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Brimson Grow Library General FAQs
> What is SFX?
"SFX" is a new linking service that makes it easier to find full text, online journal articles. The library home page has a link to "All Full Text Journals". This link will take you to all our available electronic journals. You will also see an SFX icon when you search for journal articles in databases like ATLA and Academic Search Premier. Clicking on the SFX icon will help you locate the journal article in other databases. (Note: If you are connecting from off campus, you may still have to login separately to those databases in order to access the article.) If you have any questions about SFX, please contact us in the library -- (630)620-2104; library@seminary.edu.
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> What are the library hours?
When classes are in session, the library is normally open
Monday - Thursday 8:30am - 11:00pm,
Friday 8:30am - 10:00pm,
Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm,
and closed on Sundays.
During break weeks, the library opens at 9:00am and closes at 5:00pm
(though we are open until 8:00pm right before summer classes start).
Current library hours are posted on the library
home page, and there is a link to the annual calendar for the library at the top of each page.
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> There are so many databases to choose from, where should I start?
Which database you select depends on whether you are
looking for a book or a journal:
Looking for books:
- The online catalog lets you find books available in
Northern's library;
- I-Share lets you find books available at the 64 other CARLI schools in the state
of Illinois;
- WorldCat lets you find books from libraries all around the world.
Looking for journals:
All the other databases are
for finding journal articles:
Click here for a page
providing more detailed descriptions of the databases available in our library.
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> How can I get a library card?
Current students, faculty, and staff of Northern Seminary automatically receive a free library card. Click here for a link to the library card application form.
Students from the other ACTS schools in the Chicago area must bring a valid ACTS Borrower ID from
their library in order to receive a free Northern library card.
Students from the other I-Share libraries
in Illinois may use their own library cards and do not need a Northern library card.
Residents in
the communities around Lombard may purchase a library card for $15 for three months or $50 for one year.
Pastors of American Baptist Churches in the Chicago area may receive a library card for free.
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> Where can I use my library card?
If you are a current student, staff, or faculty member of
Northern Seminary, your library card is also valid at any of the
76 I-Share schools in the state of Illinois.
Use I-Share to search for books at the other CARLI schools. If you find an item at another
school that is closer to you than Northern's campus, you may go directly to that school and borrow that
item using your Brimson Grow Library card.
Current students, staff, and faculty of Northern Seminary may also borrow items directly from the
12 other ACTS seminary libraries in the Chicago area. Before you can borrow materials from
another ACTS library, though, you must request a current ACTS Borrower Identification card at
the front desk in the library:
Note that borrowing privileges from CARLI and ACTS libraries are not available to
alumni and community residents.
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> Can I use my laptop in the library?
Laptops are welcome in the library, though not all of the study tables have available electrical outlets. The library
does have a wireless network, so if your laptop is wi-fi enabled, you can connect to the Internet anywhere in the library.
To be safe, please do not leave your laptop unattended in the library.
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> How do I connect to the wireless network?
Connecting to the wireless network requires an authentication key. Instructions on how to connect to the network
may be checked out at the front desk by any current Northern student, staff, or faculty member.
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> Does the library have any online books?
The library owns over 8,000 netLibrary eBooks. This includes over 3,000 public domain titles (primarily
classics of English and early American literature), over 4,500 general reference titles (including many
titles on how to use computers and software), and a growing collection of online theologic resources.
Click here for complete information on the library's netLibrary collection.
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> What does the "MyAccount" button in the online catalog do?
When you are connected to the
library's online catalog,
clicking on the "MyAccount" button will let you login to your personal account information:
- You can see if the library has your correct address on file;
- you can see if you owe any fines or have any overdue books;
- you can renew items that you want to keep for a longer period of time;
- you can check on the status of any items that you have requested.
Note that you can access "MyAccount" from either
the library's online catalog or from the I-Share catalog .
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> What does the "Request" button in the online catalog do?
When you are connected to the
library's online catalog,
you will see the "Request" button displayed whenever you are viewing the full record for an item. Clicking on
"Request" will notify the library that you would like to pick up that item the next time you come to the library.
Each morning, someone in the library prints out a list of all the requested items and places them on the hold
shelf at the front desk. Requesting an item and having it put on the hold shelf is an easy way to save
yourself some time so you can spend your time reading your books instead of searching for them on the library
shelves.
The "Request" button is also available to you in the I-Share database. When you place a request from
I-Share, you are asking one of the other 64 CARLI schools that owns that item to send it to Northern.
You will then be notified when the requested item is available for you to pick up from the hold shelf at
the front desk.
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