• How do I borrow materials from the libraries?
• If something is "on reserve," where is it? How do I get it?
• How do I find books?
• How do I find articles?
• How do I get materials from Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore libraries? From other libraries?
• Where is the Music Library? The science libraries?
• Where is the Quaker Collection? Special Collections?
• Where is the Cricket Library?
• Are there computers I can use in the libraries?
• Where are the photocopiers?
• Is there a public phone in the Magill Library?

How do I borrow materials from the libraries?

Your College ID is your library card. As soon as you receive your ID, you can use it to borrow items from the libraries of Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore.

Librarians look forward to helping you with your questions and research projects. A reference librarian is available for consultation at the Information Hub (Magill Library, Second Tier) Sunday through Thursday, 7 pm to 10 pm, or by telephone at 610-896-1356. There is also a reference librarian on call weekdays. Please inquire at the Circulation Services desk or by telephone at 610-896-1175.

For assistance with researching in a particular subject area, you can contact one of our subject specialists.

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If something is "on reserve," where is it? How do I get it?

To ensure that required readings and materials are available to all the students in a class, professors often put books, journal articles, CDs, and other materials on course reserve at the circulation desks of campus libraries. Reserves are listed in Tripod, the library catalog for Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore, by course number and professor name. Items can be checked out for 2 hours in the Library; most reserves also go out overnight.

Some courses have part or all of their reserves available electronically through the Blackboard course management system. Students must have a username and password to login. For help, see the Blackboard help page.

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How do I find books?

Use Tripod, the online catalog for Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore, to find books. You can search by keyword, author, exact title, and Library of Congress subject heading. For help, see A Guide to Searching Tripod or ask a reference librarian.

Once you have a book title that you want, note the location and call number in the rectangular box. If the location is Haverford Magill, the book will be somewhere in the six floors of book stacks. Signs posted on each floor by the main stairwell doors indicate by call number where books are located. If a Haverford item has a location other than Magill, check the locations list.

Books are lent for 28 days and bound journals for 7 days. Science library bound journals cannot be borrowed. Items that you have checked out are subject to recall by other students and for Reserves. You will be fined $2 per day for a recalled item.

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How do I find articles?

The Tripod catalog does not index specific journal articles. To find articles on a specific topic, you need to use a journal article index.

For articles on a fairly general topic, use Proquest Research Library which provides even more full-text magazine and journal articles in a wide variety of disciplines, both scholarly and popular in scope.

For broader coverage of a specific subject area, use one of the many subject-specific indexes . Use the Subject Portal to choose the ones that will be most helpful for your research.

Journals are available in three formats at Magill. Many are bound in volumes and shelved by call number in the book stacks, some are in microform, both fiche and film, in the Microforms Room on the main floor, and increasingly journals are received in electronic format and can be accessed from Tripod. When looking for a journal, be careful to note on the Tripod record the years that the title covered in each format, e.g. 1926-1976 bound volumes under PN661 S7, 1977 on in microfiche, and 1926-1994 online.

The Microforms Room is located off the Reference Room on the main floor. The films are located in the brown cabinets to the right, while the fiches are in the black cabinets to the left. The room has reader-printers for both film and fiche and is self-service. If you have any questions or problems, please speak to a reference librarian.

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How do I get materials from Tri-College libraries (i.e., Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore)? From other libraries?

From Tri-College libraries

You can have most books and older journals at the Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore libraries sent over to Haverford for your use. When you are viewing a Tripod record, click on the Request Item button at the top or bottom of the screen. The system requests your name and the barcode found on the back of your college ID before prompting you to choose the copy or volume that you need. You will receive an email notification when the item is available for pickup which is usually within 24 to 48 hours.

From other libraries

For books not available in the Tri-College libraries, use a system called E-ZBorrow to locate and request a book from another Pennsylvania academic library. In most cases you will receive your E-ZBorrow request within five days.

For books not available in E-Z Borrow, place an interlibrary loan request by filling in an ILL book request form available on the Most Used Resources menu on the library website. It generally takes one week for items to come through the mail.

For journal articles not available in the Tri-College libraries, complete an ILL journal article request form available on the Most Used Resources menu on the library website.

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Where is the Music Library? The science libraries?

Music Library

When Tripod gives an item's location as "H Union," it means that the item is in the Music Library which is located on the lower level of Union Building. The Music Library has sound recordings, videos, and scores that can be borrowed. Magill Library has books and journals about music. For more information, go to the Music Library website, or contact the music librarian at 610-896-1005.

Science Libraries

When Tripod gives an item's location as "H Astronomy," it means that the item is in the Astronomy Library which is located in the Observatory. It is open by arrangement with the science librarian (610-896-1291) or astronomy faculty (610-896-1145).

When Tripod gives an item's location as "H Science," it means that the item is in the Gilbert Fowler White Science Library which is located in the Koshland Integrated Natural Science Center.

For more information about the science libraries, go to the Science Library website, or contact the science librarian at 610-896-1416.

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Where is the Quaker Collection? Special Collections?

Quaker and Special Collections is located on the main floor of Magill Library off the Sharpless Gallery (College Presidents' portrait gallery). It has a research-level collection of Quaker materials along with manuscripts, rare books, and photographs. Special Collections also houses the archives for Haverford College including old student newspapers and yearbooks.

Students are encouraged to use materials in Special Collections. Take time to look at a Shakespeare first folio or a letter from Catherine the Great.

For more information, go to the Special Collections website, or contact the Quaker Bibliographer or the Executive Secretary at 610-896-1161.

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Where is the Cricket Library?

The C. C. Morris Cricket Library and Collection is located on the main floor of Magill Library adjacent to the Philips Wing and has a separate entrance located on the west side of the building across from the Chase Hall. The Cricket Library is the largest collection of cricket literature and memorabilia in the Western Hemisphere and includes over a thousand volumes and a very large collection of photographs and memorabilia related to the history of cricket. Its book collection is cataloged and searchable in the Tripod library catalog.

Although located on campus, the Cricket Library is an independent entity administered by its own Executive Committee. For information about accessing and using the Library, see the Cricket Library website.

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Are there computers I can use in the libraries?

There is a computer cluster in Magill Library for writing papers. The 3rd Tier cluster has a mix of PCs and Macs which print to printers on the main floor (2nd Tier) near the Information Hub. The Academic Computing Center maintains the clusters. If you have questions or problems, e-mail helpdesk@haverford.edu.

The Library also has PCs in the Information Hub Area on the main floor for people to use in searching the library catalog and the Web. There are also computers located on each floor near the main stairway.

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Where are the photocopiers?

There is a copy machine on the main floor (2nd Tier) in the Information Hub area.

You can purchase copies in one of two ways:

If you have a Haverford OneCard, you can use it in the photocopier to make copies for 8 cents per copy. You can add money to your OneCard at the Cash Value Center machine located across from the photocopier in the Information Hub. If your card reads invalid on a photocopier, please go to Security to have your card properly encoded.

If you do not have a Haverford OneCard, you may purchase a copy card at the Cash Value Center machine located across the room from the photocopier in the Information Hub. You may also add money to any previously purchased card at the Cash Value Center. Copies made using this copy card cost 15 cents per copy.

If you notice any problems with the copy machines, please tell a reference librarian or someone at the Circulation Desk. There are also copy machines in the Music Library, the Science Library and Special Collections.

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Is there a public phone in Magill Library?

There are two phones on the 1st Tier: a phone for campus calls and a pay phone for off-campus calls. From the main floor (2nd Tier), take the stairs located between the library entrance and the Circulation Desk down one flight.