Library Info for On-Campus Faculty

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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

We can utilize additional spaces for small-group activities such as micro-teaching or group discussions. Let us know what you need, and we'll see how we can make it work.

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

Stacks - L call numbers (Lower Level)

Books about education and teaching

Makerspace (Lower Level)

Paper and shape-cutting tools for creating posters and bulletin boards
Laminating service
Art and craft tools
Large work tables

Flat Files (Main Level)

Bible story pictures and posters

Children's Literature (Main Level)

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.

Reserves process:

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.

The library may be able to purchase some copies of reserve items. Talk to Linda Kramer about the options for this.

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

To schedule a class session, please contact Sue Gurgel or Linda Kramer.

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.
Available Online button

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.

Some ebooks may also be found while searching Discovery. They will say eBook and have a link to the full text of the book, which might be EPUB, PDF, or another format.
Example of ebook entry in Discovery

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.

Contact Us

507-233-9131
libraryhelp@mlc-wels.edu

Library Hours Calendar

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.

If you find a link that looks like a stable url, for example jstor.org/stable/42772693, save that link. Then, if you're off-campus and it is trying to charge you for the article, try putting the string https://emil.mlc-wels.edu/login?url= in front of it and see if it forces you to log in for access to the article.

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.

Library Staff

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

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

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

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

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

How to Find Peer-Reviewed Journals Using Discovery

How to Read an Entire Journal Online

1. This tutorial will show you how to read an entire journal issue online. Use the arrows to navigate between steps if the tutorial does not advance on its own. You may also use the arrows to skip typing in any step. Click the right arrow to begin.

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2. Begin at the MLC library website: mlc-wels.edu/library

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3. Scroll down and click Search for Publications.

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4. Enter the title of the journal you're looking for.

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5. If we have access to the journal, its name will pop up as you type.

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6. Click Full Text Access.

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7. You'll get a list of databases that contain this journal title along with the dates covered by our access.

Sometimes there will be multiple databases to choose from. Some will work a little different from the next steps, but they all provide access.

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8. Choose a year from the list on the right.

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9. Then click the issue you want to read.

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10. Choose "PDF Full Text" for any article.

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11. Now, on the left, you'll have a way to navigate the entire journal issue. To get to the first article and read in order, click the back arrow.

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12. Click 1 - 5.

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13. Now the articles will be listed in the order they appear in the journal. Click the first title, and you'll get the full text of the article.

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14. You can continue reading each article in the 1-5 section. You might have to scroll down to see all of them.

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15. Then click 6-10 to see the next set of articles.

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16. Continue clicking and reading in the same manner until you've read the entire journal.

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17. Click DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ...

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18. If you want to save the article to read later or send it to a friend, click the link icon to obtain the permalink for the article.

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19. Click the permalink, and then use Ctrl+C to copy it. Paste it into a document or email. It will be readable by MLC faculty, staff, and students, who will need to log in with their Portal info if they are off campus.

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