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Finding Books Off-Campus

e-Books / Library Catalogs / Online Vendors
Book Reviews / Getting Books

Students may identify books through library catalogs, online book vendors, reading bibliographies at the ends of books and articles, and browsing in book stores and libraries. Special reference books and databases offer book reviews. Books may be obtained from local libraries and other libraries through Interlibrary Loan.

E-Books

NetLibrary offers complete e-books online. Access your e-books through the my library tab in myLesley (login required.) Over 8,000 books available. Read and print one page at a time. Only one person may read a book at a time, just like in the library.

Library Catalogs

Library catalogs are databases containing records of the items within a given library collection, or a consortium of several libraries sharing the same catalog. The online catalog has replaced the old card catalog, and may be searched by author, title, subject and keyword.

FLO Catalog

The FLO online catalog lists all books, journal titles, videotapes, sound recordings, software, and teaching resources in the Ludcke Library and the eight other libraries of Fenway Libraries Online:

• Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University
• Emerson College
• Emmanuel College
• Lesley University
• Mass College of Art
• FLO Catalog
• Mass College of Pharmacy
• Musuem of Fine Arts (MFA)
• Museum School
• New England Conservatory
• Wheelock College
• Wentworth Institute of Technology

Materials on FLO may be located at Lesley University or any of these libraries. With a Ludcke Library card, you have borrowing privileges at all of them, except the MFA, which does not lend its materials.

Other Library Catalogs

Consult library catalogs in your area, or catalogs of distinguished libraries around the world from Other Library Catalogs.

Online Book Vendors

Online vendors such as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com offer easy searching of books by subject, author or title. They also often provide book reviews. It is important, however, to notice the credentials of the reviewer. Many reviews are written by ordinary readers who may not have any expertise in the field.

Book Reviews

Books in Print

Many books currently in print are reviewed by librarians and professional book reviewers in Books in Print. This reference source is available in many libraries in book form. It is also available online through the my library tab in myLesley(login required).

Getting Books in Hand

Once you find titles of books in the Online Catalog, the next step is to get the book in-hand.

Ludcke Library at Lesley University

If possible, visit Ludcke Library at Lesley University. At this time, students may obtain a library card and borrow books. They are welcome to return the books by mail or UPS (always the most secure method).

Visiting Other Libraries

Many college and university libraries in the U.S. are open to the public. Most allow visitors to look at books and photocopy chapters. Some libraries may also offer borrowing privileges to people living in the local community. There may be a fee for this service. For more information, inquire at the circulation desk of the particular library you hope to use, or consult the library's home page on the world wide web. Links to many library home pages may be found at Libweb: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb/ .

Interlibrary Loan

Books not available at a local library may be obtained through Interlibrary Loan (ILL), a service through which libraries loan books to each other for the use of their patrons. Your public, school or company library may be able to obtain books from Lesley University and other libraries through ILL. Ludcke Library sends books free to any requesting library but does not mail books to individuals.

Back to Off-Campus Handbook