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College Now & the SMSU Library: Finding Books

Receiving and Returning Books

When you request books, either from the SMSU Library or one of our partner libraries, we will mail them to your home address. When you are finished with the books, you will need to mail them back to us. You are responsible for the cost of returning the books through the mail. To keep costs down, we encourage you to return the books via USPS "media mail." Additional instructions will be provided in the package containing your books. 

 

Before Requesting a Book

In order to provide you the best service possible, we ask that you go through the following steps prior to requesting a book from us. Completing these steps will also give you a better sense of the book you are requesting and whether or not it may be useful in your research. 

  • Look up the title on Google Books or Amazon.com. There you'll find tables of contents, discover related titles, and read excerpts. 
  • Consider whether or not this book is likely to contain information that is vital to your research, or that you cannot find in another credible source. 
  • Make certain that SMSU does not have any eBooks that may provide the same information as the book you are requesting. 
  • If you are still uncertain, contact a Reference Librarian for guidance.