Monarch OneSearch is the primary tool for searching the Libraries' physical book, ebooks, and most of its scholarly journals. Search results can be limited by date, by source type (e.g. books, articles, newspapers) and to search only within peer-reviewed journals.
For more information about using Monarch OneSearch see the Monarch OneSearch Help guide.
In addition to Monarch OneSearch, the Libraries provide access to databases and other tools for finding information related to a specific academic subject or in a specific format like news or video. The best way to find these resources are with Library Guides, which list resources for doing research in a specific subject or finding resources in a specific format. These guides are curated by librarians at ODU to meet the needs of ODU students.
The Libraries' chat service allows you to talk with a staff member at ODU Libraries in real time to ask questions and discuss your research. Use chat to discuss choosing databases, identifying keywords, or whether a book or article is available from ODU Libraries.
Librarians from ODU Libraries can meet with you to discuss your research, either individually or for group projects. These meetings can be tailored to your needs, but will generally include a discussion of what you're interested in researching, some recommendations for where and how you might search, and some practice and experimentation with some search strategies. Your request will be routed to a librarian who is familiar with both the type of research assignment you're working on and the resources available for that subject.
The Libraries' Ask-A-Librarian form is for questions about library resources and services (particularly when chat is offline). Fill out the form explaining your question or problem and you'll get an email reply when library staff are back in the office during normal business hours.
For questions about borrowing books or equipment and regarding fines or fees, please contact the Learning Commons Help Desk either in person in Perry Library or via phone or email.
Help Desk Phone: 757-683-4178
Learning Commons Email: learningcommons@odu.edu
Undergraduate students can check out up to 75 books for 6 weeks at a time, with renewals possible if no other patrons have requested the book. Your Student ID is your library card! Search for books in Monarch OneSearch, use the listed call number to find the book on the shelf, and bring it to the Learning Commons Help Desk with your Student ID to check it out.
If you have any trouble finding a book, don't hesitate to ask for assistance at the Learning Commons Help Desk.
While the Libraries have extensive book and journal collections, we don't have everything. You can request materials that aren't in the Libraries' collection through the Interlibrary Loan service. When you provide a few pieces of information about the resource you need, the Libraries will send a request to other Libraries to borrow the book physically or send an electronic copy of an article.
Because the Libraries pay for subscriptions to electronic journals, databases, and ebooks, access to these materials is restricted to current students, faculty, and staff. When you are accessing the Libraries' electronic resources off-campus, you will be prompted to log-in with your MIDAS username and password. This will confirm your affiliation with ODU and allow you to access subscription material.
Note, in order to be authenticated, you must access material through the ODU Libraries web site.