Do you have questions about Omni?
Ask McMaster Libraries!
If an item is Available Online in Omni, it can be accessed by clicking Available Online > and selecting a link in the View Online section of the full record. You may be prompted to login with your MacID@mcmaster.ca to view the full text.
McMaster alumni have limited off-campus access to e-resources due to licensing restrictions. Please see Online Resources for Alumni to register and access a subset of e-resources that can be used remotely by alumni. More online resources can be accessed on-campus by alumni (and other users) with a guest internet account which can be requested in-person from the Mills or Thode Service Desks (1st floor).
UPDATE: Changes to library authentication occurred on Dec 12, 2022. If you are you no longer able to Sign in to Omni / My Library Account, please contact the University Library or Health Sciences Library for assistance.
Read more about Off-Campus Access (e.g. browser bookmarklet, browser extensions such as Lean Library, and more).
Example: eBook
Example: Online article in a journal
NOTES:
Physical materials in Omni will typically display a library (e.g., Thode Library), a location within the library (e.g., Thode Library Bookstacks) and a call number (e.g., QB 981.T96 2004), all of which are needed to retrieve the item.
Example: Print book
A call number is a unique code given to each physical item in the library. It identifies the subject and location (address) of an item in a library's collection.
McMaster University Library (Mills, Innis and Thode) arranges most items using LC (Library of Congress) Classification whereas the Health Sciences Library uses NLM (National Library of Medicine) Classification. Both classification systems use a combination of letters and numbers for call numbers (e.g., The book Public health: what it is and how it works has LC Call Number: RA 445 .T86 2016 at Thode Library and NLM Call Number: WA 540 AA1 .T95P 2016 at the Health Sciences Library).
Video: How to Read a Call Number (2:48)
This video describes how you read a call number so that you can find out where the book lives on the shelf.
Video Transcript (PDF) | Video Transcript (.docx)
Infographic: How to Read a Call Number Infographic: Call Number Guide by Subject
Video: How to Find a Book in the Stacks using a Call Number (1:05)
This video describes how to use a call number to locate a book on a shelf in the library.
To learn about borrowing policies (e.g., loan periods) and services, consult the relevant department at McMaster.
Borrowing materials from other libraries is not available to alumni, external borrowers, community borrowers or retirees (with the exception of retired faculty and librarians). Contact your local public library for interlibrary loan services.
UPDATE: Changes to library authentication occurred on Dec 12, 2022. If you are you no longer able to Sign in to Omni / My Library Account, please contact the University Library or Health Sciences Library for assistance.
To request an Available item in McMaster Libraries for hold and pickup ...
Choose a Pickup Institution from the drop-down menu.
McMaster University Library is the default institution, but you can pickup physical items from any Omni partner institution listed.
Choose a Pickup Location from the drop-down menu.
Terms of Use displays the loan period available (i.e., 120 days) and typically cannot be adjusted.
In Cancel request if not available by, select a date when it's okay for the request to expire or be cancelled. NOTE: This date won't change how quickly an item arrives, but if the item arrives after the date noted, it will move on to the next person on the waiting list.
In Comment, enter any other relevant details related to the request.
Select Send Request
To request an item Not available locally (e.g., item on loan, item not part of McMaster's collections) for hold and pickup ...
Review and ensure the item details in the form are correctly noted (i.e., Title, Author, Date, Volume, Part, etc.)
Choose a Format: Physical or Digital
NOTE: If digital is selected, it can only apply to a portion of an item. A digital copy of an entire publication (e.g., book, journal, etc.) from another Omni library cannot be fulfilled due to licensing and copyright restrictions. For a digital request, tick the checkbox "I only need a specific chapter or pages" and include the article/chapter title and page range of the desired content.
Choose a Preferred Pickup Institution from the drop-down menu.
McMaster University Library is the default institution, but you can pickup physical items from any Omni partner institution listed. The preferred McMaster pickup location is still mandatory in case the partner institution cannot ship your request to your preferred pickup institution.
Choose a Preferred Local Pickup Location from the drop-down menu.
Confirm that your preferred Email is being used.
In Comment, enter any other relevant details related to the request.
Select Send Request
Requesting materials from other Omni libraries is not available to alumni, external borrowers, community borrowers or retirees (with the exception of retired faculty and librarians). Contact your local public library for interlibrary loan services.
To request a scan of ONE article or ONE chapter from an item only available in print format ...
Enter the title of the chapter or article of interest.
Enter the author of the chapter or article of interest.
Indicate the start and end page of the chapter or article.
In Comment, enter any other relevant details related to the scanning request.
In Cancel request if not available by, select a date when it's okay for the scanning request to expire or be cancelled.
Click Send Digitization Request
Some scanning requests may be denied for the following reasons:
NOTES:
The scanning service is not available to alumni, external borrowers, community borrowers or retirees (with the exception of retired faculty and librarians).
If an item is not available through our Omni partner institutions, it can be requested from other resource sharing partners in Canada or internationally via interlibrary loan (I.L.L.). NOTE: Requests for items outside the Omni network may take longer to arrive and may have shorter loan periods and renewal options.
If the item you need is not included in Omni (even when Add results beyond McMaster's collection is selected), or you already know the citation information of the item you want, you can use a blank request form in Omni to get it from another library.
NOTE: As of May 1, 2023, RACER is no longer available to submit interlibrary loan requests. Omni should now be used for all I.L.L. requests. To make a request for an item that cannot be located using Omni, use the Omni blank request form.
Interlibrary loan privileges are not available to alumni, external borrowers, community borrowers or retirees (with the exception of retired faculty and librarians). Contact your local public library for interlibrary loan services.
To learn more about interlibrary loan services at McMaster, consult the relevant interlibrary loan department.
Once you've submitted a request, you can check on its status or progress when you Sign in to Omni (top right).
Once signed in, select My Requests from the drop-down menu.
Everything you've requested via Omni should be listed in My Requests.
When requested items are ready, you will be notified by e-mail.
Delivery times of items from other Omni libraries can vary for a variety of reasons, but items typically arrive in 3 to 5 weekdays. NOTE: Requests for items outside the Omni network may take longer to arrive and may have shorter loan periods and renewal options.
If there's a Renew button beside an item, click it for an automatic renewal. NOTE: Not all requested items are renewable.