When searching for books in our online catalogue, you'll be given options to search three catalogs: Colorado Mesa (Tomlinson Library), Prospector, and World Libraries. Each has a different function, and each layer will encompass a broader scope.
CMU Tomlinson Library- this will return results that CMU library owns. These resources can be physical items located within the library using a call number or electronic resources that can be accessed or downloaded on your computer.
Prospector - this is a good place to look if CMU doesn't have the title you need. Prospector combines 40 libraries -- academic, public, and special - in Colorado and Wyoming. Keep in mind that Prospector items will take a few days to arrive.
World Libraries - if CMU and Prospector don't have the item you're looking for, you can search WorldCat, "the world's largest network of library content and services." If you find an item in WorldCat, you can place a request by clicking on a title of interest and then clicking on the "Order Through Interlibrary Loan" link.
If CMU doesn't have access to a book or article, we can order it for you through interlibrary loan.
How do I request something through Interlibrary Loan?
Many articles will have a "request through interlibrary loan" link somewhere on the record.
If you can't find a link like this, you can log in to your Interlibrary Loan account, click "create request" and manually add the details of the article you'd like.
How does it work?
Once we get your request, we will email you a link with a password to access a digital version of the item you requested. You can select the link, add the password, and then view/download the resource. You can also view your articles by logging into your Interlibrary Loan account. If you requested a physical book or item, the item will be sent to Tomlinson library and you'll be notified when it's ready to be picked up. If you're at the CMU Montrose campus, items will be sent to the admin desk and you can pick them up there.
How long does it take?
Requests for digital items or articles usually take 1-3 days, though the average time is about 11 hours. Books or other materials can take up to 10 business days.
What types of items can I order through interlibrary loan?
You can order journal articles, physical books, and DVDs through Interlibrary Loan. For the most part, due to licensing requirements, we generally can't loan entire e-books through interlibrary loan.
You can get more details about interlibrary loan here.
A particularly useful research tool is Google Scholar. Google Scholar is especially helpful if you know the name of an article you'd like to find or if you have one very relevant article and you'd like to find more; just copy and paste the article name into the Google Scholar search bar.
From there you should see the original article (if available); you can also select Cited By to get a list of all other articles that have referenced this article or select Related Articles to find articles on similar topics. Articles can be accessed by clicking the links on the right.