Welcome to the St. Olaf Libraries & IT

Catalyst is an online catalogue of the physical and digital resources held by the St. Olaf and Carleton College libraries. It is a valuable tool that allows students and patrons to locate library resources based on the title, author, subject, or call number.

1. To access Catalyst and search the collection, visit the St. Olaf College Libraries website at stolaf.edu/library You will arrive at this screen:

2. To begin enter any relevant keywords (such as the title and author of the material you would like to access) into the default search bar on the Libraries’ home page, or you can select the "Advanced Search" option below the search bar to fine-tune your search.

3. From the “Advanced Search” page, click on the “Any Field” filter to narrow your search by title, author, subject, call number, or publisher. Then, enter the relevant information into “Enter a Search Term.” Add any additional search filters via “+ Add a New Line.”

You can also use the options on the right side of the page to make your search more accurate. Under “Material Type,” indicate if you are looking for a book, sound recording, or video/film. Additionally, you can provide the material’s language and publication date:

4. Click “Search” in the bottom right corner and a list of results will appear on the screen.

5. You can use the “Refine my Results” column on the left side to specify whether you are looking for an online or physical resource, and to specify the "Library" where you would expect to find your material. 

6. Scroll through the results until you find your desired material. You can now determine the exact location of the material. The green “Available” icon next to the entries below the material provide its physical location within the library. 

For example, this copy of Either/Or can be found in the Reference Room of the St. Olaf Rolvaag Library at (PT8142.E57 E5 1992).

7. Many materials within the larger Rolvaag Library can also be located using a virtual map. To use this feature, select the blue “Map It!” icon next to your desired material. 

See below for the map corresponding to this copy of Either/Or, which is located on the second floor of Rolvaag Library.

8. You can request the item from the library system by locating the “Sign In” button at the top right of the screen and logging into your St. Olaf account. Then, select the title of the material, click on the copy you want to request, and if applicable, hit “Request for Library Pickup.”

All requested materials will be available for pickup at your selected library! Stay tuned for an email notification when your items are ready. Any questions can be directed both in-person to student workers or staff on duty, or online via the libraries' ticketing system.