• Where are the different library buildings located and what makes each unique?
  
• How can I access the Libraries' web site?
  
• What services do the Libraries offer?
  
• How can I find out what books and other materials the Libraries own?
  
• Can I renew my books without bringing them back to the library?
  
• If I need journal articles, how do I find them?
  
• When I need assistance, who can I ask?

Where are the different library buildings located and what makes each unique?

There are four Libraries of The Claremont Colleges: Honnold/Mudd Library, Denison, Seeley G. Mudd, and Sprague. You will find a map showing the locations of these four buildings on the campuses.

Honnold/Mudd, at 8th and Dartmouth, across the street from Huntley Bookstore, is the largest of the four Libraries of The Claremont Colleges. It has collections in humanities and social sciences. The Government Publications collection in Honnold/Mudd includes materials published by the U.S. government, the State of California, and international organizations like the United Nations. Asian Studies houses collections of material supporting research in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean social sciences and humanities fields. Special Collections houses unique and rare items such as medieval manuscripts, early printed books, modern fine printing, and the archives of The Claremont Colleges. Librarians are available to provide reference assistance in using materials in all of these collections.

Denison Library, on the Scripps College campus, specializes in art history and women's studies. Most collections are in the humanities. Denison's Special Collections include the Scripps College archives, the Macpherson Collection on the history and achievements of women, and many examples of fine press and artist books in the Rare Book Room.

Seeley G. Mudd Science Library, on the Pomona College campus, houses collections in the sciences--astronomy, biology and life sciences, chemistry, geology, and physics. The Woodford Library collection includes rare and important books in the field of geology.

Sprague Library, on the Harvey Mudd campus, collects materials in engineering and technology, mathematics, and computer science.

You will find the web site for the Libraries of The Claremont Colleges at http://libraries.claremont.edu . Think of this web site as the fifth library available to you as a student at The Claremont Colleges. It provides access to hundreds of research databases, electronic journals, and other resources you will use to complete class assignments and is probably the library you will use most often.

Most resources on the Libraries web site are available to you anywhere at The Claremont Colleges. But what about your trip to Mexico for spring break? If you still have some work to do on a research assignment, can you access the Libraries' web site while you're on vacation?

Yes, you can! Your college ID card--the same card you use to get meals in your dining hall--is also your library card. You will use it to check out books and access some of the services the Libraries provide for students at The Claremont Colleges. You can also use it to log in to the Claremont Colleges proxy server and access library databases from anywhere in the world. You will find more information on accessing electronic resources when off campus on the Libraries web site.

You'll find a detailed list of library services for undergraduate students on the Libraries web site. Listed below are some of the services that you may want to know about right away.

• Circulation: Each of the libraries has a circulation desk where you can check out library materials. This is also the desk where you should take you student ID if you are having trouble using it to access any of the Libraries' resources or services.
   
• Reserves: Each of the Libraries has a reserves section. Your professors may put materials on reserve for your classes. Sometimes materials are placed on reserve in the library; sometimes materials are placed on reserve using the Libraries' electronic reserves system, ERes.
   
• Research Assistance: Reference librarians and research assistants in each of the libraries can help you find and use the information you need. Librarians staff the service desks during posted hours. You can also make an appointment to meet with a librarian subject specialist or use the Libraries' 24/7 email and chat services.
   
• Interlibrary Loan (ILL): When you need materials that are not owned by the Libraries, you can use Link+ to request books from other libraries in California. When you need articles in journals not available in the Libraries or books not available through Link+, use the Libraries' online ILL request form.
   
• Copy Center: The Copy Center, located in Honnold/Mudd Library, provides a variety of photocopying and other services. To print from a library computer, you must use a copy card, which you can purchase in the Copy Center and at the campus libraries. These copy cards can also be used in the photocopy machines around the libraries.

Blais is the Libraries' online library catalog. You will find a link to it on every page of the Libraries' web site. Use Blais to find out what books, journals, videos, electronic resources, and other materials are held in the four Libraries of The Claremont Colleges (Denison, Honnold/Mudd, Seeley G. Mudd, Sprague).

My Blais allows you to manage your own library account. You can view information about books you have checked out as well as those requested through Link+, renew your books, and save preferred searches. You can also modify your email address so that notices you may receive from the Libraries--for example, about a book you've requested--will reach you at the email address you use most often.

You will find a link to My Blais on the main menu page of Blais. You may want to check now to be sure your email address is correct. Here's how:

• Sign in to My Blais, using your name as it is printed on your college ID card and your 10-digit college ID number. Be sure to include all 10 digits; if there are any spaces or dashes, leave those out so the number is 10 consecutive digits. (If you have problems signing in, ask staff at the Circulation Desk in any of the Libraries to verify your library account information.)
• View the email address in your library account by clicking on the Modify Personal Information button.
• Check the email address in the EMAIL ADDR box. If it's not your preferred email, or if there's no email address in the box and you would prefer to receive library notices by email, type in your email address and click the Submit button.
• If you're using a public computer (in the library or computer lab), be sure to log out of your my Blais account when you're done.

Although there is lots of information freely available on the web through search engines like Google, when you need to find scholarly articles, written by experts and based on research, the Libraries web site gives you access to hundreds of databases which index articles in scholarly journals and other scholarly materials. Most databases provide links to the full text of those articles when it is available.

To choose the best sources for your research, you may want to first browse through the information in the research guide for your subject. On the databases page you will find a list of subjects; each list includes the most important databases for that subject. If you already know the name of the database you want to search, you can use the alphabetical listing, also available on the databases page.

Staff in all four libraries are ready to answer your questions. If they cannot provide the assistance you need, they will refer you to someone who can. Reference librarians and research assistants in each of the libraries can help you find and use the resources you need. Librarians staff the service desks during posted hours. You may also make an appointment to meet with a librarian subject specialist or use the Libraries' 24/7 email and chat services. If you have problems using the Libraries web site, email the web administrator; you will find an email link at the bottom of most pages on the Libraries' site.