J.W. Searle Library
Search Resources
J.W. Searle Library contains over 117,000 items (incorporating, English, Chinese and Korean language resources), including: reference materials, books and audio-visual materials . In addition, it also contains over 55,000 journal issues. The library services faculty and students of Melbourne School of Theology & Eastern College Australia, as well those from the public who take out individual membership. The Online Catalogue is available to search for items in the Library.
The Library has access to many different e-books through several different platforms. These platforms include: EBSCO, PROQUEST, and Perlego. The easiest way to begin your information search is by clicking on the link to these different platforms highlighted below. It is recommended that you begin by clicking on Perlego to request a license that will allow you access to over 400,000 titles. You may also wish to begin with E-book collection (EBSCO) as this collection includes highly recommended titles by MST and Eastern lecturers. You will need your Student ID and password.
- Perlego – Link to site (for students/staff who have already set up an account through us)
- Onboarding videos for students – How to win at studying: Perlego for Learners
Due to licensing restrictions, usage of online journal indexes and full text journal databases is restricted to current students and academic staff of MST and Eastern College Australia. Non student borrowers are not permitted to use these databases. There are no restrictions on accessing free ebooks or ejournals, and multidisciplinary digital repositories.
The Library has access to the full text of many different journals through several different platforms. These platforms include: EBSCO, PROQUEST, Brill, Springer, Sage, Taylor & Francis, Informit, and Cambridge University. The easiest way to begin your information search is by clicking on the link to your area of study as highlighted below. You will need your Student ID and password.
Due to licensing restrictions, usage of online journal indexes and full text journal databases is restricted to current students and academic staff of MST and Eastern College Australia. Non student borrowers are not permitted to use these databases. There are no restrictions on accessing free ebooks or ejournals, and multidisciplinary digital repositories.
The Library has access to several databases that offer article content and and/or abstracts for many journals. These indexes are a great place to start if you are looking for more extensive research than that available through the full-text databases. These databases include: ATLA Index, Informit, ERIC and AULOTS. The easiest way to begin this more extensive journal search is again by clicking on the link to your area of study as highlighted below. You will need your Student ID and password.
Here are some important short cuts to other great free resources. For example the State Library of Victoria offers free membership to Victorian residents, and gives you access to over five million books, photos, artworks, maps, manuscripts and more. Members can also have free access from home to the Library’s ebooks, newspapers, ejournals and streaming services.
The State Library of Victoria offers free membership to Victorian residents, and gives you access to over five million books, photos, artworks, maps, manuscripts and more. Members can also have free access from home to the Library’s ebooks, newspapers, ejournals and streaming services.
The following are some of the databases that are available:
Informit
JSTOR
ProQuest
ProQuest Ebook Central
Pressreader
The National Library holds the greatest collection in the world of material relating to Australia and the Australian people. It ranges from the earliest European works about the Great Southern Land to the most current publications. The collection includes all formats of material, from books and magazines to pictures, photographs, maps, sheet music, oral history recordings, manuscript papers, ephemera and much, much more! You have access to digital collections, including eResources and archived websites. Access is also available to a specially curated, and a growing number of items digitised from the Library’s own collections.
Library Hours
Hours During
Semester
Monday and Friday – 10am to 6pm
Tuesday to Thursday – 10am to 9pm
Saturday – Closed
Feb 24 – April 4
April 27 – June 13
July 21, 2026 – Sept 20, 2026
Oct 5 – Nov 15, 2026
Hours During
Mid-semester Breaks
Monday and Friday – 10am to 6pm
Tuesday to Thursday – 10am to 8pm
Saturday – Closed
April 6 – April 24
Sept 21, 2026 – Oct 4, 2026
Hours During
Semester Breaks
Monday to Friday – 10am to 6pm
Saturday – Closed
June 22, 2026 – July 20, 2026
Nov 16, 2026 – Feb 22, 2027
The Library is closed on the following days:
December 24, 2025 – January 4, 2026 (Christmas/New Year)
January 26 (Australia Day)
March 9 (Labour Day)
April 3- April 6 (Good Friday, Easter Saturday & Easter Monday)
April 25 (Anzac Day)
June 8 (King’s Birthday)
September 25 (Grand Final Eve)
November 3 (Melbourne Cup Day)
December 24, 2026 – January 5, 2027 (Christmas/New Year)
Location
5 Burwood Hwy, Wantirna, VIC, 3152
Meet the Team
Neil Horvath
Library Manager
Winnie Kwok
Library Assistant
Amanda Tero
Library Assistant
Emma Smith
Library Assistant
Frequently Asked Questions
Visiting & Using the Library
When is the library open?
You can view the library’s opening hours on the library home page under ‘Library Hours’. The hours are updated regularly to reflect the library’s opening hours during the semester, mid-semester breaks, semester breaks and public holidays.
How do I find books in the library?
- Eastern College Australia and Melbourne School of Theology use Follett Destiny for their catalogue, which you can use to search for resources.
- To access the library catalogue online go to mst-eastern.follettdestiny.com.au and click on ‘J. W. Searle Library’. You do not need to have a Destiny account in order to search the catalogue.
- See ’Using the library catalogue’ for a video on how to use the catalogue.
How do I access the library study room and what rules apply?
- The library study room is located at the back of the library and can be booked by students/patrons on a first-in-first-served basis.
- As there is only one room, we recommend that you book ahead of time to avoid disappointment. The room can be booked in person, over the phone or via email.
- We require that students/patrons provide at least 24-hours cancellation notice if they have booked the room and are unable to attend.
- Failure to use the study room or inform the library that a booking has been cancelled will result in future bookings being suspended.
- A maximum booking of 8 hours per student/patron per week applies. A maximum of 3.5 hours per booking may apply if the library is busy.
Who can use the library?
- The library is open to the public to visit and view/use items within the library. Members of the public can also use the scanner provided they comply with copyright law.
- Library memberships can be purchased at reception and will need to be paid for on a regular basis if membership is to be continued. After payment is made, please bring your receipt to the library so that your details can be entered and/or updated in the library database. Please contact the library (library@mst.edu.au or library@eastern.edu.au) for a list of current library membership fees. *Note: Alumni graduates receive their first year of library membership for free upon request and Higher Degree Research students studying through other Australian University of Theology institutions/colleges can apply for free reciprocal library membership.
Borrowing Books
How many books can I borrow and for how long?
As a general guide:
- Certificate and diploma students can borrow 6 items at a time for 3 weeks (with one renewal).
- Advanced diploma, associate degree and bachelor degree students can borrow 8 items at a time for a period of 3 weeks (with one renewal).
- Graduate certificate/Graduate diploma/Masters/Postgraduate students can borrow 12 items at a time for a period of 4 weeks (with one renewal).
- Doctoral students can borrow 16 items at a time for a period of 8 weeks (with one renewal).
- Pastors, community borrowers, alumni (graduate 2nd year and beyond) and audit students who take up a paid library membership as well as alumni (graduate 1st year) can borrow 8 items at a time for a period of 3 weeks (with one renewal).
- If you have your loans mailed to you, we add extra time to your loan to cover delivery.
Can I view my library loans online?
Yes, after you have set up a Destiny account with library staff you can log in at the top right-hand corner of the library catalogue, click on ‘My Info’ and view your loans. If you do not have a Destiny account and would like to have one set up, please contact the library.
Can I re-borrow or extend a loan?
- You can renew your items yourself by logging into your Destiny account online and renewing them: Go to the library catalogue, click ‘J. W. Searle Library’, click ‘Log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen, and enter your Username and Password (If you do not have a Destiny account or have forgotten your Username, please contact the library). Then go to ‘My Info’ and click ‘Renew’ for the items which you want to renew or ‘Renew All’.
Alternatively, you can email the library at library@mst.edu.au or library@eastern.edu.au, call us on 03 9881 7823 or come into the library in person to renew your items.
- You will be unable to renew items if they have been put on hold by someone else.
- Items can be borrowed once and subsequently renewed once before they need to be returned to the library. If an item is still required after this period, a student/patron can come back 24 hours later to re-borrow the item again if it is still available. This policy is to ensure that every student has equitable access to material needed for their work.
Can I reserve an item or place an item on hold?
- If an item is unavailable because it is on loan, you can request to put the item on hold by contacting library staff in person, via email (library@mst.edu.au or library@eastern.edu.au) or via phone (03 9881 7823).
- If an item is out on loan, you can also place it on hold by logging into your Destiny account, finding the item on the online catalogue and clicking ‘Hold It’.
- We have a first-in-first-served policy to help keep books equitably available for everyone and generally books that are available in the library/not on loan cannot be put on hold.
Will I be fined for late returns?
- No monetary penalties will be imposed, however; you will not be able to borrow or renew items while you have items overdue.
- Allowances are made for medical reasons and extenuating circumstances.
Returning Books
Where do I return books that I have borrowed?
- Please leave books on the front desk inside the library at the ‘Returns’ sign.
Can I return items outside of library opening hours?
We recommend that you return items during library opening hours. We do not have an external after-hours returns chute. There is only an internal returns chute which cannot be accessed if the building is closed.
Getting Resources & Library Services
If an article or book isn't available in the library, can I request it?
- Borrowing from other libraries may be possible but may incur a cost to the student/patron.
- Contact the library for more information.
What borrowing options are available for students who live remotely?
For students who live outside of metropolitan Melbourne and are unable to access the resources they require electronically, we offer postal borrowing. The library pays for postage to the student; however, the student is responsible for returning the book/s to the library or posting the book/s back to the library at their own expense.
Scanning and photocopying
- For study and research purposes, you may scan or photocopy pages of articles and books if necessary; however, copyright laws apply strict limits on how much you can scan/copy and under what circumstances — all students, staff and library patrons are expected to abide by these laws and requirements.
- Students will need to connect to the Library Canon Printer ‘iR-ADV C3830’ to print.
- Students must be connected to the ‘Students’ Wi-Fi in order to use the printer. Please contact library staff for the Wi-Fi password.
Online Resources
How do I access electronic resources?
Students do not need to contact the library directly to organise access to eResources (other than Perlego). Students can use the ‘Search Resources’ tab on the library home page to access e-books, online journals, journal indexes and other resources. To access eResources, log in using your Canvas login details.
How do I access e-books?
Students and staff can go to the ‘ebooks tab’ on the library home page. Click on the relevant platforms listed and search each platform as required. Please enter your Canvas login details if you are not already logged in and it prompts you to.
How do I access e-journals?
Students and staff can go to the ‘Full-text Journals tab’ on the library home page. Click on the plus sign on the left of the relevant areas of study listed and then click on the relevant platforms. Please enter your Canvas login details if you are not already logged in and it prompts you to.
I'm trying to access a journal article online but am unable to view it.
- To access journal articles online, ensure that you use your Canvas login details to log in. If you have issues specifically with authentication, please contact IT (help@mst.edu.au).
- When searching for online journal articles, it can help to filter for ‘Full Text’ so that only resources which can be viewed in their entirety are displayed.
Perlego
How do I access Perlego?
- If you are studying for credit and have not signed up with Perlego before, please fill in the following online form. We will then contact you via email with a link and instructions on how to set up your Perlego account.
- If you have signed up for Perlego in the past, please email the library at library@mst.edu.au or library@eastern.edu.au with the full name listed on your Perlego account and the email address you used to set up the account (please refrain from filling in the online form unless/until requested by library staff).
I've been emailed the link and instructions to set up a Perlego account, but it keeps asking me to pay for a subscription.
- Refer to the following Perlego link to assist with troubleshooting: https://help.perlego.com/en/articles/4894998-i-already-have-a-perlego-account
- If students have already created a Perlego account prior to requesting an account through Melbourne School of Theology or Eastern College Australia, the link to set up an account through the library will not work. If students have not paid, have not added payment details and do not have any readings saved to their Perlego account that they want to keep, they can delete their Perlego account first (follow the ‘I’m being asked to pay for a subscription’ section at https://help.perlego.com/en/articles/4894998-i-already-have-a-perlego-account) and then re-register for an account using the instructions and code provided by the library. If you have added payment details, made payment or have readings saved to your Perlego account that you want to keep please do not delete your account and instead contact the library for further advice.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact the library here.
Contact Us
Got a question? Contact us by calling us on (03) 9881 7823