Books, films and reserve materials:

• Online catalog
• Catalog search tips
• Need help? Ask a librarian at 540-362-7465.

You can read our e-Books from any computer: for off-campus access, log in using your Hollins ID information. Your can also check them out and dowload them to your computer or to an e-Reader, to read them off-line.
Exception: eBooks belonging only to Roanoke College "Location: RCeBooks" are not available to Hollins students.

• Additional tips: E-Book help page.

Books in other libraries:

• Worldcat (search libraries around the U.S. and abroad).
  Sign in using your Hollins ID information. (see "Other useful Hollins resources" for more info on your ID)
• Need help? Ask a librarian at 540-362-7465.

Journal, magazine and newspaper articles:

• Articles & Databases (search for articles from journals, magazines, newspapers and more).
  Sign in using your Hollins ID information. (see "Other useful Hollins resources" for more info on your ID)
• Need help? Ask a librarian at 540-362-7465.

 

Search tips for online catalogs and databases

Need some help? Reference librarians are trained to search databases, and we are happy to help. Call us at 540-362-7465, email askref@hollins.edu or IM us at askwyndham.

Start by: try a simple keyword search for your topic, for example women in agriculture. Browse the results for an appropriate title, then click on that title to see what subjects or descriptors have been assigned to it. By clicking on the subject links, you will make your search more specific, and find other possibilities.

Subjects or Descriptors? Most databases will let you see their list of subjects or descriptors used by clicking on a link titled browse subjects, browse index or thesaurus. Use these lists to find appropriate terms to add to your search.

No results: if you have tried a simple keyword search, and you have searched for subjects or descriptors to match your topic, and you still have no results, do some brainstorming:

• Is there a broader term? For example: a search on "dietary restrictions for 4th graders" might not yield anything, but what about a broader version: "elementary school students and nutrition."
• Is there a synonym, or a related term? If "women in nuclear science" does not give you results, try "female nuclear scientists." If your search for "dreams in children's books" does not yield anything, try "dreams in children's literature."
• TIP: don't forget that to find materials by a person, you search them as author. To find articles about a person, search their name as subject.

Too many results? Look for these options under limit or advanced search:

• Peer-reviewed or scholarly journals only.
• Full text articles only.
• Dates of publication (very useful for specifying that you want recent materials only)
• Material type (letters, guides, book reviews, book chapters, biographical articles, blogs, images.)

No full text? To get the entire article, follow these steps:

• Check for a "full text" link on your screen.
• Check Journalfinder
  This searches all titles available full-text from Hollins, in all databases and in print.
• Order via Interlibrary Loan if it isn't in Journalfinder.
  

ARTICLES, BOOK CHAPTERS

Articles and book chapters will be scanned and emailed to you at no charge by our Interlibrary Loan services. Materials not available at Hollins may take 1-3 weeks to obtain, so plan your research early.

• Online ILL request form.
• Inter-Library Loan policies page
• Need help? Contact us: ill@hollins.edu, call Jonathan Overturf at 540-362-6239.

BOOKS

Public Library: Your local public library can borrow books from Hollins, from Roanoke College and many other libraries using Inter-Library Loan; this is a fast, efficient and free way to get the books you need.

* Locate the nearest public library.

Direct mail: If local Interlibrary loan is not available to you, we can mail Hollins books to your home. You will only be responsible for the cost of return postage to the library.

• Online request form
• Need help? Contact us: ill@hollins.edu, call Jonathan Overturf at 540-362-6239.

Renewing books: Books which you have borrowed directly from Hollins may be renewed online.

• Renew books online. Sign in using your Hollins ID information. (see "Other useful Hollins resources" for more info on your ID)
• Need help? Call us at 540-362-6591.

Returning books: The return address for mailing books back to the library is:

Wyndham Robertson Library
Hollins University
7950 E. Campus Dr.
Roanoke, VA 24020
Attn. ILL.

• Locker application form.

Six lockers are available for semester-long use in the library's Coffee Commons. They will be assigned first come, first served; to reserve a locker, please fill out the online application form.

We can answer a quick question, or work with you to search the online catalog and databases; we can help you plan your research, or schedule a research consultation by telephone, with a librarian who specializes in your subject.

Contact our reference librarians for assistance:

• Call 540-362-7465
• Email askref@hollins.edu
• IM us. On AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk or MSN we are askwyndham; or, just use the box on our home page.

Click here to see reference hours.

Writing Help:

If you would like to have someone look over your work or give you specific answers regarding structure, grammar or citation, the Writing Center can help:

• Hollins Writing Center : 540-362-6387 or thewritingcenter@hollins.edu.
• Writing tips from the HWC.

Blackboard:

• BB support: Brad Oechslin, 540-362-6020 or boechslin@hollins.edu.
• Blackboard support page
  

TIP: to print slides or articles posted in Blackboard, right-click the link. Select "save target as" and give the file a name. After the file downloads to your computer, you will be able to open and print it in PowerPoint, Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader etc.

Other Computer Issues:

• Hollins Help Desk: 540-362-6538 or helpdesk@hollins.edu.
• Help Desk hours are Sunday 3 pm - 10 pm ; Monday-Thursday 8:30 am - 10 pm; Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.
• Distance learning support page
  

• Directions to campus and campus map.

Wyndham Robertson Library is # 42 on the map; directly adjacent to the library is a visitor parking lot.

Hollins ID: you will use your Hollins ID to renew books, access the library databases and materials placed on reserve by your professor. Log in using your name and the last five digits of your bar code number/your student ID number. If you do not know your number, please call 362-6591 for assistance.

• Lost Hollins ID? Contact the Campus Safety Office, 540-362-6419.
• Bookstore
• Career Center (resume review, internships, career counseling and more).