Libraries

Off-Campus Library Access

Most library resources are available on our website for students and faculty who are studying or involved in coursework off-campus. Of special interest may be: 

Distance Students and Faculty

Students and faculty living outside of the 7-county metro area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties) are eligible to receive document delivery of pages from reference works, periodical articles, and circulating books in addition to our standard Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) service.  Contact your Subject Liaison Librarian for assistance.

View the 7-county metro area in a larger map

Because of your distance from us, please start your research as soon as possible. How quickly we can deliver your requests depends on a number of factors. The sooner you start on your project, the higher the probability of receiving the items you need in time. We fill requests on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you're planning a trip to campus, you may want to schedule an appointment with a librarian or check our library locations page. 

Having Problems?

  • Check out our basic troubleshooting guide.
  • From CLICsearch, use the Report a Problem link to contact a librarian. This will send us information we need to correct any issues and follow-up to see if we have additional resources you may try.
  • If off-campus access is not working, you may also access online journals and databases from your local public library via the Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM) (if you live in Minnesota) or your state's public library.
  • Some e-books have a slightly different set-up. Find out how to use ebooks.
Interlibrary Loan for Distance Students and Faculty

We provide the following service to St. Thomas students and faculty living outside the seven-county metropolitan area (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties): 

  • We will mail books to you via Priority Mail from the St. Thomas Libraries' collections or from other libraries (obtained via interlibrary loan on your behalf).
  • Whenever possible, journal articles will be sent to you electronically as PDF downloads via your ILLiad account. When electronic delivery is not possible, the articles will be mailed.
  • There is no charge for interlibrary loan service, or for mailing the items TO you.
  • You will be responsible for return postage if you return the books through the US mail or use another package delivery service. Alternatively, you can return the books in person during a campus visit.
  • Please observe the due dates on the books we send you. The due date is the date you should have the material back to us. Keep in mind that books obtained via interlibrary loan from other libraries typically will have very short loan periods.
  • Renewals are sometimes possible. Please request renewals through your ILLiad account (for interlibrary loan books), or in your CLICsearch account (for St. Thomas and CLIC library books).

To register for this service:

  • Register in ILLiad, St. Thomas's interlibrary loan system, if you haven't already. If you have an existing account, you can edit your personal information to match the following guidelines.
  • When you register, you DO have to pick one of the three St. Thomas libraries as a pickup location, even if you want your items mailed to you. It is best to choose OSF (O'Shaughnessy-Frey) Library, because if we make a mistake, and the book goes to the hold shelf instead of into the mail, it is easier for us to retrieve it and send it to you.

  • Send an email to the Interlibrary Loan Department at <libillosf@stthomas> with your name and mailing address, and ask for your ILLiad account to be set up for Distance Education.

How to request items:

  • For books, don't use the "Request" button in the CLICsearch catalog. Instead, use the ILLiad interlibrary loan system for all books that you want mailed to you.
  • For journal articles, also use the ILLiad interlibrary loan system. Most articles will be delivered electronically, and accessible via your ILLiad account as a PDF file that you can save to disk or print.