Materials in Penrose are organized according to the Library of Congress classification system. Finding what you need can be confusing, but this guide should help you learn how to navigate the shelves.
Using Sherlock
Sherlock combines the Whitman Library Catalog, the Summit catalog, and many of our article databases into one interface. Sherlock has four scopes you can access via the dropdown menu in the Library Resources tab, or by using the check boxes in the search box on the library homepage. The four scopes are:
Whitman Library: Use this to search for materials in the Whitman Library catalog, including print and e-books, journals and e-journals, special collections, and audiovisual materials.
Summit: Use this to search for and request materials held by Whitman Library and all Summit Libraries.
Articles: Use this to search for scholarly and popular journal articles from many of Whitman's electronic resources.
Whitman + Summit + Articles (aka "Everything"): Use this to search for content from Whitman, Summit, and journal articles and electronic content from many of Whitman's electronic resources.
See the video below for a demonstration of how to search using Sherlock.
Sherlock does not include all of the library's electronic resources for which Penrose has subscriptions. A full list of content indexed in Sherlock is available here. To find content from specialized databases, use the subject guides or our complete list of databases.
Using Subject Guides: subject guides are created by librarians with recommended databases and resources for specific subjects. If you are writing a paper for a biology class, you can use the biology subject guide to find sources.
Requesting from Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If the item you want isn’t available from a Summit library, you’ll need to request it from Interlibrary Loan. You can request items from ILL through the Sherlock, or by searching WorldCat; just look for the button that says “Request from Interlibrary Loan”.
Journal articles are not available through Summit, and must be obtained from ILL. You can request journal articles not available at Penrose directly from the database you’re searching, by clicking the “ILLiad Interlibrary Loan link” for articles.
Log in with your Whitman username and email password.The item information will be filled out in the ILL form for you. Just verify the information is correct and submit your request.
Materials such as books and DVDs can be loaned in their original format. Articles in journals or on microfilm will be photocopied or sent electronically.
The time it takes to receive ILL materials can vary widely, so be sure to plan ahead if you think you’ll need to borrow from ILL. Some articles may arrive in just a few days, but other materials may take up to six weeks.
Access Services handles all requests for Whitman faculty, staff and students at no charge. Any requests can be made online and picked up at the Whitman Circulation desk.
ILL items circulate to all patrons for 6 weeks with no renewals. Occasionally, restrictions on photocopying or use outside of Penrose may exist. Older and archival materials, reference materials, original newspapers and journals, and theses and dissertations are frequently unavailable. Some materials may also be unavailable due to copyright restrictions.
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