Student Handbook 2023-24 > Student Affairs and Resources > Library

Library

Library Mission Statement

The Olin College Library enables discovery, connection, and inclusion for all members of our community. We aim to enrich the educational experience for our students through free access to information and equipment. As the cultural heart of campus, we offer space, learning, and leisure opportunities for the continuous development of social consciousness and self-awareness. Through our unique resources and programming, we offer a gateway to explorations of engineering and a wider world.

Website: library.olin.edu
All-staff email: library@olin.edu
Detailed library use/”how do I…?” instructions: https://canvas.olin.edu/courses/349

Circulation Policies

Standard Loan Periods

• • Books + DVDS: 28 days
  • Course Reserves: 3 hours (use sign out/in sheet & return directly to shelf)
  • Board Games: 14 days
  • Library of Things Equipment (cameras, tools, etc.): 7 days

Use of LoT equipment for longer than one week requires library staff approval (we almost always say yes). Email library@olin.edu to request and confirm.

Power Drills and Tools

Power drills and hand tools in the lower-level workshop space can be used in the library for small, short projects that will not be disruptive to other students. They are meant to supplement what is available to you in the Shops, but the safety rules and practices used in the shops apply in the library, too. That means you are required to take, and wear, safety goggles in accordance with general campus safety policies and best practices. The library’s drills and hand tools on the lower level are intended for in-library use. If you need to borrow hand tools or drills, we circulate several toolkits and drill kits, available on the main floor near the elevator.

Overdue & Replacement Fees

We do not charge overdue or replacement fees. Please notify us if something is lost or damaged so that we can replace it – you will not be penalized!

Physical Books and Items

Olin is part of the Minuteman Library Network (MLN), a group of 40+ greater-Boston libraries. Olin students can use their MLN accounts to request items from any library in the network. Books are delivered to Olin twice each week. You can also use your Olin ID in person at any MLN branch.

The MLN catalog is unified, meaning that initial searches show results from all MLN libraries. To see Olin items only, select “Refine By > Location > Olin College” in your search results left-hand facet menu.

Catalog: minlib.net

Account setup instructions: https://library.olin.edu/ebooks.php

Ebooks

Ebooks and audiobooks are mainly located on two platforms: Libby (available through your MLN account, which must be activated on minlib.net first) and OlinScholar (the main search box on library.olin.edu). We try to purchase ebook versions of all required course books. Users looking for leisure reading/listening should explore Libby, as OlinScholar mainly has academic texts. 

Getting items outside MLN: Interlibrary Loan

If you need a book, book chapter, or article and you cannot find it through MLN, fill out an ILL Request. We’ll send the request to a nationwide network of libraries and notify you when it arrives. Typical arrival times are 7-10 days for physical items and 1-5 days for electronic articles and chapters. Due to copyright laws, we cannot ILL more than a single chapter of an ebook and will notify you that we’re requesting a physical copy.

Scholarly Research

You can find our academic databases and journals in the AtoZ  Database list: https://libguides.olin.edu/az.php. 

Everything in the AtoZ list (except Libby and the MLN catalog) is searchable in a single platform: OlinScholar (run by EBSCOHost). Start your OlinScholar search in the main box on library.olin.edu. 

OlinScholar results may show things that we don’t own. This is intentional! Our collection is small and we don’t want to present limited information. We encourage you to submit ILL requests for anything of interest. (You may limit to Olin-owned-only in the search results facets).

We are trained research professionals and encourage you to reach out to us with research questions. We never discuss your questions with instructors (or anyone else).

Stewardship

The library is one of the most creative and student-driven spaces on campus. We depend on every Oliner’s help to keep it as accessible and useful as possible. As a part of being a good Olin citizen, you are expected to leave every space at least as clean as you found it (bonus points if cleaner!). Project storage space is available in the lower-level workshop area, as well as in the workroom for larger projects. We require you to label stored projects with your name and expected removal date. If you are planning to use any part of the library for large-scale projects that may make it difficult for other community members to use a space, please contact the library staff (library@olin.edu).

Events

Our library is a flexible space available for faculty, staff, and students to study, to work together, to create, and to relax. We ask for advanced notice for organized events, especially those bringing in food or rearranging furniture, purely to avoid scheduling conflicts and to ensure an enjoyable library experience for all. The library works best as a space for events where the entire community is invited, and we ask that more private gatherings occur on the lower level of the library, or in team rooms. We do NOT use Ad Astra, please contact us directly instead.

Patron Privacy

The right to privacy and freedom of intellectual pursuit are core values of the Olin College Library and the library profession as a whole. We maintain the privacy of patron circulation records as recommended by the American Library Association and will not disclose these records, either casually or upon request. Requests for research or reference consultation will also remain confidential. Records containing information about patrons are kept to the bare minimum needed to maintain library workflows.

A Note on Our Collection

Because of the size of the college and ever-changing curriculum at Olin, we've chosen to pursue a "just in time" strategy for acquiring and retaining content instead of building collections "just in case" they're needed. This approach leverages our network borrowing powers, interlibrary loan processes, and the model of patron-driven acquisition. The Olin College Library is a member of the Minuteman Library Network and has reciprocal borrowing arrangements with Babson and Wellesley. We will consider adding many types of items to our circulating collection, from Wacom tablets to binoculars. Submit purchase requests here: https://library.olin.edu/purchase.php.