The Lyman Beecher Brooks Library (LBBL) offers an expansive collection of resources across many disciplines. These resources are either part of the library's physical or digital collections.
As MHI students you are all welcome to use the library's physical collection, study rooms, and other facilities available to all NSU students. However, if you are not able to access the library in person due to your schedule or because you do not live locally, librarians are happy to assist you remotely.
As an online program, many of the resources best suited to use by MHI students will be electronic resources. Use this guide to help identify recommended resources, time-saving strategies, and best practices to help you become an efficient and effective researcher.
Please contact us in person, by chat, through email, or on the phone (757) 823-2418 and we will be happy to assist you in identifying or locating library resources.
Searching the Catalog - Physical Materials
You can locate physical materials by searching the library's catalog on the library homepage: https://lbbl.nsu.edu/
1. Enter your search terms and click the "Search" button in the box to search the LBBL Catalog. By default, the system will use a keyword search looking for your terms across the entire catalog.
If you would like to limit the type of search:
- Use the left-side dropdown menu to change the type of search from Keyword to Title, Author, Subject, Call Number, ISBN/ISSN, or Resource Name.
- Use the right-side dropdown menu to change from Search Entire Catalog to a specific section of the library's physical collection: Harrison B. Wilson Archives, Herbert A. Marshall Collection, Reference Collection, or Juvenile Collection.
2. The results list has icons to indicate what type of materials are available. To remove E-Book results from the catalog and focus on physical items in the library, click the "Modify Search" button at the top of the results page:
3. On the "Modify Search" page you can use the "Add Limits" field to select a specific material location or type. For example, click "Circulation Stacks (Second Floor)" to limit the search results to only physical books located on the second floor of the library (note that you can use "Ctrl + mouse click" to select multiple options. Click the "Submit" button to view the modified search results.
4. The results list will show the location of your item using the Library of Congress Classification System call number. Learn how to read a call number below in the section titled "How To Find Items On The Shelf In The Library".
WorldCat Discovery searches the LBBL Catalog and libraries world-wide. This search will also return results for articles within journals.
1. Enter your search terms and click the green "Search" button to search WorldCat Discovery. By default, the system will use a keyword search looking for your terms across the entire catalog of the Lyman Beecher Brooks Library and libraries world-wide.
[This broad search capability makes WorldCat Discovery very useful for discovering a wide variety of materials even if they are not available at the Lyman Beecher Brooks Library. If you find resources that you need that are only available at other libraries, you can place a request with our Interlibrary Loan department to request to borrow the materials.]
2. The results list has multiple options for refining the search that can be customized using the filtering options contained in the left-side menu or the "Group & Refine This Search" menu on smaller screens.
3. In the filtering menu, check the boxes to apply limits and refine your results. For example, check the boxes for Norfolk State University and Print Book to limit the results to physical books available in the Lyman Beecher Brooks Library.
4. The results list will show the location of your item using the Library of Congress Classification System call number. Learn how to read a call number below in the section titled "How To Find Items On The Shelf In The Library".
1. By default, the system will search by Course. Enter your Course Abbreviation (ENG, ENG 101, etc.) and click the "Search" button in the box to search the LBBL Catalog.
- Course searches can include just the three-letter department information (ENG, BIO, CHM, etc) or the full Course Abbreviation (ENG 101, BUS 330, etc.).
- Note: If entering the full Course Abbreviation you must include a space between the department and course number: ENG 101 not ENG101.
- Note: If entering the full Course Abbreviation you must include a space between the department and course number: ENG 101 not ENG101.
- Use the left-side dropdown menu to change the type of search from Course to Instructor.
- Note: When searching by instructor, you can search by last name only or by the instructor's full name. If you search using the instructor's full name, you must search in the following order: Last Name, First Name.
- Example: Smith, John not John Smith
- Note: When searching by instructor, you can search by last name only or by the instructor's full name. If you search using the instructor's full name, you must search in the following order: Last Name, First Name.
2. Select your Course/Instructor from the results list to view Course Reserves for your class.
3. Review the list of materials held in the library's Course Reserves and visit the front desk on the first floor of the library to request your item.
