Orientation & Bibliographic Instruction
To assist patrons in finding materials in the Library, orientation sessions are conducted for new students at SMS and Borromeo Seminary. Bibliographic instruction sessions are also conducted upon request for other groups, such as the Permanent Deacons, Doctor of Ministry students, or at the request of an individual instructor. Orientation and bibliographic instruction sessions introduce not only the material resources and the tools of library research, but also discuss strategies guiding the selection of the appropriate search tool for the material being sought.
Reference Services
As is often the case, the most effective learning occurs during one-on-one instruction, within the context of a specific research goal. The reference staff will assist with:
- Locating appropriate materials in the print collection,
- Navigating through the online databases and ebook collections,
- Optimizing research strategies,
- Identifying specialized research materials,
- Locating quality resources and websites,
- Following proper bibliographic and footnote formats, and
- Securing technology assistance and wireless access.
Reserves
At the beginning of each semester, professors have the option of requesting that books in the circulating collection be moved to their “Reserve Shelf.” This transfer temporarily changes the book status to non-circulating or “Library Use Only” to ensure that all students in the class have access to the book, and to prevent the book from being monopolized by a single student. Reserve books can be found by locating the professor’s name, and the course abbreviation.
Interlibrary Loan
If there are resources unable from either the SMS Library or within the holdings of the OhioLINK consortium, please see the Library staff to request Interlibrary Loan services. While every effort is made to borrow from libraries that do not charge a lending fee, if there is a charge by the lending library, that fee is passed on to the patron.