SWAN FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

• General Information
• What is SWAN?
• What is MOBIUS?
• What may I borrow through MOBIUS?
• When should I use MOBIUS?
• How do I request a book from MOBIUS?
• How quickly will the books I request arrive?
• How long will I be able to keep books that I borrow?
• May I renew a book borrowed through MOBIUS?
• Will I receive a bill for MOBIUS books that I don't return on time?
• How many books can I have out at one time?
• I don't have time to wait for a book to arrive! Can I visit another library and check out a book there?
  
  
• Help with Searching
• What does the Quick Search box do?
• I got too many items with my search
• I got too few items with my search
• I didn't get anything!
• Can I limit my search to recently published material?
• Can I limit my search to videotapes?
• I am confused by some of the "Material Type" options
  
  
• Marking Records/Making Lists
• How can I print, email or save a list of items from the catalog?
  
  
• Locating Materials
• How do I know which library owns the book I need?
• The book I want says the status is "Library Use Only". Does that mean I can't borrow it?

SWAN is a cluster or group of Missouri libraries within the MOBIUS library consortium (see below). The SWAN Library Catalog is an online library catalog which includes the collections of the following Missouri libraries: Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Baptist Bible College, Cottey College, Crowder College, Drury University, Missouri Southern State University, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical College, and Southwest Baptist University.

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MOBIUS (Missouri Bibliographic Information User System) is a consortium of over fifty Missouri college and university libraries. MOBIUS was created to allow students, faculty and staff at member libraries to borrow books from other member libraries. The MOBIUS Union Catalog is a shared online catalog which allows users to search the holdings of all member libraries. The MOBIUS catalog includes over 14 million items.

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Patrons may borrow books through the MOBIUS system. Please note that only books may be requested from another library even though videotapes, music CDs and periodical titles are listed in the catalog.

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Use MOBIUS when a book you need is not available at your library.

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Start your search in your own library's catalog.

If you do not find the book(s) you need, click on the link to "Search MOBIUS Union Catalog."

Once you have located a title you want to borrow, click on "REQUEST THIS ITEM".

You will be asked, "With which institution are you affiliated?" SWAN is the first cluster in the list, so you can just click on the "Submit above information" button.

At the next screen:

• Enter your name
  
  
• Enter your Social Security Number or equivalent PLUS your college's two-digit institution code
  (e.g., 123456789EC).
  
  These are the institution codes for our cluster:
  
  

  AGTS = Assemblies of God Theological Seminary
  BBC = Baptist Bible College
  COTT = Cottey College
  CC = Crowder College
  DU = Drury University
  FIPP = Forest Institute of Professional Psychology
  MSSU = Missouri Southern State University
  MSU = Missouri State University
  OTC = Ozarks Technical College
  SBU = Southwest Baptist University

• Choose a pickup location from the drop-down menu to indicate where you want the book sent. If you do not choose a pickup location, the item you request will be sent to the default location, Cottey College Library.

Submit your request. The system will respond with a message telling you that the item is being sent. IF YOU ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY, ASK A LIBRARIAN FOR HELP.

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Books usually arrive at the location you specify within two to four days.

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Most books are checked out for 21 days.

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One 21-day renewal is permitted unless another patron has requested the book.

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Yes. Your library follows its normal notification and billing procedures for overdue or lost materials. For more information, contact your library. Please be aware that the charge for a lost MOBIUS book is $120.00.

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Students may have ten books; faculty and staff are limited to twenty books.

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Yes, you may check out books at other MOBIUS libraries as a visiting patron. You must present your valid student identification card at the MOBIUS library you wish to borrow materials from. Note: You must be in good standing with your home library to use this service.

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The Quick Search box is a powerful tool for experienced users of the SWAN Library Catalog. Use it to quickly launch almost any kind of search of any part of the SWAN Catalog. Press the arrow at the end of the "Search by" box to see the types of searches you can perform. For each type of search, you will find search advice and examples to help you with your research. If you are not familiar with the Catalog, we suggest you look below the QuickSearch box and perform a search by subject, keyword, author, title, or other option.

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Here are some ways that you can decrease the number of items you retrieve:

1. Do a SUBJECT search instead of a keyword search. LC Subject searches cover a standardized list of terms and do not search other fields, such as author, note, etc. Children's subject searches also can be used to search for specialized materials.
   
   
2. When viewing the record for an individual item (book, videotape, etc.), look at the "LC SUBJECT" field. Sometimes you will find narrower subject headings listed that would be useful as search terms.
   
   
3. Use the LIMIT/SORT button to narrow to a particular publication year or years, material type, language, etc. For example, you can have the computer rerun a search on World War II but limit the results to videotapes on the topic.
   
   
4. Include more than one search term in a KEYWORD search. Your results will be limited to items which contain ALL of your search terms. You may include the word AND between search terms, but it is not required:
   
   

   television and children
   television children

5. Use the word NOT before a word to eliminate it from your KEYWORD search. The computer will look for items that mention the first term but omit any items that mention the term after the NOT.
   
   

   Recreation not hiking

6. Do a TITLE search instead of a keyword search. Sometimes you can find a handful of books with titles that begin with your topic, e.g. Management. As an alternative, you can type t: in front of a word to search for that word in the title of a work. This should also produce fewer results than a keyword search.
   
   

   t:France (finds materials with the word France anywhere in the title)

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Here are some ways that you can increase the number of items you retrieve:

1. Do a Keyword search instead of a LC Subject or Children's Subject search. A keyword search covers more fields, such as title, notes, etc.
   
   
2. Do a KEYWORD search using the word OR between search terms. This will find items containing at least one of the keywords or phrases.
   
   

   Amazon or Amazon.com
   cat or feline

3. Use an asterisk* to truncate endings of words. Have the computer search for variations of a word by adding an asterisk.
   
   

   For example, to search for either training or trainers or train, type:
   train*

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Here are some suggestions if your search gets zero results:

1. Check your spelling. Unfortunately, the computer won't do this for you. You can use an asterisk * if you know at least part of a word.
   
   

   Dostoevsk* (will find Dostoevsky or Dostoevskii)

   If you want the computer to fill in more than 5 letters, use two asterisks:
   
   

   totalit** (for a search on totalitarianism)

2. Do a keyword search. This is the most general type of search you can do.
   
   
3. Make sure you are doing the correct type of search. Trying to search for an author in the journal name field usually won't work. Check that you have selected the correct type of search.
   
   
4. Do a simple search on fewer keywords. Try simplifying your search by limiting the number of words you are stringing together. For example, instead of personnel AND training AND computer-assisted instruction AND evaluation, try the following:

   computer-assisted instruction and evaluation
   training and computer-assisted instruction

5. After searching your own library's SWAN catalog, try the search in the entire MOBIUS catalog to see if another library has the materials you want. Follow the link at the top of the screen to search the MOBIUS catalog.
   
   
6. Contact a librarian for assistance.
   
   

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Yes. Once you have done a SUBJECT or AUTHOR search, press the LIMIT/SORT button. On the next screen, you can limit your results to items published after and before a certain year.

Alternatively, you can choose to sort your results by year. Click on the LIMIT/SORT button to see this option. Your search results will be redisplayed in publication date order.

If you do a KEYWORD search, your results are automatically listed in reverse chronological order.

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Yes. From your results list, press the LIMIT/SORT button. On the next screen, limit your search by "MATERIAL TYPE". Select VIDEO from the pull-down menu.

Please remember that you may only borrow videotapes from your own library.

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Most of the material types are familiar ones, such as books, journals, maps, etc. Some of the other ones are:

Electronic Resource: A resource such as a CD-ROM, online database, etc. As a rule, regular music CDs are grouped under Audio, Music rather than Electronic Resource. In addition, electronic books are grouped under the E-Book material type.

Video: includes formats such as VHS, laserdisc, DVD, etc.

Archival Material: Collections of documents, photographs, media, etc. that are the official records of an organization or institution. Archival materials are usually kept in separate collections.

Thesis or Manuscript: Thesis includes master's theses and doctoral dissertations. Manuscripts may include authored works, correspondence and other documents related to an individual or group. Manuscripts are often kept in separate collections.

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1. Do a search and have the search results on your screen.
   
   
2. Place a check mark in the box in front of each item you want.
   
   
3. Press the SAVE MARKED RECORDS button at the bottom of the screen. If you leave a screen without pressing this button, your marks will disappear.
   
   
4. Continue to mark and save records on subsequent screens.
   
   
5. When ready to retrieve your saved list, press the PRINT/E-MAIL/SAVE button.
   
   
6. The screen that appears will provide options for emailing or saving the list. You may also display it on your screen and print it out.
   
   

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When you view the record for an item, you will see a box marked "Location". Here you will find an abbreviation for each library that owns the item. If you are searching the SWAN catalog, the abbreviations for the individual libraries in the SWAN cluster are:

AGTS - Assemblies of God Theological Seminary
BBC - Baptist Bible College
Cottey - Cottey College
CC - Crowder College
DU - Drury University
FIPP - Forest Institute of Professional Psychology
MSSU - Missouri Southern State University
MSU - Missouri State University
OTC - Ozarks Technical College
SBU - Southwest Baptist University

If you are searching the comprehensive MOBIUS catalog, you will see listings for libraries in all of the clusters statewide. A list of MOBIUS libraries is available online.

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Yes. "Library Use Only" materials are often reference books, rare books, archival documents, or other special materials that the owning library won't lend. Many of these items can be used by visiting the library that owns them. For rare books or archival materials, it's a good idea to call ahead to see if special arrangements need to be made. Often rare books and similar materials are kept in special collections which may have more restricted hours and access policies than the general library.

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