MERLIN | Your MERLIN record | Hours | Locations | Where is everything? | Checking Stuff Out | Getting Material From Other Libraries | Interlibrary Loan | Computer Login Information | Computers | Photocopying | Reserves | Meeting rooms/Study areas | Careers in Libraries
What is MERLIN?
The MERLIN Library Catalog is the online catalog for all the University of Missouri libraries. Search the catalog to discover the books, periodicals, Government Publications, videos, sound recordings and other material in each collection.
Access your MERLIN record to renew an item, see what you have checked out, when items are due, and if items requested through MERLIN have arrived.
For additional information about the MERLIN Library Catalog, see About MERLIN and MOBIUS. This guide includes links to information on searching in the MERLIN Library Catalog.
What can my MERLIN record do for me?
Your MERLIN record is the record of your account at the UMKC Libraries. With your MERLIN record, you can check out books in the libraries and request books from other campuses directly using the Request Button. Go to My Library Account to see what you have checked out and when the items are due. You also can use My Library Account to renew materials, view what you have ordered through the Request button, and review your reading history.
What are the libraries' hours?
Each library is open different hours. Especially note the shortened hours between semesters, during intersession.
Where are the libraries?
The UMKC Libraries are located in different areas on campus. Miller Nichols Library and the Leon E. Bloch Law Library are located on the main UMKC campus. The Health Sciences Library and the Dental Library are located on Hospital Hill.
How do I locate materials once I am in the library?
Start with the MERLIN Library Catalog to determine the library, location, and call number of the materials you want to find.
Once inside the library, determine the area of the library that houses the materials you need.
- Leon E. Bloch Law Library
- Miller Nichols Library
After you arrive at the correct area within the library, locate the items by call number or other designated organizational scheme.
Who can check out materials at the UMKC Libraries? For how long?
UMKC Borrowers
- Borrowing privileges vary for each library and depend on the type of item and your status (faculty, undergraduate, graduate, etc.).
- Materials may be renewed by accessing your MERLIN record.
Non-UMKC Borrowers
- Borrowers from University of Missouri schools campuses have checkout privileges at the UMKC Libraries.
- Many academic libraries in Missouri are members of MOBIUS. MOBIUS is a consortium of most academic libraries in Missouri. Borrowers of any of the MOBIUS libraries have checkout privileges at the UMKC libraries.
- The Courtesy Card Program allows Kansas City area colleges and universities' students, faculty, and staff limited check out privileges at the UMKC Libraries. Check with your institution's library about obtaining a Courtesy Card.
What I need is not at the UMKC Libraries. What do I do?
If the UMKC Libraries don't have what you need, use the following steps to locate it.
- Serial Solutions - If the item you need is an article from a journal or magazine, use Serial Solutions to see if the periodical is available in full text from one of the UMKC Libraries' databases.
- MERLIN Library Catalog - If the item is at another MERLIN library, you may be able to request it using the Request Item feature. Search the MERLIN Library Catalog using an All MERLIN search. The item will be delivered to the library you select, usually within three days.
- MOBIUS Union Catalog - If the item is not in the MERLIN Library Catalog you may be able to find it in the MOBIUS Union Catalog, which includes the holdings of most academic libraries in Missouri. If the item appears in MOBIUS, you may be able to request it using the Request This Item feature. The item will be delivered to the library you select, usually within three days.
- Interlibrary Loan - If none of these options gets you what you need then you can submit an interlibrary loan (ILL) request so the item can be borrowed from another library. Turn around times vary with the availability of the item needed and the proximity of its location. Please check with the individual library for its interlibrary loan policy.
Local Libraries - Some items might be found at local libraries.
How do I login to the computers?
Your UMKC Single Sign-On (SSO) account is a username and password that you use to login to the computers in the UMKC libraries and on campus. Use your Single Sign-On account to access library databases from home and access UMKC email. Visit the Exchange FAQ or any of the computer labs on campus to set up your account.
Are there computers for me to use in the libraries?
Absolutely! The UMKC Libraries all have computers.
- Dental Library
- Health Sciences Library
- Twelve public access computers are available for use in the library's public area.
- Leon E. Bloch Law Library
- The Electronic Resource Center, located on the library's first floor, has forty computer workstations for law student use.
- Miller Nichols Library
Are there photocopying machines in the libraries?
Yes! Each of the libraries provides photocopying as part of our University Libraries Photocopying and Printing services.
Where can I find items on reserve?
You can use the MERLIN Library Catalog to see where the reserve item is held.
- Dental Library
Please check with the circulation desk about reserves.
- The Health Sciences Library
Please check with the circulation desk about reserves.
- Leon E. Bloch Law Library
A list of items on reserve is available at the Circulation Desk. To obtain a reserve item, patrons should ask the circulation desk attendant to retrieve it.
- Miller Nichols Library
Some items on reserve are held at the Access Services desk on the first floor, but many others are made available online at eReserves. Music and media (CDs,DVDs, etc.) the Music/Media Desk on the ground floor.
Do the libraries have meeting rooms/study areas?
They sure do! All the libraries provide study areas. The Miller Nichols and Health Sciences libraries have group meeting rooms.
- Dental Library
Adjacent to the library is the main reading room, with many individual study carrels and tables. Study tables also line the walls of the stacks.
- Health Sciences Library
Study areas are provided in the reading room (south end of the library), in the individual study carrels (northwest corner of the library), in the lounge area (northeast corner) and in the private group study room (northwest corner).
- Leon E. Bloch Law Library
There is a study area on the second floor.
- Miller Nichols Library
Three study rooms are located in the Information Commons on the first floor. Study rooms may be reserved by UMKC students, faculty, or staff, for use by groups of two or more, at Access Services. For more information, see Study Room Reservation Guidelines. There are numerous study tables and individual study carrels located throughout the library. The fourth floor is a quiet study zone. A large listening and viewing area is located on the ground floor. There are two meeting rooms: G1 and 303. Sign up at Music/Media or Administrative Offices, respectively.
Careers in Libraries
Libraries are much more than warehouses of information. They uphold the values of a democratic society by providing equal access to knowledge and information to the community. On college and university campuses, libraries long have been considered the center of the academic community. Academic libraries employ a wide range of staff from student assistants to librarians. Librarians are experts in information architecture, organization of knowledge, and empowering people to recognize, access, understand, and use information responsibly.
At the UMKC Libraries, all librarians have a master's degree in the field of library and information science from a school accredited by the American Library Association. Many also have a second master's degree. You will find our librarians helping and teaching our users, developing the library's collection, organizing materials, designing Web pages, and networking with colleagues from around the world to facilitate the creation and dissemination of knowledge, and to meet the information needs of UMKC students, faculty, researchers, and others.
Not everyone you see at the library is a librarian. Librarians and paraprofessionals work side-by-side to provide what the patrons need.
For more information on libraries and librarianship, visit:
- Faces of a Profession @ Your Library (http://members.ala.org:8080/ramgen/acrl/acrl.faces.rm)
Video produced by the Association of College and Research Libraries which highlights the variety of opportunities available in academic librarianship.
- Careers in libraries (ALA)
Contains links to general resources and resources for specific types of librarianship and positions.
- Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) (www.ala.org/acrl)
A division of the American Library Association, ACRL is a professional association of academic librarians and others.
- American Library Association (ALA) (www.ala.org)
An association of libraries, librarians, and others which promotes library and information services, public access to information, and the profession of librarianship.
- ALA Library Support Staff Interests Round Table (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/lssirt/index.cfm)
A group within ALA which addresses the concerns of library support staff. This site also has links to many useful resources.
- University of Missouri-Columbia School of Information Science & Learning Technologies (sislt.missouri.edu/)
Offers a master's of arts degree in library science and a doctorate in information science and learning technologies.
- Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management
Offers a variety of degree and certificate programs, including a Master of Library Science.
- Directory of Institutions Offering Accredited Master's Programs in Library and Information Studies (ALA) (http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/education/accreditedprograms/directory/index.cfm)
A directory of programs in the United States and Canada which offer master's programs which are accredited by the American Library Association. Includes a list of programs with distance learning opportunities.
Library organizations and associations (http://www.academicinfo.net/infosciorg.html)
- Developed and maintained by LibraryHQ.com, this directory provides links to academic, public, special, state library associations as well as other organizations of interest to those in the library profession.
