Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Library open?
The Library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the Spring and Summer sessions.

How can I check out items from the Library?
Items do not circulate from the Library. The decision not to have items circulate and to keep the Library open 24 hours a day provides for maximum access of materials. This aspect is very important during the short 4-8 week sessions. The only exceptions are those items that are placed in teaching labs as Reserve items, and items which are borrowed through Library to Library Loan (see Question 5).

I have a call number for an item. Where can I find it in the Library?
Dewey call numbers (they start with a number) through 598.2 .A8 are in the Annex (see the Annex map). The remaining Dewey call numbers are on the first floor of the main building, along with a few books with Library of Congress call numbers (they start with a letter) in the Reference collection (see the 1st floor map).
On the second floor are all the Library of Congress call numbers for the general collection (see the 2nd floor map).
Bound journals are interfiled with the general collection by call number. Current journals are arranged alphabetically by title in a separate section on the first floor (see the 1st floor map).

Can I get books or journal articles from the Ann Arbor campus, if they are unavailable at the Station Library?
Yes, you can get materials from the main campus. However, this service is only available during the summer session.
You can submit an Library to Library Loan request in one of three ways: through a printed form located at the main desk, by emailing the librarian at biostation.librarian@umich.edu, or through an electronic form located on the Internet (see the Library to Library Form).
Before submitting a request, use Mirlyn to determine the Library and the call number of the book or journal. Delivery time ranges from 5-10 days. The fastest delivery time occurs for items located at the Science Library.
If you want an item located outside of the University of Michigan Library system, be prepared to wait three weeks or more. Because of this delay, such requests are discouraged unless it is early in the session.

My professor has some books on Reserve. Where can I find them?
There are several numbered Reserve tables (see the 1st floor map) that have signs with the professors' names on them. In addition, there is a notebook on the main desk that lists the professors by course and the books they have on Reserve.irlyn(University of Michigan's Online Library Catalog) indicates whether an item is on Reserve or not and the table number on which the item can be found.
On each table, the Reserve items are not arranged in any particular order.

How do I find books in the Library on a specific subject or by a specific author?
The Library has four computer terminals (see the 1st floor map) that provide Internet access, and therefore access to Mirlyn. You can access Mirlyn from any Internet computer.
From the main screen of Mirlyn, U of M's online library catalog, search the catalog by any of the choices in the drop-down box on the main search page. General access to books on a certain subject is best accomplished by a keyword search (Word(s) anywhere). Specific instructions on all aspects of searching Mirlyn are provided on handouts located on a table in front of the main desk.
The Library still has the original card catalog for locating items when Mirlyn is not working. However, no new items have been added since 1988.

How do I find journal articles on a subject?
The U of M Library system provides access to various online indexes of scientific journal literature. Try the lists at Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Databases (Search Tools) and Natural Resources and Environgment Databases (Search Tools). Also, handouts on some databases are available on a table in front of the main desk.

Where can I find student papers, reprints of published papers, or dissertations/theses that relate to the Station?
Student papers are located in file cabinets in the back of Lakeside Computer Lab. The papers are arranged alphabetically by first author. These papers cannot leave Lakeside without permission from Bob Vande Kopple, Station Biologist.
Reprints of published papers--either from work done at the Station or that which relates to northern Michigan--are located in file cabinets in the Library, next to the main desk (1st floor map).
Dissertations/theses are located in Bob Vande Kopple's office in Lakeside Lab.
Both the Lakeside Computer Lab and the Library have a searchable ProCite database of the student paper, reprints, and dissertations/theses. In the Library, this database is located on the two PCs.

I am having a problem with the copier. How do I... ?
Issues related to the photocopier are handled by the Administrative Office. You must receive a five digit code from this Office before you can make copies.

When does the Library receive new books? Are the new books placed directly on the shelf?
Journal issues and books are received continuously throughout the year. All items received since the previous year are shelved and ready for use in the Station Library near the beginning of the Spring Session. During the Summer Session, additional books and journal issues are sent up as they become available.
New books are placed on the New Books shelves located on the west wall of the Annex (Annex map). As new materials are added, these additions are recorded and posted near the books. New journal issues are placed on the table nearest the current journals area (1st floor map).

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