Help FAQ: Answers!
MOBIUS
What is MOBIUS?MOBIUS is a consortium of Missouri libraries, mostly academic, who have joined together to create a union catalog of all the holdings of the member libraries. The union catalog creates a "virtual collection" of the approximately 14 million items in the libraries of Missouri's colleges and universities, with a single user interface in all participating institutions. The union catalog allows faculty and students to request books using any computer in any location with access to the Internet.
(Return to Help)What is the difference between the Library Catalog and the MOBIUS catalog?
The Library Catalog contains the holdings of all libraries at Washington University except the Medical Library. The MOBIUS catalog contains all of the WU holdings, again not including the Medical Library, plus the holdings of the libraries of most Missouri colleges and universities. It includes the MERLIN catalog, which includes the four University of Missouri campuses: Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Rolla. Please see Using the MOBIUS Catalog or the MOBIUS handout for more information.
(Return to Help)How do I request a book from MOBIUS?
Note: You, as a Washington University-affiliated person, can request items ONLY from the WU Library Catalog and from the MOBIUS Catalog. You CANNOT submit a request from the MERLIN or ARTHUR Catalogs (that is, you cannot search those individual catalogs and submit a request) - or any other catalog that becomes a part of the MOBIUS catalog. So:
Start your search in the Washington University library catalog. If the title you want is not available at Washington University, transfer your search request to the MOBIUS catalog, by clicking on the MOBIUS Catalog button. When you find the item you want, click on the line indicating "Display holdings of MOBIUS libraries." If the book is not available at Washington University, click on REQUEST THIS ITEM. You will be asked to identify your institution (WASH U) and enter your name, WU ID, and pickup location where you want the item to be delivered. Submit the request and it will be forwarded to one of the libraries which has an available copy. You will be notified when the book is ready for you to pick up. Note that you can only request books from the MOBIUS catalog, not journals or journal articles.
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