ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE BELFAST ONLINE LIBRARY TOUR

Outside the Foyer, you’ll find the book bin. Use this for returning books when the library isn’t open. We’re at the rear of the college- just upstairs from the canteen and resources department. Where we are:

Photocopiers II n the library foyer WW e have 3 copiers TT hey’re card operated TT hey can print double sided- ask our staff to show you! There’s a machine for topping up your print credit… …and one for buying copy cards to use with the photocopiers.

Inside the Library: The OPACs The OPACs (Online Public Access Catalogue) are just inside the library doors. This is where you’ll find the shelf mark for material you want to borrow. You can get access to the catalogue from any PC. Go to and follow the links forwww.smucb.ac.uk Academic > Library > Library Catalogue.

How to use the catalogue To perform a basic search on the OPAC, just enter the author’s second name, and the first word or two of the title of the book you want, and click “search”. Click on the title you want to borrow. Details of the item are up top. The “shelfmark” is the code used to identify the book you want. You’ll need to write the whole thing down. The “Loan Type” tells you how long you can borrow an item for, and will tell you where the item is to be found in the library. The “availability” tells you when a copy of each type will become available. “Copies” and “Loans” tell you how many copies there are for that Loan Type, and how many of those copies are on loan.

Loan types We have 3 main loan types: Main Stock- Can be borrowed for 3 weeks at a time. 1 Week Loans- Borrowable for 7 days at a time. Consultation- Can be borrowed for 3 hours at a time. You get them from different areas of the library. The next part of the guide shows you where to get them, but if you are having trouble finding something, just ask a member of staff.

The Issue Desk This is the issue desk. Please queue here to borrow, renew or return books. You must have your student card to borrow. You also come here for “Consultation” items, exam past papers, “Offprints.” All of these are available for a 3 hour loan period. You can also borrow one of the library’s 20 laptops, available for use in the library for up to 4 hours.

One-week loans Facing the issue desk are the One Week Loans. You can only borrow 3 of these at a time, for a week each… but they can be renewed just like other books. All one week loans should have a sticker to identify them as such.

The Stacks These bookshelves hold the Main loan books. They can be borrowed for 3 weeks. At the end of each row, there is a shelf guide. It tells you what type of books are on that row. If you’re having trouble finding something though, just ask! Numbers are downstairs, are upstairs.

The Help Desk Stressed? Lost? What’s an “offprint?” How do I reserve a book? I can’t use the library catalogue thing! How do I access e-journals? What *is* an e-journal? I want to book a study room so I can work with my friends! I don’t know how to get at the online resources! I can’t find this stupid book on the shelves! I can’t find *anything* about my dissertation topic! I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START WITH THIS ASSIGNMENT!!! Don’t panic… If you’re having any trouble using the library, want some pointers on how to get the most out of your assignments, or just need to book a study room, come and talk to our staff at the help desk. You’ll also notice that some of the things on the catalogues have prefixes to their shelfmarks, like P/ or F/ or M/. Staff at the help desk can help you find these sections.

Study Room Next to the study room, we have the oversized material. If your book reference has an F/ in front of it, it’s likely to be here. If you need to work on a project with people, you can book one of two study rooms in the library. The ground floor study room has a computer and a projector.

Journals We have a small collection of print journals, located just behind the main stairwell. They’re arranged alphabetically by title. The current issue is on the shelf. Lift the shelf and push it back for the previous year’s issues! You can take them out to photocopy, by filling in a form at the issue desk. Older issues are upstairs. We also have more than 4000 e- journals. Ask at the help desk, and we’ll show you how to get at them.

Computers We have plenty of computers for you to use. They can be found throughout the library, and there are 20 laptops available at the issue desk for use in the library. We have 2 student printers. Make sure you print to the library! The printer downstairs is black and white, and is called HP4200N_Library. The upstairs printer can print colour (at 15p/page), single and double sided. It’s called Dell5110_Lib.

Upper Floor At the top of the stairs, to the right, you’ll see older issues of journals. To the left, there are some computers. The library office is staffed for most of the day. Don’t be afraid to ask here for help.

The Upstairs Stacks “Main” books with shelf numbers are found upstairs. If you’re studying Arts, English, Geography or History, expect to spend some time up here over the course of your degree! You’ll also find teaching practice material at the back, along with media items like DVDs.

Our Regulations Noise Please respect your fellow students- do your talking outside the library. If you do talk, you’ll be asked to keep quiet by a member of staff. Phones Keep your phone on silent while in the library. Don’t answer or make calls. If you do, you’ll be asked to leave the library. Food & Drink You can bring bottled water into the library. No cans or cups of tea or coffee please. No food of any sort may be eaten in the library..

Ask A Librarian If you’re lost or can’t find what you want: Talk to one of our members of staff. Ask for help at the Help Desk Or Or Phone: