MOBIUS & Interlibrary Loan
Access materials from other libraries around the state, the country, and even the world
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MOBIUS
Streamlined requesting for books and media held in libraries in and around Missouri
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Interlibrary Loan
Request books and articles from libraries across the country and around the world
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Prospector
Request books from a MOBIUS partner network in and around Colorado
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Reciprocal Borrowing Agreements
On-site check-out privileges at partner libraries around the country
MOBIUS
MOBIUS is a consortium of academic and public libraries in and around Missouri that have agreed to share their resources with each other. By using the MOBIUS Union Catalog, you can search the collections of all the member libraries simultaneously and request books to be delivered either here at Covenant Seminary or at the MOBIUS institution of your choice. And thanks to the MOBIUS courier service, delivery usually takes only two or three business days. If you don’t feel like waiting, you also have the option of visiting any MOBIUS member library in person and checking out books with your Covenant Seminary ID just like you would here!
MOBIUS members include other theological schools (Concordia Seminary, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary), small to mid-sized private colleges and universities (Maryville University, Fontbonne University), large research universities (Saint Louis University, Washington University), and all of the University of Missouri campuses. This diversity means that you have a very broad and extensive collection available to you. Be sure to make use of it!
MOBIUS is divided into several (roughly) geographical clusters. Covenant Seminary is part of the Bridges cluster. To search just the collections of our fellow Bridges libraries, visit the Bridges Catalog.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary Loan (often abbreviated as ILL) is a service provided by most libraries in the U.S. whereby your home library borrows an item (book or article) from another library for you. This is distinct from the MOBIUS service described above, which takes advantage of a streamlined system to provide faster and easier access to books at libraries within the MOBIUS network. ILL, although slower, gives you access to a broader selection of items since it can be used to request items from libraries across the nation. In addition, ILL is frequently used to request journal articles. (Note that DVDs, CDs, etc. are usually not loaned through ILL.)
The Covenant Library offers free ILL service for all current students, faculty, and staff. Most of Covenant’s databases provide a link to the online ILL request form that will pass through most or all of the information about item to be requested, or you can visit the form directly and manually enter the needed information.
The length of time it takes to fulfill your ILL requests will vary depending on where each requested item is being sent from. You should probably plan for up to two weeks, though some items may take longer. Articles often arrive faster (even within a few days) since they can be sent electronically. The length of time you can keep an ILL book varies as the due date is set by the owning library. These dates can vary widely, though they tend to be about one month from the date that the owning library ships the item.
Prospector
Prospector is a sister system of MOBIUS comprised of over 200 academic, public, and special libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. MOBIUS-eligible library users can search the Prospector union catalog and request items to be delivered via the interlinked courier system.
Reciprocal Borrowing Agreements
Covenant is a member of two reciprocal borrowing networks: the Atla Reciprocal Borrowing Program and the Association of Christian Librarians (ACL) Reciprocal Borrowing Program. Through these programs, Covenant students are entitled to on-site borrowing privileges at any participating library. Check the maps below to see if there is a participating library near you.
Atla Reciprocal Borrowing Program. Loan policies and ID requirements vary by library, so use the contact information provided to find out more before you visit. The library you visit will likely need to contact the Covenant library in order to verify your enrollment before you can check out books, so anticipate a 24-hour waiting period.
ACL Reciprocal Borrowing Program. Contact the Covenant library to obtain a signed authorization form before you visit a library.