Library Login Help
See the catalog sign-in help page for current information about logging in to databases or checking out ebooks.
Library Catalog
The library catalog is your key to finding print and digital resources in the library.
Use it to:
- Find books and other resources in the MLC library. (Use the "Map It" button to help find them in the building.)
- Find online ebooks. (See the catalog's sign-in help page for login info.)
- Get on the waitlist for books that are checked out. (Use the "Place Hold" button.)
- Request books from other area libraries to be sent to MLC for you to check out. (Use the "Place Hold" button.)
- Find magazine and journal articles. (Change dropdown from "in Library Catalog" to "in Articles & Databases.")
- See what's new at the library or find lists of books on selected topics. (Click "Catalog Home.")
- Use the "hymn index" link to search for piano and organ music by tune.
- Search the MLC history page and other websites. (Change dropdown from "in Library Catalog" to "in Library Website.")

Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan allows you to borrow books from other libraries at no charge. We have three ILL possibilities at MLC, which should be tried in this order for maximum efficiency.
Follow the steps in this order.
- See if the item is in the library catalog as "available from another library." Use the "place hold" button to have it sent to MLC for you to check out.
- Check MNLINK to see if the item is available from another Minnesota library. Books will be sent to MLC for you to check out within a week or so. Articles will be emailed to you within a few days.
- Fill out the ILL request form to see if we can find the item from another library. Books will be sent to MLC for you to check out in about 1-3 weeks. Articles will be emailed to you within a few days.
Reservable Spaces in the Library
The following rooms are reservable by faculty, staff, or students for meetings:
- Library Conference Room -- Large table, large-screen monitor, large whiteboards, and seating up to 16
- Gag, Luther, Larsson, and Local Artists Rooms -- Each has a table, rolling whiteboard
- Library Classroom 100 -- Moveable tables, projector and screen, large whiteboards, and seating for 24-30
To schedule library spaces, contact Susan Plocher in the library.
Note: Board Room reservations are scheduled through Michelle Gartner.
Piano and Organ Music
Our library has a large collection of piano and organ music. Much of it is matched to hymn tunes via the Music Library link in Portal. At this site, you can look for a hymn title, number (from several Lutheran hymnals), or hymn tune name and find all of the piano and organ music we have that goes with that tune. Make a list, find the music on the shelves in the library's music room, and check out the music. This is a great way to find music you'll only use occasionally or to try a music book before you buy it. We also have a keyboard in the music room, so you can try the pieces before you check them out.
Resources for Education Majors
Curriculum Room (Lower Level)
- K-12 textbooks on a variety of subjects
- Children's devotion books
- Teaching resource books
- Manipulatives
- Puppets
- Books about education and teaching
- Paper and shape-cutting tools for creating posters and bulletin boards
- Laminating service
- Art and craft tools
- Large work tables
- Bible story pictures and posters
- Children's books
- Children's Bibles and Bible stories
General Info
- Loan Periods: Most items circulate for 3 weeks followed by 2 automatic renewals. Contact us for additional extensions.
- Library Card: Your faculty/staff ID is your library card. It may also be used as a library card at the New Ulm Public Library and other public libraries in the TdS region. You may also wish to obtain a public library card from your local library.
- Fines: You will not accrue fines for items checked out at MLC. (You will be responsible for paying for lost or damaged items, however.) If you check things out with your MLC card at other libraries, fines will occur under that library's rules.
- Interlibrary Loan: We encourage the use of interlibrary loan, or ILL, to supplement our collection. ILL loan periods and fines are determined by the lending library.
- Purchase Recommendations: Faculty and staff are encouraged to recommend books, teaching aids, and other resources for the library collection, especially from their areas of expertise. Recommendations may be sent by any convenient medium to Linda Kramer (general collection) or Sue Gurgel (children's literature).
Reserves
Personal books or library materials may be put on reserve for student use. This can be useful when there are books entire classes need access to but are not required as textbooks. Reserve items are kept behind the main service desk. We have two types of reserves:
- 2-hour reserves, for in-library use only. Useful when many students will need access to the item in a small timeframe.
- 3-week reserves, for checkout. Items are reserved for students in a particular class, who may check them out for 3 weeks.
- Email serials@mlc-wels.edu with your reserves list:
- Indicate "no changes" or provide titles to add or delete from your list.
- Give your name, the course name and number, and the semester(s) for the reserve items.
- Contact Susan Plocher with any questions about reserves.
Classroom Presentations and Library Tours
Librarians are available to work with classes on any of the following:
- General tours of the library
- Specific tours of the library, e.g. resources for teaching religion, reference sources for history
- Classroom presentations
- General library research -- finding books and articles
- Resources specific to a project or paper
- Can be a 20-minute intro or a longer session with students starting their research
- Create online tutorials or printed help sheets on topics of your choosing, including relevant examples and resources
Ebooks
The MLC library has ebooks available through several different services. Some allow you to check out a book for a period of time, just like a regular library book. Others allow use for multiple people at one time. You may be able to print and/or save sections of a book.
The best way to find ebooks is by using the library's catalog. Search for a book, and at the top of the results list, you can click the "Available Online" button to see your digital options, including ebooks and some audiobooks.

You'll see two different buttons for checking out ebooks.
- Check Out from Overdrive/Libby: Downloading the Libby app is the best option for these. You'll log in with your library card (MLC ID barcode) number and library password. (See the catalog's sign-in help page for password information.)
- MLC Users Online Access: If you are on campus, you shouldn't need to log in. If you're off campus, a login page will pop up, and you'll use your MLC login (same as Portal and Moodle) for access.

Library Databases
Library databases are the source of digital content like journal articles and online reference books.
Our Discovery link searches many databases at once, but if you know you need to use a particular database, you can use it directly.
Some popular databases are:
- ATLA (Religion)
- JSTOR (History, social sciences)
- Oxford Music (Music)
- Gale Literature Resource Center (Literature)
- CLCD - Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (Children's literature)
- OED - Oxford English Dictionary
- Ebooks Minnesota (Variety of books from Minnesota publishers)
- Newspaper Source (US & international newspapers)
- Points of View Reference Center (Varying viewpoints on current topics)
Library Spaces
In addition to books and study areas, the MLC library has many other spaces that you might find useful.
- Academic Success Center: Student tutoring
- Art Classroom: Prof. Berg's classroom
- Bound Periodicals: Older copies of magazines and journals
- Computer Lab: Individual computers and group-study cubicles
- Curriculum Room: K-12 textbooks and teaching aids for lesson planning
- Lower Service Desk: Get help finding books, makerspace & curriculum room help
- Makerspace: Large work tables, die-cut machines, and laminating.
- New Books: Shelves displaying the newest additions to the library collection
- Music Room: Organ and piano music, CDs, DVDs, LPs.
- Ready Reference: Frequently used books for in-library use
- Reference Area: Background info on many topics; in-library use only
- Main Service Desk: Checkouts, returns, reserves, research help
- Stacks: Main book collection
- Starbooks: Comfortable study area, free coffee/tea/hot chocolate
- Study Rooms: Individual and group work areas
Other Things in the Library
The library has many other tools for you to use. Stop in when you need any of these:
- Charging cords: Check out at the main service desk -- 1-week checkout
- Coffee, tea, hot cocoa: Free from 8-11 pm -- Lower-level Starbooks room
- Collaborative tables: Main-level Classroom Lib100 area -- OK to rearrange for group work, etc.
- External CD/DVD players, HDMI cords: Check out at the main service desk
- Laminating service: Laminate posters, etc. for a reasonable price -- Leave your order in the designated area of the makerspace -- Usually done within 1-2 days
- Markers and colored pencils: Lower-level makerspace area
- Pencil sharpener, 3-hole punch, stapler, etc.: Near main-level computers, for in-library use
- Photocopier/scanner: Near main-level restrooms -- Requires dimes for copying (get change at the main service desk) -- Scan and email to yourself: free; instructions provided on the copier
- Power strips: Check out at the main service desk -- 1-week checkout
- Printers: By main-level computers: Lib 1 HP M551 (color), Lib 1 HP M602 (black & white) -- By lower-level computers: Lib 0 HP M602 (black & white) -- Log into our computers and print using your print credit -- Wireless printing is not available
- Rolling whiteboards: Located throughout the library -- OK to move them to your study space
- Shape-cutting tools (die cuts): Lower-level makerspace area
- Whiteboard markers & erasers: Check out at the main service desk -- 1-week checkout
Navigating the Library
Looking for something in the library? Try these resources to help you find what you're looking for:
- "Map It" button in the catalog. Shows you where in the library you can find books and other items.
- Follow signs in the library to help you find various areas.
- Ask a librarian or student worker. It's ok to walk in to the library office.
- Use the help sheets found near the main level service desk.
- Email libraryhelp@mlc-wels.edu to get help from a librarian.
Quick Links
- MLC Library Website: Information about the library and its resources.
- Discovery: One-stop source for journal articles and other digital content.
- MLC Catalog: Books in the MLC Library. Also includes items from area public libraries (TdS); place holds for pickup at MLC, usually in 3-5 days.
- MNLINK: Minnesota libraries--Request items for pickup at MLC, usually in 5-10 days.
- ILL (interlibrary loan): Items that you can't find in MLC, TdS, or MNLINK, usually arrive in 1-3 weeks.
- Music Library: Find piano and organ music based on hymn tunes.
- MLC KnightHelp: Help with passwords, Moodle, and more.
Library Hours
When school is in session:
Sunday Noon-Midnight
Monday-Thursday 7:15 am-Midnight
Friday 7:15 am-5:00 pm
Saturday Noon-5:00 pm
See our calendar for hours during summer and school breaks.
Permalinks
Sometimes you'll find a good article or resource, and you'll want to be able to return to it easily. But you tried copying the URL, and it just didn't work right to get you back to the article. There's a solution for this: using permalinks.
Permalinks, also known as stable links, permanent links, document URLs, or stable URLs, are links that don't break when you go back to them. This means you can save, cite, or share the articles with others. This is especially important for information from paid library databases that require you to either be on campus or logged in while using the resource. If you don't use the permalink, you might get to the article but then be prompted to pay for it, even though the library may provide it to you at no cost.
Here's how to use permalinks:
- Find an article in a library database or by using our Discovery search.
- Look for a button that says permalink, stable URL, stable link, etc. It might be in a side menu or top or bottom menu.
- Copy the permalink. It may start with something like https://emil.mlc-wels.edu/login?url= That's our proxy URL, the part that makes it available only to MLC users and forces you to log in if you're off-campus.
- Paste the permalink into your reference manager, Moodle, email, or document.
For more info about permalinks, see this well-developed guide from Texas State University.
Library Help
Need help with something library-related?
Check the Tutorials tab above for some quick tips for using some library resources.
These help sheets provide information on aspects of the library. Print copies are available near the Luther statue in the library lobby.
- Browsing for Books
- Browsing for Children's Literature
- Confessional Lutheran Journals
- Curriculum Room
- Discovery Mobile App
- Finding Books in the Library
- Getting Articles
- Getting Books: 1, 2, 3
- Libby Ebooks & Audiobooks
- Library Login
- Library Research Pathfinder
- Makerspace
- MTLE Prep
- Navigating the Library
- Resources for Teaching Religion
- Searching Specific Journals
- Using the Library Catalog to Find Books
- What's in the Library?
Library Staff

Reference, Research Help, Interlibrary Loan, Children's Literature
gurgelsl@mlc-wels.edu

Databases, Journals, Reserves, Website
plochesm@mlc-wels.edu

Curriculum Library, Makerspace, Checkouts, Fines and Bills
wesselea@mlc-wels.edu

Catalog Records, Call Numbers
hamesmb@mlc-wels.edu

Library Director, Materials Selection, Research Help, Reference
kramerlm@mlc-wels.edu