Library Departments & Services

Reference Desk & Research Services

The Reference Desk is the place to stop for help and information. The Reference Librarians are professionals who will assist you with research. If you have any questions about finding or using resources in the library, see a Reference Librarian. Librarians are available for research appointments with patrons and will also arrange to perform research for non-affiliated patrons on an "as available" basis (there may be fees involved). The Reference Desk is located with the Circulation Desk on the main level. Contact the Reference Desk at (847) 735-5074 or by email for more information.

Circulation Desk
The Circulation Desk is the location to check out and return books. It is combined with the Reference Desk on the main level. The student loan period for most books is 3 weeks. The staff at the Circulation Desk can also assist you with reserve materials, overdue books, picking up items from other libraries and renewing books. Lake Forest College students, faculty and staff are eligible to borrow books from the library, as are some other specified groups.

Government Documents
Lake Forest College Library is a Federal Depository Library, committed to providing access to federal government information. Government information resources housed in the Donnelley and Lee Library are open to the public, with a focus on serving residents of the 10th Congressional District and Lake County. The library contains a government documents collection consisting of paper, microform and electronic documents. The library also provides terminals to access federal, state, and local government information online. Rita Koller, the Government Documents Librarian, can be reached at x5065.

Group Study Rooms
There are several group study rooms in the library available only to Lake Forest College faculty, staff, and students on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a 2-hour time limit when other groups are waiting. A study group member who is present in the study room must leave a Lake Forest College ID at the Circulation Desk until the room is available for another group.

Indexes to articles
To find articles, there are many electronic databases and print resources to use in the library. Some databases also provide full text articles. Most of these databases are available to Lake Forest College students, faculty and staff from any computer with an Internet connection. Print indexes are located in Reference Area and on the Lower Level. Stop by the Reference Desk to learn more.

Instruction
Library Liaisons offer to faculty, students, and staff a variety of instructional sessions covering research skills and techniques, plagiarism issues, and other topics; see the Library Instruction À La Carte Menu. A variety of workshops covering software applications such as Moodle are offered by Academic Technology Specialists.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Books not available via the I-Share catalog and journal articles not available through the library (in print or online) may be requested by submitting online Interlibrary Loan forms using ILLiad. There is no limit on the total number of requests made this way (although no more than six requests per user will be processed daily), but patrons should note that ILLiad requests are time- and resource-intensive. Requests for media may also be made through ILLiad but they are often difficult to fill. Please note that non I-Share requests for recreational reading/viewing/listening cannot always be satisfied and will take lower priority than requests for material for research and scholarship. In the case of media, it may be more expedient and less costly for faculty to request items through their public libraries.

Journals/Periodicals
Periodicals and journals are available in several different locations. Current issues of periodicals are available on Level 2. Issues older than the current year are found on the the Lower Level. Periodicals are shelved in alphabetical order and may only be used in the library. You may make copies of articles in periodicals using the photocopy machines in the library. Some periodicals are available online. Search for periodicals available at Lake Forest College using the online journals list. Rita Koller, at x5065, is the Periodicals Librarian.

Labs & Computer Classrooms
There is a 24/7 Computer Lab on Level 1 of the library, which has a Lab & Copier Assistant on duty during library hours, who may be reached at x6080. Access to this lab after library hours is via a Lake Forest College ID only.
There are also four computer classrooms in the library. Faculty may reserve a room by contacting Linda Day of Leadership and Community Involvement at x5210. Contact Karen Blocker at x6218 for additional equipment set-up in these rooms or for equipment training. For interruption of network services in these labs, call  the Help Desk at x3456.

The Library Catalog
The Library Catalog is used to find books in the library. There are many workstations in the Reference area that allow you to look up books in the catalog, as well as one station on the Lower Level, under the main stairs. You may also search the catalog from any computer on the planet with an Internet connection, including laptops anywhere in the Library.
The I-Share Catalog allows Lake Forest College students, faculty and staff to request books from 70 other academic libraries in Illinois. See a Reference Librarian for more information.

Media Collections
The library provides a collection of audio-visual materials. These resources include videotapes, DVDs, and audio recordings. Lake Forest College faculty, staff and students may check out videos and DVDs. Other audio-visual items must be used in the library. There are several viewing/listening rooms in which to use audio-visual materials in the library. Search the catalog for media materials owned by the library or browse the media collections separately.

Media Services
The Media Services Department is located in the northeast corner of Level 1 in the library. Media Services allows faculty, staff, and students to check out audiovisual equipment and assistive technology software as these resources are available.

Microfilm/fiche Reader
Many periodicals, government documents, newspapers and other resources may be found on microfiche or microfilm. Microforms can be found in the reference area on Level 1. The microfilm/fiche readers allow you to print copies of the documents. The cost of each microfilm/fiche copy is 15 cents. The library does not provide any change machines, but if you will be making a number of copies, you may pay for them at the Reference Desk using bills.

Photocopy Machines
The library provides access to photocopy machines. Copies are 10 cents per page for black and white copies. The machine on Level 1 also makes color copies for 50 cents per page. The copy machines take change and bills in denominations up to $20. You may ask the Lab & Copier Assistant for help.

Reserve Materials
If you are an instructor and wish to place material on Reserve for students to use at the library, please bring the items to the Circulation Desk. All Reserve items must be used in the library, and you must leave your Lake Forest College ID to use them. Stop at the Circulation Desk to use any item on Reserve, including Audio-Visual materials.

Returning Books
You may return your books when the library is closed if you have a College ID to enter the vestibules at the north and south entrances where book drops are located.
During Library hours of operation, you may deposit books in the book drop in the front of the Circulation Desk.

Special Collections & Archives
Special Collections are located on the Lower Level of the Donnelley and Lee Library; some archives are off-site. The collections include rare books, manuscripts, etc., and are for in-library use only. To access an item, come to the the Special Collections department during hours of availability, or contact the Library Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Arthur Miller (x5064) to make arrangements. To determine whether the Special Collections are open at anytime outside of the posted hours, call x5071.

Technical Services
The Technical Services Department in the Lower Level of the Library handles the acquisition and processing of books, journals, and media in the library.

Technology Resource Center (TRC)
The Brown Technology Resource Center is located in Room 208 on Level 2 of the Library to provide software support and training for the campus. The TRC allows faculty, staff, and students to check out laptops as they are available.This center is staffed by student employees who can be reached at x5168.