The Olin Library collection is supplemented by the larger Minuteman Library Network (MLN) collection, Babson and Wellesley, and Interlibrary Loan.
Everyone at Olin automatically receives MLN membership upon joining Olin, allowing them to instantly check out physical items at every MLN-member library, including Olin.
To take full advantage of Library resources, activate your online MLN account. This gives you 1-click requests for physical books to be delivered to Olin; account management & renewal requests, and access Olin content in Libby.
The best way to find any book is through worldcat.org, which has catalog data from most libraries in the united states and many in other countries.
To request any book outside of Olin, Minuteman, or BOW collections, submit an ILL request and we will get it for you.
Course Reserves
What are “Course Reserves”?
Course Reserves are books and materials used in that semester’s classes. At least 1 copy of each required and recommended book goes on the Reserves shelf for the current semester. This provides students an alternative to purchasing their course books, serving both an economic and an environmental need.
Items are “reserved” for student use, which means they can only be borrowed for 3 hours at a time. Register your loan/return on the paper sign-out sheet on the shelf. This allows us to track usage and ensures student access during non-staffed hours.
Borrow and return items directly to their shelf section. This ensures continuous access for everyone in your class.
If you believe a book is missing, or if it is consistently unavailable due to high use, please tell a librarian. We’ll do what we can to get an extra copy as soon as possible. If this affects your coursework, you may also choose to notify your instructor.
Olin Collections
The Olin page of the MLN catalog is configured to show tabbed search results from both Olin’s collection and all other MLN collections.
Friendly advice: if you are on campus and able to come into the Library, we recommend against placing holds on Olin books. We collect holds once/day, Mon-Fri. If you have placed a hold on a book, and you decide to borrow it in person instead, just cancel the hold so that you will not be blocked from checking it out.
Minuteman Library Network
The Olin Library belongs to the Minuteman Library Network (MLN), which includes 40+ public libraries and 5 academic libraries in the greater Boston area. These libraries share a unified catalog, which displays search results from across the network AND items held at your home library (when it’s selected).
Everyone at Olin automatically receives MLN membership upon joining Olin, allowing them to instantly check out physical items.
This quick process has two large benefits, among others:
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Upon arrival, Library staff will notify you, check your item(s) out to you, and move it/them to the holds shelf at the Circulation Desk.
For technical reasons, as of 2024, the MLN catalog is fully separate from OlinScholar, our central eresources discovery site. Students are strongly encouraged to search both the catalog and OlinScholar, and/or consult with a librarian, for research projects.
Request books from any library in the network to be delivered to Olin. Deliveries come 2x/week and can be returned at Olin or any Minuteman Library. You can also use your Olin ID in person at any MLN branch.
Due dates are set by the lending library; they may be shorter or longer than Olin’s and must be adhered to.
About BOW Libraries
BOW students can easily register for borrowing privileges at all libraries. Registration is in-person only (remember your ID!). If you have trouble registering, ask to speak to the Circulation Librarian on duty. Please note the Wellesley Clapp Library is under construction until Summer 2025. Consult their website for access and collections updates.
Babson and Wellesley students who wish to borrow Olin books should email library@olin.edu to schedule a registration appointment (10-15 minutes). Please note: Olin’s A/V equipment is restricted to Olin-use only and is off-limits for Babson/Wellesley borrowing.
Exception: officially cross-registered students are considered Olin students for that semester and have no restrictions on their Olin Library account.
Interlibrary Loan
If you need a book, book chapter, or article and you cannot find it through MLN, fill out an Interlibrary Loan Request. We send the request to a nationwide network of libraries and ask them to fill it. We notify you when it arrives or if it is rejected (rare).
Standard arrival is 7-10 days for physical items and 1-5 days for electronic articles and chapters.
Due dates are set by the lending library; they may be shorter or longer than Olin’s and must be adhered to.
Due to copyright laws, we cannot ILL more than a single chapter of an ebook. In these cases, we recommend you request the physical book as well as - or instead of - the ebook.
Accessibility and Scanning Requests
If you have an accessibility need for an ebook or audiobook, first ask the Library (or request anonymously through Disability Services at Olin) to see if they can license a copy. This is the easiest and most clearly copyright-compliant option for you and Olin staff. All Olin-licensed ebooks are hosted on screen-reader compatible platforms. If you have screen reader issues, please tell The Library.
If we cannot get an ebook, you may request book scanning through the Disability Services at Olin (DSO).
DSO also provides access to SensusAccess, which allows students, faculty, staff, and alumni to automatically convert documents into a range of alternate media including audio books (MP3 and DAISY), e-books (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi), digital Braille, digital large-print, and BeeLine Reader. The service can also remediate inaccessible documents such as image-only PDF files, JPG pictures, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and LaTeX projects and deliver them into more accessible and less tricky formats. Furthermore, SensusAccess can translate documents from one language into another. The Olin community can start using SensusAccess easily by visiting https://oah.olin.edu/.