If you would like help with your research or have questions about using library resources, you may call the library at (573) 341-4008. You may also submit a question electronically to library@mst.edu.

Another option is to use our Subject Guides, which outline the best databases for each subject and give you tips to finding different types of material.  Each subject has a librarian, who manages the guide and can be contacted directly.

Students enrolled in a Missouri S&T distance education course and who live more than 30 miles from the Missouri S&T campus are eligible to make use of Curtis Laws Wilson Library's services for distance learners. Students who are taking at least one current class on campus will not be considered as “distance learners” for the purpose of mailing library materials. Please note that books and some other media will not be posted to addresses outside of the United States. Contact us at (573) 341-4008 or library@mst.edu if you have questions about whether you are eligible for distance services.

Over half the books available from the Curtis Laws Wilson Library are ebooks. You search for them the same way you would search for a print book, by using the UM System Catalog. To narrow your results to only ebooks, scroll down in the left column "Limit by Source Type" and select "eBooks" (you may need to "Show More" to see additional source types).

If you have questions about how to access an ebook contact the library at (573) 341-4008 or email library@mst.edu

You may use the library's databases or EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) (which allows you to search the full text of most of our e-books and electronic journals with a single search) to look for articles on a topic. Curtis Laws Wilson Library must limit access to our databases to the Missouri S&T user community--students, faculty, and staff--because of licensing restrictions. You can use our proxy server to gain remote access to these resources. When you try to access one of the library's databases, the proxy server will ask for an S&T username and password.

Some of the databases provide the entire text of the article electronically, or they may link you to the full text of the article in another source. Click on to see if the full text is available elsewhere. You may also go to the library webpage, click on "A-Z Electronic Journals", and search on a publication name to see if full text for a particular journal is available electronically. If the article you need is not available in full text, you can get a copy of the article by submitting a request to our Interlibrary Loan department using ILLiad. 

If your username was issued by another University of Missouri campus, you will not be able to use it to access Missouri S&T library resources. If this is the case, please contact the library at (573) 341-4008 or library@mst.edu and we will help find alternate access for the current semester.

The process for requesting a paper from conference proceedings is similar to requesting a journal article. Use ILLiad to request the paper from our Interlibrary Loan department. You will be notified by e-mail when your paper or proceedings arrive.

Search the MERLIN library catalog to locate items available at Curtis Laws Wilson Library and at other UM system libraries (choose "All MERLIN" in your search). To request a book from any of these libraries, click on the "Request" button and designate Missouri S&T as the pickup location. When the book is available to check out, we will send you an email noting that the book has arrived. Please let us know that you are a distance education student at that time. We will send it to you free of charge, although the item must be returned to us at your own expense.

If we don't have what you need, you can search MOBIUS, a shared catalog listing the holdings of over 70 libraries in the state of Missouri. Requesting a book from other libraries is easy--when searching the catalog, just click on "Request." If asked which cluster you belong to, select "MERLIN." You will need your Missouri S&T student number and a picture ID to pick up and check out the requested item. Same as before, when the book is available for checkout, just let us know that you are a distance education student. We will send the items to you free of charge, though you are responsible for returning it.

All materials should be returned by the due date in order to avoid overdue book charges. If you need to keep your books longer, they may be renewed (maximum twice) online using the MERLIN library catalog, as long as you don't have any overdue items or fines. To renew items, simply visit your online Library account. If you have overdue items or fines, you should contact Circulation to request a renewal. Sometimes materials may be recalled before their due date if requested by others. If items are recalled, students will be notified by email to their Missouri S&T email account, and fines will accrue if items are not returned by the recall date.

All books requested will be mailed to you at the library's expense. Students who live near a library that is part of MOBIUS may turn in books to that library to avoid shipping charges. Otherwise, you must return book(s) to Curtis Laws Wilson Library at your own expense. Shipments must be insured and trackable. Items should be sent to:

Curtis Laws Wilson Library
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Circulation Department
400 W. 14th St.
Rolla, MO 65409-0060

You can request books that are not available from libraries in the MOBIUS system through interlibrary loan by using ILLiad. After receiving the request, we will try to obtain the material from another library and send it to you.

Due dates for books requested through interlibrary loan will be listed on a band around the cover of the book. The paperwork included in the book should not be removed; it should be returned with the book. 

ILL renewals must be granted by the lending library, not by Curtis Laws Wilson Library. It may take some time to find out if your renewal was granted. If it is, the due date in your ILLiad record will be changed to reflect the new date.

Interlibrary Loan materials will be mailed to you at the library's expense, but the materials must be returned to Curtis Laws Wilson Library at your own expense, and all shipments must be insured and trackable. Interlibrary loans should be sent to:

Curtis Laws Wilson Library
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Interlibrary Loan Department
400 W. 14th St.
Rolla, MO 65409-0060

If you have a question about interlibrary loan, please contact the Interlibrary Loan Department by calling (573) 341-4008 or sending an e-mail to ill@mst.edu.

If you do not have time to wait for materials to be sent to you by Curtis Laws Wilson Library, you should try using the public or academic libraries in your area. You may be able to get the materials you need more quickly through a local library than we can supply them to you.