Welcome to Colby! We’re here to help, so please Ask Us.
Getting Started
- Use your Colby Card to borrow books and other items at any library or pay for photocopies or fines.
- See what you have checked out or renew materials in your online library account using your Colby username and password.
- Set up an interlibrary loan account to borrow books from other libraries.
- Contact your library liaison to learn how the library can help with your research and teaching.
- Use this form to request books, ebooks, and films for purchase or contact your library liaison(s).
- You can place required readings on reserve at any library for a short-term loan to students. Find out more here.
Instructional Support
Reference and Instructional Support
Subject specialists can collaborate with you to support your classes and research. Contact a subject specialist if you:
- Want to provide your class or students with research consultations and library instruction. Click here to learn more.
- Would like to offer asynchronous modules to support your course’s research projects
- Would like feedback on research assignments
- Are interested in us sending announcements about library services and relevant programs or events to the class
- Want support locating or using a resource
Special Collections: Teaching with Archives
The librarians in Special Collections run archival labs to train students in the use of primary sources and archival materials. Find out what Special Collections offers our faculty here.
NOTE: Special Collections & Archives is open only by appointment to the Colby College Community. To make an appointment email them at s[email protected] or call them at 207-859-5150
Library Classrooms
You may reserve the Bixler Media Lab (in Bixler) or Davis Classroom (in Miller) for one-off library instruction or interactive instruction sessions with your students. Find out more about reserving these computer labs here.
Research Support
Library liaisons are happy to consult with any faculty member on their research needs and library-related workflow. Email us to set up a time to meet and discuss:
- Copyright for books or materials used in your class.
- Open access and maintaining copyright on your scholarship.
- Digitizing or managing your research data and field notes.
- Using Citation Alerts to get notifications of new research in your field.
- Managing your citations in Endnote, Refworks, Mendeley, or Zotero.
- Browsing the latest issues of top journals with Browzine.
- Writing data management plans for external grant applications.
Discover additional resources available through the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs
Research Assistant Cards
Have a student research assistant who will be ordering or borrowing books for you? Email [email protected] to find out how to get them an research assistant card.
Borrowing Privileges
Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin
You can easily borrow books from Colby, Bates, or Bowdoin (CBB) using our shared catalog at CBBcat.net. Your borrowing privileges include:
- 365 day loans for CBB books and government documents
- 120 day loans for CBB sound recordings
- 28 day loans for CBB audiobooks
- 7 day loans for CBB periodicals, multimedia, maps, and videos
MaineCat
If materials are not available locally, use the sidebar links on our catalog to request them from MaineCat, which give us access to books from other Maine libraries. See our borrowing guidelines for more details.
WorldCat
WorldCat is an international catalog of books at libraries across US public and academic institutions, as well as public and academic universities worldwide. If you can’t find things locally or regionally, you may well be able to find a book’s record in WorldCat.
Interlibrary Loan
If we still don’t have what you’re looking for, you may request books, articles, and book chapters through interlibrary loan. Read more here.
Suggest a Purchase
Use this form to request books, ebooks, films for purchase, or contact your subject specialist(s).
