Libraries "Deliver" by Computer

If you want a CD from a downtown Amherst store, you have to go there to buy it. If you're hankering for a Thai meal, you must travel at least to Northampton for it. But if you want a book that's in a college library at Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, or UMass, you don't have to go farther than the nearest computer.

Thanks to the five college delivery service, which began last spring, MHC students, faculty, and staff can request books online without leaving campus. Requested books typically arrive here within two business days. The service has replaced interlibrary loan (ILL) for books within the five colleges, though ILL still fulfills other requests, including those for journal articles and items on microfilm.

Here's how to request a book using the online five college delivery service:

• search the five college online catalog (at telnet://lib.mtholyoke.edu, or from the library home page at http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/library/libhome.html);
• type "g" and the volume number of the item you want;
• enter your name and bar code;
• the status of the book will change to "request recorded" (a note will appear if your request cannot be fulfilled);
• a printed notice will be mailed to you when the book arrives.

You can also renew books and check the status of your requests online; ask a library staff person for details.