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SMART board room in O'Shaughnnesy-Frey Library with table, white board, and SMART board

Services

Study Room Renovations!

New features are available in O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library study rooms 321 and 322! The St. Thomas Libraries and The Susan S. Morrison School of Nursing collaborated to renovate the third-floor study rooms and added smart boards, whiteboards, and converted walls into drawable surfaces.

Dr. Sheila Yeh, the Associate Vice Provost for University Libraries and Online Education, was pleased with this collaboration. She said “It’s important that we advanced these two group study rooms based on student feedback. These types of spaces, that support broader student successes, also align with Gen Z’s preferences.”

Jessica Nelson, the Student Success Director at the Susan S. Morrison School of Nursing, said “We encourage our students to utilize a variety of learning techniques when they approach their studies. The large writing spaces allow for kinesthetic and visual learners to mind map, chart, and illustrate course materials in an engaging way that will support long-term retention of information.”

All students are welcome to reserve and use this space. Need whiteboard markers? The O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library has whiteboard markers available for check out.

Interested in reserving one of these study rooms for your next study session? Here’s how!

From the library homepage, click on “Reserve a Study Room” on the top right hand corner:

Choose the study room location that works for you:

Red sections of the calendar are already reserved. Green sections are available – the revamped study rooms are on the bottom of the calendar under OSF Smart boards:

Select the time you’d like to reserve – the calendar will mark it in yellow as “pending”, slick “submit times”:

Double-check that the hours are what you wanted, and review the terms & conditions

You’ll be able to reserve the booking under any name you decide – many students choose a name their study group will recognize. Click “submit my booking” and your reservation will be confirmed via email.

When you get to the library, head to the front desk and let the friendly library staff person know that you have a booking – they’ll get you a key to the study room. Happy Studying!

February 22, 2023 by Conrad Woxland

Services

More Improvements Coming to LibrarySearch and Interlibrary Loan

Hopefully you noticed the changes we made this summer which simplified Interlibrary Loan options and expanded content available to request within LibrarySearch. We’re rolling out more improvements at the beginning of the new year on January 4. New request options will look something like this:

described new request options for ILL

There will also be a new method in LibrarySearch to expand your options beyond just what St. Thomas and our consortium has available. If your search turns up empty, try the new options to expand your search at the top of your search results:

expand your search message

This expansion of your search will give you citations for most academic journal articles, books chapters from a large number of electronic books, and – new in January – physical items of partner libraries in our new national network. The new best way to make ILL requests is to “expand your search” and request directly from the citation with the new request options. It saves you time since you don’t have to manually enter data, which also makes your request more accurate and likely to be filled more quickly by our partner libraries.

Speaking of partner libraries, we are also now participating in a new network for digital requests with an average turnaround time under 24 hours.

There are many benefits to you from the new changes:

Know how quickly your interlibrary loan request will be delivered
Know how long you can keep physical items from interlibrary loan
Receive your digital requests faster: normally within 24 hours
Navigate LibrarySearch easier with a better visual layout for requesting options
Request from a citation in LibrarySearch to avoid time spent on manual data entry; data is pulled automatically from the citation
Search a much larger expanded index which now includes physical materials
Access all of your loans and requests in one library account, your LibrarySearch account
Download interlibrary loan digital materials directly from your library account under “Requests”

Let us know what you think of our new changes at libillosf@stthomas.edu.

December 16, 2021 by Greg Argo

Services

New Interface for Interlibrary Loan Requests

Beginning July 7, the interface for interlibrary loan (ILL) requests will switch from ILLiad to LibrarySearch (previously known as CLICsearch) as part of the migration to our new consortium MnPALS. Existing ILL loans will still be visible through the legacy ILLiad interface; This view-only access to your ILLiad account will be phased out at the end of the year.

Integrating the ILL functionality into the catalog allows:

One library account: All your requests going forward will be consolidated and visible in LibrarySearch
Easier requesting: find the citation in our large search index and place requests without entering data manually
Faster fulfillment: Joining MnPALS means more direct connections to more libraries on a shared courier, including CLIC Libraries, University of Minnesota, Minnesota State University Mankato, and more.

The interlibrary loan form will be available on items in the catalog which we don’t own, as a blank form at the top of the catalog, and in its current location on the library Website under Quicklinks.

Requests can be managed in LibrarySearch under your library account under the Requests tab. You can limit the view by Request Type, or view all your different types of requests (holds on St. Thomas items, digitization requests on St. Thomas physical materials, and interlibrary loan requests).

Library Account showing where to find ILL requests you have placed

More improvements will be implemented later this year, including the addition of an extended index which will include physical materials for libraries beyond our consortium, 24-hour turnaround time for article and book requests on weekdays, and transparency in requesting terms (how many days you can have the material and how long will it take to receive) and fulfillment steps that mirror familiar e-commerce features.

July 7, 2021 by Greg Argo

A student sits behind a desk, the plexiglass barrier is decorated with lights. There is a white board that says "Peer Research Assistants" next to the desk

O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Services

New Service! Peer Research Assistants

The University Libraries are excited to announce our new Peer Research Assistants program. Our Assistants are undergraduate students who have been trained in library research strategies and techniques as well as library resources and services.

The Assistants are located at the east side of the Tech & Research Desk in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey library – look for the whiteboard and lights. They are available for drop-in research help Monday – Friday 10 am – 6pm (5 pm on Fridays). We’re planning on extending those hours soon.

Wondering what kinds of help you can get from a Peer Research Assistant? We asked Josie Morss, one of our PRAs, to fill you in:

For much of my shift I spend most of my time sitting. I never turn down a good ol sit, but revel in the exercise of brain power and properly stretching my legs. Before you walk past me next time consider me the person with answers – or the person that will lead you on the path toward them.

Feel free to poke my brain about any of the following:

A CLICsearch driver
CLICsearch is a resource that helps you find all the library’s treasures. The books. The articles. The videos. And more. It’s a user-friendly tool that makes finding books, articles, and reviews so much easier. You’re given a golden opportunity to master this site on your own time. If you’re not into mastery though, worry not because myself and the rest of the Peer Research Assistant folks are embarking on our black belt mastery skills. If you don’t want to find it – we can.

Research & Librarian Guides
College research projects are hard work. They require tons of time, extreme effort, and meticulous planning. The hardest part though is usually figuring out where to start. I could certainly give you the highlight reel of the library guides based on what’s beneficial for you. The databases could be of help in the wake of such a project, but if hungry for more knowledge I could definitely slide over a business card of our subject librarians – who specialize in different fields – and who would love nothing more than to help you dive deeper into learning.

Printing Problems
I’m no computer wiz, but when our tech experts are off-duty or helping someone else, I’m the inevitable stand in. Computers are confusing and the printing process doesn’t make it any easier. If you find yourself getting in fights with our sometimes uncooperative technology. Give me a holler and I’ll be sure to ease your frustrations with a friendly introduction to print.stthomas.edu and it’s army of printers.

The Human Map
If you’re directionally challenged, like me, eagerly attempting to locate a bathroom, or on the hunt for a building you’ve never explored look no further than to me. I’m able to point you in the right direction (most of the time). If you come to me in search of a bathroom I’d tell you that every floor in O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library is graced by its presence, except the main floor. If confused on how to find a specific building, I will be sure to nudge you in the right direction. Just like Dora’s close friend the map – I will help get you where you need to go.

February 18, 2021 by

News & Events, Services

Ask a Librarian – anytime and from anywhere

Ask a Librarian is a vital service available to anyone at St. Thomas to get help with many different questions about the library and research.

Wondering what kinds of questions to ask a librarian? Here are a few examples:

How do I start a research project?
How can I find a specific book or article?
How do I know if an article or book is a good one to use?
How do I cite a source in my bibliography?
What types of sources would be good for my project?
How do I know if an article is peer-reviewed?
I’m trying to find research on a topic and I’m just not finding any, what should I do?
I’m trying to find research on a topic and I have way too many results, what do I do?
I found an article on my topic but it’s too old, how do I find something newer?
How do I know if I’ve found enough sources for a research assignment?
I want to look through a specific journal, do you have it?
I have an interview with a company, how can I find out more information about that company?

To get answers to these and other library questions, use our Ask a Librarian Service.

Connect with a St. Thomas librarian!

You can connect with a librarian via the Chat tool (purple box at bottom right of the library page) or simply send a text (651-504-1324).

St. Thomas librarians will be available to answer Ask a Librarian questions

Monday-Thursday 10:00am – 10:00pm
Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday 1:00 – 5:00 pm

What if you have questions outside those hours?

No worries! We are part of a cooperative reference service called AskMN. That means that during off-hours, our chat and text messages are answered right away by other academic librarians around the country (and in exchange, some of our librarians answer questions from students at other libraries around the country). If the other librarians can’t fully answer your question, they’ll pass it along to us and we’ll get back to you when we’re back.

You can also ask a librarian via Email.

Email a librarian anytime or use our Ask a Librarian form and we’ll answer within one business day.

Don’t forget about Research Consultations with a subject librarian!

Our subject librarians are experts in the tools and resources for their subjects. They are available to meet with you to help with in-depth questions via Zoom, phone, or email: whatever works best for you! Don’t know who your subject librarian is? Check our Subject Librarian page to find your librarian and how to contact them.

October 13, 2020 by

Circulation, Services

Physical Course Reserves COVID-19 Policy

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes which affect our physical course reserves services as on campus classes resume. To keep library patrons and staff safe, the Libraries’ policy is to quarantine all materials that have been used for 72 hours, as recommended by the CDC and IMLS, who are performing studies determining how long the virus is detectable on various library materials. We will still offer a physical reserves option, but the quick turnaround of one copy for multiple users will no longer be possible, and therefore reduce the benefit of using physical Course Reserves.

All physical Course Reserves materials will be quarantined after each use for 72 hours with no exceptions.

Some strategies faculty and the Libraries should use to mitigate the need for physical Course Reserves during the pandemic are included below. For help with any of these services, find contact info for course materials staff at our different libraries.

Choose an alternative reading or video from our electronic and streaming collections. Your subject liaison librarian can help.
If we can buy an electronic version of the title requested, we will and will offer that instead of the physical version.
For books, if only a fair use portion of the work would suffice, we will digitize that portion instead of checking out the material. This will not apply to videos or audio. Contact the Head of the Music & Media Collections for help cbadillame@sthomas.edu with questions about media.
If the material is in print and available for purchase, students should be encouraged to purchase their own copy.
Instructor personal copies can be added as additional copies available for checkout.
Our Course Materials staff are available to work with you to create a Resource List with electronic materials and make it available in your Canvas course.

August 5, 2020 by Greg Argo

A library staff member wearing a mask gives a patron a book via a cart during COVID-19

Circulation, CLICsearch

Circulation Procedures During Library Building Closure

The library buildings are closed due to COVID-19 safety precautions, but we can still loan you physical materials if you are able to come to the library to pick them up. Here is what you need to know:

Place hold request(s) for St. Thomas items in CLICsearch. If the item has no request option, it cannot be requested. Call if you’d like assistance: (651) 962-5494. Sorry, no walk-up requests can be accepted. Only library staff may be in the library buildings at this time.
Wait to receive an email in your St. Thomas email inbox letting you know your request is ready to be scheduled for pickup. The email will include instructions about the pickup location and how to arrange a pickup time. * Note that we currently have no courier service to deliver books between the different libraries, so you will have to pick up items from their home library location.
Call to schedule a pickup time between 10 AM and 2 PM Monday through Friday. It may take up to 2 business days to process your request. Same-day service is unlikely.
Come to the library location to pickup materials, and follow the instructions you’ve been provided via email to let staff know you are here to pickup your materials. Procedures may vary depending on pickup location.
Follow instructions to return materials. Books can be deposited in the book drops at the OSF and Ireland Libraries. Keffer Library items can be returned where they were picked up. Do not deposit media items like DVDs and CDs in the book drops as they can be damaged or destroyed. To return media items, come to the library between 10-2 Monday through Friday and call the number listed on the front door to return items. We will open the door for you to drop them off.

Please note:

We are following CDC guidelines on quarantining and disinfecting materials, but the ultimate responsibility for your personal safety lies with you. Books and media cases can be wiped down with disinfectant wipes. However, do not use disinfectant wipes on CDs and DVDs.
It is recommended to quarantine your items for 24 hours before using.
CLIC items are not available for request.
Circulation is currently only available for current St. Thomas Faculty, Staff, and Students.

May 9, 2020 by Greg Argo

Libraries, Library Week, Media/Music Collections, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Services, Special Collections and Archives

National Library Week – April 19-26, 2020

It’s time to Celebrate National Library Week! You’re invited to have some fun each day from your place. You’ll find the ever-popular annual Online Trivia Contest to play each day; Jigsaw Puzzles to solve online; Historic and Artistic pages to color; a Bingo card to complete while learning about the many services offered online by the library!

Check out the latest from our Music and Media Resources Collection and how we can help you make it through these days at home – and more!

We invite you to visit the Library Week webpage often and enjoy Library Week!

April 16, 2020 by

Libraries, Media/Music Collections, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Services

Booking A Viewing/Listening Room in the Library

Do you and your classmates need to view a film that’s required for a course? Have you been assigned a group project connected with movies or music? Then it’s time to reserve a viewing room! In addition to individual viewing stations Music and Media Collections also offers two group viewing options that can be used during the Music and Media hours of operation.

Two to six students can use Media Viewing Room LIB 104C, located in Music and Media Collections. In this private space view/listening to DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, or connect your laptop.

Up to 12 students can use Viewing Room LIB 109 to view DVDs, Blu-rays, or connect your laptop titles to the flat screen! Please note: No food or drink is allowed in the viewing rooms.

To book one of these rooms, got to OSF Library homepage and open the “Films” tab and select “Book A Media Viewing/Listening Room.” After selecting the date, duration, and the room you would like to reserve, log in with your UST email and password. Complete the booking details form and click “Submit my booking.” You will receive an automated email with your booking information. Visit the Music and Media Collections for more information! We’re located on the first floor of the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library to the right of the Main Circulation desk.

BOOK HERE!

By Sarah Pavey

November 22, 2019 by

News & Events, Services

New! Text shortcodes

This semester we have implemented text shortcodes to help you connect to the library from your phone. Now you can use shortcodes to find hours, reserve a room, renew materials and report any issues within the library, or text with a librarian about your library questions. By using these shortcodes you can quickly get information about the library to your phone.

Text the library at (651) 504-1324 using these shortcodes:

HOURS for a link to library hours
GROUPSTUDY for a link to reserve a group room online
RENEW for a link to renew your checked-out items
REPORT for information on reporting an issue in the library (clean up, noise, something is broken, etc)

You can also text any reference questions to (651) 504-1324 and a librarian will get back to you during reference hours.

November 1, 2019 by

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