Geothermal Work Outside Neilson Library Through May 9

Neilson's main entrance, two south entrances, and Neilson Drive remain available for use.

Visit smith.edu

Borrow, Renew, Return

Request Smith and Five College books via Discover Advanced using the "Place Request" button on the item you want.

  • Select pickup location: For quickest delivery, select Neilson Library. Pick up at Hillyer or Josten Libraries may take an additional day.
  • Deliveries & Pickup: Items are delivered Monday-Friday, can be picked up during all open hours, and will be held for 7 days.
  • Returns: Smith and Five College items can be returned at any Five College library and after hours, at any book drop, except for course reserves, some audio/visual materials, equipment, and anything fragile.
  • See Request Materials for more information.

Check Out Materials

In Person

  • At a service desk: At Central Service Points in Neilson, Hillyer or Josten Libraries. Student or permanent staff members will check out reserves and regular materials, and provide assistance with your library account, including renewals, recalls and overdues.

Self Checkout

  • Self checkout kiosks: Available on Neilson Library’s ground and first floors, the stations include accessibility features and language support for English, Spanish and French. Scan the barcode on the back of your OneCard and then, scan the barcode on the front of the book. A receipt will be emailed after checkout.
  • Self checkout app: For Neilson materials only, download the Smith Libraries Self Checkout app from the App Store or Google Play to borrow items with a mobile device.

Renew Items

Smith & Five College Items

Unless the item has been recalled or is on reserve you may renew most items:

  • Online, in Discover Advanced. 
    • Login with your Smith username and password
    • Under My Dashboard in the left panel, go to Requests & loans
    • Local borrowers and alumnae should register with the Neilson Library Central Service Point where they will be given a username and password. After that, they can log into Discover Advanced and click on Smith College Library Community Borrowers.
  • In person, at any Smith College Library service desk.
  • By telephone or email using the contact information in the Contact Us section below.
  • Help renewing a large number of items is available in person, by telephone or email.

Interlibrary Loan

  • Log into your Interlibrary Loan account.
  • On the main menu, scroll down and click on Renew Checked Out Items.
  • The Interlibrary Loan staff will send you an email with the new due date if the lending library grants a renewal, or will let you know if the lending library refuses the renewal request, in which case the book will be due on its original due date.

Return Items

Smith and Five College Materials

With the exception of Reserve and Interlibrary Loan items, Smith and Five College materials may be returned to any Five College library.

Reserve Items

Reserve items must be returned in person to the library service desk where they were borrowed.

Recalled Items

Recalled items must be returned by the newly established due date on the recall notice. If possible, return a recalled item as soon as possible to any Five College library. If you are out of the area when you receive a recall notice, please contact the appropriate service desk (see below) for specific mailing instructions.

Interlibrary Loan Items

Interlibrary Loan items must be returned to the central service point in Neilson Library.

Book Drops

Avoid using book drops whenever possible as they often damage library materials. Fragile or large items and video or sound recordings, especially LP (vinyl) recordings, should never be placed in a book drop, but should be returned to a library circulation desk. There is an outside book drop at the southern entrance to Neilson library that can be used at any time.

Return by Mail

To return a Smith library item by mail

  • Pack the item securely in a padded envelope or box
  • Insure the package for $50 per item
  • Mail to:

Smith College Libraries 
Neilson Library 
Circulation Department 
7 Neilson Drive 
Northampton, MA 01063

For specific questions, please contact the appropriate library service desk.

Who Can Borrow

All borrowers must present a current Smith OneCard, Five College ID, registered Smith College Libraries paper card, or a Learning in Retirement Card. See Getting a Library Card for more information.

Affiliation

Borrowers

Smith College Students, Faculty & Staff

Use Smith OneCard to borrow materials from the Libraries.

Smith undergraduate and graduate students
 

Smith School for Social Work students
 

Faculty (regular, visiting, emeriti/ae, Five College Fellows based at Smith)
 

Staff (current and retired)

Smith College Affiliates

Use Smith OneCard to borrow materials. See Smith OneCard Services for information on obtaining a OneCard. 

 

Smith College alumnae
 

Spouses, partners and dependents of Smith employees
 

High school students and auditors enrolled in a Smith course, Learning in Retirement students, and Williams College patrons may obtain a Smith Library card at the Central Service Point in Neilson Library, ground floor. 
 

Five College Borrowers

Borrowers from Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and the University of Massachusetts must present a valid college identification card to circulation desk staff to borrow materials.

Students
 

Faculty (including Five College Fellows not based at Smith)
 

Five College Associates
 

Staff
 

Learning in Retirement members (must have a current Learning in Retirement Card and register with one of the Five College Libraries)

Non-affiliated Resident Borrowers

Non-affiliated users must present their current Smith College Libraries card to circulation desk staff to borrow library materials.

Residents of Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin Counties over 18 years old may purchase limited borrowing privileges from Neilson Library and Smith materials held in storage at the Library Annex only. The Hillyer and Josten Library collections are only available for in-house use.
 

Onsite use of library materials and resources is available without purchasing a card at all Smith College Libraries including Hillyer and Josten. See Services for Visiting Researchers for more information.
 

Purchase of a resident card does not allow for access to Smith's Electronic materials such as ebooks and databases (some electronic materials can be accessed on-site only).

Contact Us

Location

Phone

Email

Neilson Library

413-585-2910

libraryhelp@smith.edu

Hillyer Art Library

413-585-2940

hillinfo@smith.edu

Josten Performing Arts Library

413-585-2930

josinfo@smith.edu