FIND IT!

REQUEST IT!

RECEIVE IT!

ASK ABOUT IT!

FIRST,
Search the Northborough Catalog:

Library Catalog

When you find the item you are looking for, click:

Follow the instructions; enter your library number and pin. For information about creating a pin,
see our
Your Library Card
        section.        

If the item is available Circulation staff will notify you by e-mail or phone and you'll have 1 week to pick it up.  If the item is not available it will come from another library, usually within
4-5 days.

When requesting very popular titles you may be added to a wait list. Circulation staff will contact you when your item 
   arrives.  Limit 10 Requests at one time. 

If you have any questions or if you haven't received your hold within 5 days, please contact our Circulation staff:
508-393-5025, x 6.

NEXT,
If you don't find it in the Northborough Catalog,
Search All Central Mass. Libraries:

In the Library Catalog, click on the drop-down arrow next to “Northborough,” and choose “All Central MA Libraries”.

Follow the same instructions as above.

These types of requests typically take
4-5 days to arrive.

Circulation staff will notify you by e-mail or phone when the material is ready, and you'll have 1 week to pick it up.

If you have any questions or if you haven't received your hold within 5 days, please contact our Circulation staff: 
508-393-5025, x 6.

NEXT,
If you don't find it in
Central MA Libraries,
Search Western MA Libraries:

Look to the right of your search results in the Central MA Library Catalog and click:

OR

search the 
C/W MARS Union Catalog directly:

C/W Mars Union Catalog

When you find the item you are looking for, click the blue link, “REQUEST THIS ITEM”

On the next page,

in the drop-down menu choose your region – CENTRAL –  and click “SUBMIT”

On the next page,

fill out your name and library card number in the boxes provided, choose your desired pickup location in the drop down menu, and click “SUBMIT”.

These types of requests typically take
1 week or longer to arrive.

Circulation staff will notify you by e-mail or phone when the material is ready, and you'll have 1 week to pick it up.

If you have any questions or if you haven't received your hold within 10 days, please contact our Circulation staff:
 (508) 393-5025, x 6.

NEXT,
If you don't find it in the
C/W MARS Union Catalog,
Search the Massachusetts
Virtual Catalog
(searches participating public, academic, and special libraries across the state):

http://www.cwmars.org/vcat 

(This link also appears at the top of the page when searching in the C/W MARS Union Catalog).

Please note: the Virtual Catalog will not allow you to requests items if they are already owned by libraries in Central or Western Massachusetts.

On the next page,

Enter your library card number, choose your pickup location and click ‘Login'

On the next page,

At the ‘Patron Main Menu', click on “Searching/Requesting”

On the next page,

Choose to search by title, author, subject, or ISBN, enter your search terms in the field at the top of the page and click the ‘Begin Searching” blue button

On the next page,

If the item you are searching for is listed,
Click the blue button
 
in the ‘Request' column

The system will then either bring you to a page to continue the request or inform you that the item is not available.

These types of requests typically
take
1 to 2 weeks
or longer to arrive.

Reference staff will notify you by e-mail or phone when the material is ready, and you'll have 1 week to pick it up.

Sometimes, after placing a Virtual Catalog request, items become unavailable for borrowing. If this is the case, you should receive an e-mail indicating that the request was “Unfillable”. Contact the Reference Department if you'd like us to search further for you (see “nationwide Interlibrary Loan Request" in the boxes below).

If you have questions about placing this type of request or about the status of your request, please contact our 
Reference staff: 
508-393-5025, x 5
illnr@cwmars.org

NEXT,
If you don't find it or it is unavailable in the Massachusetts Virtual Catalog,
Place a nationwide
Interlibrary Loan Request ->

Phone (508-393-5025) or email (illnr@cwmars.org) the Reference Department with as much information as possible about the item you are looking for (title, author, publisher, publication date, ISBN).

We will then contact the Central Mass. Regional Library System who makes nationwide interlibrary loan requests on our behalf.

These types of requests typically take a month or longer to arrive.

ALSO,
The Reference Department can assist you with requesting hard-to-find magazine or journal articles as well as deposit collections (multiple titles on a single topic – e.g. current fiction titles in Hindi, picture books in Spanish) through a service provided by the Boston Public Library.

Contact the Reference Department and let them know as much as possible about the articles or type of deposit collection you are looking for.

The Reference Department will contact you when the articles or deposit collections are ready. Articles can be delivered electronically to your e-mail address or printed out for 10 cents a page.