When starting a catalog search, start locally with the SLU catalog here: libcat.slu.edu. Three easiest ways we search the catalog are:
Once you have searched the catalog and discovered we have an item, you will want to look at the location, call number, and status of the book to determine how to access an item. Items marked Law, Law Reserve, or Law Reference are here in the law library. Items located at the Locust Street Facility are located in our off-site storage facility and can be requested.
For items that have been placed on Reserve by a professor, you can click in the dropdown box and scroll to "Course Reserves By Instructor". You will be able to locate the item by searching for the professor's last name, e.g. Phillips. Once you do, you will see any items that have been placed on reserve, the call number, and the status of the item.
If the item is unavailable, e.g. missing or checked out, check the MOBIUS OpenRS catalog. If the item cannot be located the patron may need to make an ILLiad request. Requesting from ILLiad instructions can be found at the bottom of this page.
Once the item has arrived, the patron will have seven days to pick it up if it is a request from the SLU catalog and 10 days if it is a MOBIUS request. ILLiad items are automatically checked out to the patron and held on the holdshelf until the due date of the item. Due dates vary from library to library.
The patron will want to leave all bands on the material as well as keep any paperwork that comes with the material. This paperwork has information essential in returning the material to the home library and may include any information about the condition in which the item was received.
Please note, e-books cannot be requested through the MOBIUS OpenRS catalog and ILLiad requests for e-books cannot be filled.
Start your search at the SLU catalog. Requests can be made via the SLU catalog using your banner ID number and PIN number. You can create a pin number by clicking on “Forgot Your PIN.”
If an item is available at both the Locust Street Facility and Pius or the Medical Library, request the item from the Locust Street Facility because we have a direct courier service from there. Items from Pius and the Medical Library go through the MOBIUS courier.
If the item is not in the SLU catalog, click on the MOBIUS link on the right side of the page to search the MOBIUS catalog.
MOBIUS is a consortium of 79 members which includes 64 academic libraries, 10 public libraries, 4 special libraries, and the Missouri State Library, The MOBIUS consortium extends to libraries in Iowa and Arkansas. To request from a MOBIUS library once you have found the item you are looking for::
You will be asked to select your institution, which is Saint Louis University.
You will be asked to sign in. Your library barcode is your banner number with the leading zeros, for example: 000123456. Your PIN number is the same as your PIN number for requests in the SLU catalog.
Once you have entered your barcode number and PIN number, you will be asked to choose your pick up location: SLU Law Library.
Click "Place hold" and the hold for your item will be placed.
You only can have 20 MOBIUS items on your account at one time. Once you have requested an item in the MOBIUS OpenRS catalog, go back to the SLU catalog to begin searching for the next item, as not to use a MOBIUS request on an item available in the SLU catalog.
If you cannot find your book in the MOBIUS Open RS catalog, double check that the information the student has is correct using Google or Amazon. If the information is correct, they may need to fill out an ILLiad request. You can send the student to the Reference Desk or ask LeAnn if she is here for more help.
How long will it take for my request to come in?
Items from our Locust Street offsite storage generally arrive in 24-48 hours.
SLULink and MOBIUS items generally take 3-5 business days.
How long can I keep my requests?
From a SLU Library: 120 days
From a MOBIUS library: 40 days
How long will my item be held for me to pick up?
SLU requests: 7 days
MOBIUS requests: 10 days
How do I renew my item?
SLU items will be automatically renewed twice unless it has been requested, recalled, or it is a part of a reserved library collection. The new due date will be at the bottom of the automated email notification. MOBIUS items will have one 40 day loan period with no renewals.
Article requests can include articles found in journals, newspaper articles, chapter requests, and statute requests.
All article requests should be made through ILLiad with two exceptions:
First, check to see if the item the patron needs is available at the law library or electronically through the SLU catalog by searching the title of the journal. If you cannot determine if we have the item, send the patron to the reference desk so a Reference Librarian can assist them. If it is determined we do not have access to the article, the patron will have to login to ILLiad and submit an article request.
Requests should be made by the patron requesting the material, not student assistants.
Before submitting an ILLiad request, students may want to consult with a Reference Librarian to ensure that we do not already have the item they are looking for in the collection. Once they have determined they need to make an ILLiad request, they can find the instructions for doing so at the following address: bit.ly/slulawill.