “I’m sorry to bother you, but…” You don’t need to feel that way. That librarian is sitting there waiting for you. The librarian may seem engrossed in other work, but librarians bring other work to the Reference Desk only to stay busy until you walk up. So, walk up and ask.
What’s the difference between “periodicals,” “journals” and “magazines”?
Periodicals are items that are published more than once a year, for example, journals and newspapers which may come out quarterly, monthly, weekly or even daily. Journals differ from magazines in that they are scholarly and usually “refereed,” that is to say, other expert scholars in that discipline select the articles for the journal. Scholarly journals tend to be based on research performed by scholars, and provide a bibliography of the author’s sources. Magazines are considered popular, non-scholarly periodicals and are usually lighter in subject matter, frequently entertainment-oriented, with shorter articles often written by staff writers, or even without any author indicated.
I’m writing a paper and I need to cite an article I found in one of the online databases. How do I do that?
From the library homepage, click on “ Reference ” under "Services We Provide" ; then click on “ Style Guides .” Choose from APA, MLA, or Chicago. All three give you examples of how to cite an electronic source. If you have more questions, consult the reference librarian.
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