Librarians can help you find the material you need via research support, answer questions about your research, and help you find scholarly books and articles. The library is committed to the principles of information literacy and access to the world of scholarly communication.
Go to the library's website. Use the search box to search for the title of your item or the author of your book. From the results list, you may use the filters on the left side of the screen to sort by format or to narrow down your results set to find the exact item you need.
If you have a Carlow ID card, you may borrow up to fifteen items. Reference books and journals are not allowed to be checked out from the library.
You will be given the due date when checking out books, and you will also receive an email including the due date. Books are usually due the last day of classes of the current semester, unless they are items from Interlibrary Loan.
You can check on the status and due dates of your borrowed items from the Grace Library online catalog. In the upper right-hand corner there is a button to click to sign in. If you are signed into the computer with your Carlow username and password, this button will sign you into your library account automatically. You will see your name appear where the Sign-in button was and you can click the My Account link under your name to find a list of the books you currently have checked out.
Check our list of A-Z Databases. All library databases are listed in alphabetical order, include brief descriptions, and can be narrowed by subject. If you are off-campus and have selected a database, you will be prompted to enter your Carlow username and password before you are granted access.
A comprehensive journal title list is available on the library's website by clicking on the Journal Finder link (if you are off-campus it will ask for you to log in). The Journal Finder lists whether a journal, magazine, or newspaper is available through the Grace Library, if it's available online or in print, and its holdings information.
Check with the library first. You can usually get an article at no cost by searching in the online catalog or through Interlibrary Loan. If you are still stuck, email us or book an appointment with a librarian.
If your instructor has said that the materials are on reserve, go to the library and ask for the reserve materials, or check our Course Reserves page. You will need to know the name of your instructor and the name or course number of your class. Many reserve items are designated as in-library use only. For more information on Course Reserves, visit the Course Reserves page on our website.
The Grace Library does not make a practice of collecting current textbooks for courses offered at Carlow. However, if you would like to check to see if the library has a required reading for your course, visit the library's website and search for the title.
You can borrow books and articles from other libraries through a program called Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Search for the title of the item you need via the search on the library's website and choose "Libraries Worldwide" from the filters presented on the left side of the search results screen. Click on the title of the item and choose the button "Request Item Through Interlibrary Loan," then complete the online request form. If you know the information for the item you would like to request, you can fill out the form without going through the catalog. ILL items can take up to two weeks to arrive, so please plan ahead. Learn more about ILL policies on the ILL page on our website.
If you do not return a book by the due date, it is assumed lost after 30 days. At this time, you will receive a bill for the full replacement cost of the item. Bills for items borrowed from Grace Library can be removed from your account by returning the item. Bills for Interlibrary Loan items not returned on time cannot be removed. You will be billed for non-returned Interlibrary Loan items either a) after 30 days, or b) once library staff receives an overdue notice and bill from the lending library, whichever occurs first. You can learn more about replacement fees on our Policies page.
You can pay your library bills at the Student Hub, on the second floor of Antonian Hall. We can remove bills from your account for items owned by Grace Library. Bills for Course Reserve items belonging to an instructor or Interlibrary Loan items belonging to another library cannot be removed.