Using the Online Library: A Text Guide
All you need to know about connecting, searching, and ordering materials from Amridge University Library Services.
Welcome to the Amridge University Online Library in association with the M. Louis Salmon Library of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). This document will acquaint you with the library resources available to Amridge students. Before attempting to use the Online Library, we strongly recommend that you print a copy of these instructions to help you navigate the library and to save time and reduce frustration.
Contents:
- I. How to find the Amridge Online Library
- II. How to log on
- A. Resources for Research
- 1. Electronic Books
- 2. Traditional Books
- a. To Request a Book Be Sent To You
- b. Inter-Library Loan Books
- c. Book Loan Periods
- d. Overdue Fines
- 3. Electronic Articles
- a. Full text article
- b. Article abstract
- c. TIMESAVER
- d. Not available in full text online?
- B. Additional Resources
- 5. Dissertations
- IV. More Resources – Your Local Library
- V. Cost
- VI. Frequently Asked Questions
- VII. Contact Information
I. How to find the AU Online Library
Back to the Top
To access certain library resources, you must log on. If you are entering the library system from AU's Blackboard you are already logged into the library. However, if you've come directly to the library homepage you'll have to log into the proxy server: The first time you click on one of the electronic resources (E-books or a journal database), you'll be asked to log in.
- Enter your last name in all lower case letters in the upper box
- Enter your AU ID in the lower box.
students: The AU ID format is several digits prefaced by the letters "au"
Example ID: ru12345
If you need help with your last name and AU ID, please enter your e-mail address below and the system will send them to you immediately!
- Click on “Log-in To Online Library” to complete the log in process.
Back to the Top
III. Library Resources
2. Traditional Books
- Type your AU ID in the text box, and click "Log me in". See above for information about your AU ID (II. How to log on)
- This will log you into the library catalog and allow you to search for books in the UAH collection and to request books via our online form.
- You can search for books in the UAH collection by title, author, subject, etc.
- Online Help is available by clicking on the ?HELP button (located between the Go Back and Request buttons).
- Traditional, hard-bound, "real" books that UAH owns and are located physically in the collection can NOT be sent via email or made available to you electronically for download. However, you may request that we ship them to you.
Back to the Top
a. To request a book be sent to you
- Click on the Request button
- Click on Request Books
- Fill in the appropriate information (author/title/etc.).
- It is very important that we have your full mailing address on every request. Incomplete information will delay the filling your request.
- We usually ship via UPS with a signature required. You may choose to have your book(s) delivered to your home or your place of business... whichever is easier for obtaining a signature on delivery…UPS will not leave a package without a signature.
- You may have up to 20 books checked out at any given time
- How long does it take for UAH books to be shipped?
For books in the UAH collection, we try to ship them via UPS Ground the same day we receive your written request…presuming the book is not checked out to another patron.
- We cannot take book or article requests over the phone. All requests must be submitted in writing via the request form or via email to amridge@email.uah.edu.
Back to the Top
b. Interlibrary Loan Books
If you fail to locate a particular book in the UAH collection, you may still request it from us. We will borrow a copy from another library (through Interlibrary Loan) and send it to you. Follow the same request format as above; be sure to fill in the information boxes as completely as possible.
How long does it take for ILL books to be shipped to me? We cannot guarantee how long it takes. We order the books from other libraries, and therefore can’t predict how quickly they will send the books to us. It can take from 7 to 21 days for the book to arrive here, sometimes more, sometimes less. We try to order from libraries that will send items quickly. When we order the book, we will send an email to you notifying you that the book has been ordered and reminding you of the possible time frame for its arrival. Once the books arrive at the UAH library, we forward them to you via UPS Ground.
NOTE: Books borrowed from another library through Interlibrary Loan, can NOT be shipped outside the US. Students living outside the US may borrow books from the UAH collection, but cannot borrow Interlibrary Loan books. If you need only a particular chapter or selected pages (no more than 10% of a book may be copied under Federal Copyright Law), we may be able to scan those and send to you via email. (Be aware that when searching for articles in the PsychInfo database, PsychInfo includes book chapter citations in addition to article citations.)
Back to the Top
c. Book Loan Periods Books which belong to UAH can be checked out for 90 days, with a possible 90 day renewal. Interlibrary Loan Books have a much shorter due date, usually 21 days maximum. We can’t control the due date for items which belong to other libraries, and must abide by their assigned due dates. Returning ILL books on time helps us to maintain the valuable relationships with the lenders in our lending system.
d. Overdue Fines Overdue fines for ILL books accrue at the rate of $1.00 per item per day. After 21 days overdue, the book is declared "lost" and a fee of $65.00 is imposed, which includes a nonrefundable $15.00 processing fee. After the bill is submitted to the University's Bursar, it becomes 'final' and the "Lost" item cannot be returned for adjustment of charges. Failure to pay the overdue fines/lost book fees will result in the suspension of your library privileges.
Back to the Top
Electronic article databases are divided into six categories:
Comprehensive Sources
Business/Finance
Education
Social Sciences/Psychology
Religion
Government Documents
You may find it helpful to begin your search in Expanded Academic ASAP and/or Academic Search Premier. Both are excellent general information databases found in the Comprehensive Sources category.
AN EXAMPLE OF AN ARTICLE SEARCH To search for articles about distance education:
- Choose the database: Expanded Academic ASAP.
- Type these words in the Keyword Search box: distance education
- Click on Search.
You will find several “hits”. The results will fall into two categories:
- full text (the entire article is available on-screen) or
- abstract (a short description of the article).
In the Expanded Academic ASAP database, “View text and retrieval choices” indicates a full text article; “View abstract and retrieval choices” indicates an abstract.
Now, do the same search in another database: Academic Search Elite. You will find an icon for “full text” and an icon for “full page image”. Both indicate you have found a full text article. If no icon is visible, you have found an abstract.
a. Full text article
You’ve entered a database, done a search and you found some material you like. What do you next?
If you find a full text article, you can:
- Read it from the screen
- Print it
- Download it to your hard drive
- Email it to YOUR email account
Back to the Top
b. Article Abstract
If you find only the abstract of an article, you can:
Read, print, or download as above.
DON’T GIVE UP! Search the other databases to discover if any of them contain the full text version of the article. While the databases contain many of the same articles, each database has its own focus and might contain the full text version of articles not held by the other databases. EXAMPLE: You searched Expanded Academic ASAP and found only an abstract that sounds interesting. You want to read the entire article. The next section (TIMESAVER) describes a shortcut for searching the other databases.
Before you request an article from us, be sure to search all the appropriate full text databases. If you find it in full text format in another database, you can access it instantly; you don’t have to wait for us to send it and your search is finished. See the Timesaver steps below to discover if a journal is full text in another database.
Back to the Top
c. TIMESAVER-- Finding full text material in the databases
If you know the JOURNAL title, follow these steps to discover if the journal is held in one of the full text databases:
- First you will need to log into the Online Library. If you are not already logged in, you will be prompted to do so when you attempt to access the online databases.
- Access the JournalFinder search engine.
- Once on the JournalFinder page, type the JOURNAL title (NOT the article title) into the Title box.
- Click Search
- If you get a "hit" you will see the beginning/ending dates and the database name where you can find the journal in full text. The journal might be available in more than one database.
If you are unable to find the full text of an article that you would like to read, you may request a copy of the article from Library Services. However, before you request an article from us, be sure to search all the appropriate full text databases. If you find it in full text format in another database, you can access it instantly; you don’t have to wait for us to send it and your search is finished.
We will return your email requests if it becomes apparent that you did not search the databases available to you before requesting articles from the library. See the TIMESAVER shortcut above.
Back to the Top
d. Not available in full text online? - Requesting an article from the UAH library
Once you have searched all the appropriate databases and had no success, ONLY THEN should you request the article from us via email. To send an email request, simply copy/paste the abstract into an email. You may submit multiple requests per email. The email address is: amridge@email.uah.edu. Your email MUST include:
- your full name on all requests
- as complete a citation as possible including author/title/journal title/volume/issue/date/pages/ISSN/etc.
Most articles are sent as email attachments in PDF format. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (downloadable for free: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html) on your computer to open/read the attachments. These files are large and many free email accounts (Hotmail, Excite, etc.) will reject them because they exceed their imposed size limitations. If you have an alternate email address, please supply it when making your request. Otherwise your request may be delayed, or impossible to send via email. If you have problems opening a PDF file:
- make sure you have the latest version of the Reader,
- uninstall and reinstall Reader,
- contact us if the problem persists.
Back to the Top
How long does it take for articles to be shipped to me?
Inter-Library Loan (ILL) when we order the articles from other libraries, we can’t predict how quickly they will send the materials to us. We try to order from libraries that will send items quickly. It can take from 7 to 21 days for the article to arrive here, sometimes more, sometimes less. We try to order from libraries that will send items quickly. When we order the article, we will send an email to you notifying you that the article has been ordered and reminding you of the possible time frame for its arrival. Once the article arrives at the UAH library, we forward them to you via email attachment. See the paragraph above regarding your email service and pdf files.
We cannot take book or article requests over the phone. All requests must be submitted in writing via the request form or via email to amridge@email.uah.edu.
Back to the Top
�
4. Dissertations
Contains information about how to locate dissertations and about the Dissertation Abstracts database.
Back to the Top
IV. More Resources – Your Local Library
Do not overlook a valuable resource: your local library! If you have access to one or more libraries in your area, take advantage of their services. You may find that using a local library is more efficient, simply due to the distance from Huntsville, AL to your home. This is especially true if you are ordering BOOKS, which are shipped via UPS. It is important that you establish local library relationships as you prepare research projects for your degree requirements.
Some important questions to ask your local public library or college/university library when establishing the relationship:
- What is the cost for obtaining library access and/or library card?
- What are the services to which I will have access:
- Can I check out books?
- What is the length of the check out period for books?
- Will I have electronic access to the library from off campus via my computer?
- If so, does this include electronic databases and the library catalog?
- Is the local library able to obtain books/articles from other libraries (Interlibrary Loan) if the local library doesn't own the material I need, and if so, what is the cost for interlibrary loan?
Back to the Top
V. Cost
AU students are responsible for the shipping cost to RETURN borrowed books to the UAH Library in Huntsville, AL. This, and any overdue fines/lost book fines you might incur, is the only cost involved when using the UAH Library. Articles sent to you are yours to keep for free.
VI. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What services does the library provide?
A: Students can search/request books; search/download/request articles; read e-books online, and access items on reserve
Q: If the item I need is not in the UAH collection, can I still obtain it?
A: Yes. We can borrow items from another library through Inter-Library Loan (ILL).
Q: How are library materials sent to me?
A: Books are shipped via UPS with a signature required. Articles are sent as email attachments in PDF format. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (downloadable for free) on your computer to open/read the attachments. These files are large and many free email accounts (Hotmail, Excite, etc.) will reject them because they exceed their imposed size limitations. If this happens we will request that you provide us an alternate email address, or open a free account with a service allowing larger files. We have several we can recommend.
Q: How long does it take for books to be shipped to me?
A: Two answers: 1) for UAH books, we try to ship them via UPS Ground the same day we receive your written request…presuming the book is not checked out to another patron. 2) for ILL books, we cannot guarantee how long it takes. We order the books from other libraries, and can’t predict how quickly they will send the books to us. It can take from 7 to 21 days for the book to arrive here, sometimes more, sometimes less. We try to order from libraries that will send items quickly. Once the books arrive at the UAH library, we forward them to you via UPS Ground.
Q: Why do I get an error message when I try to open a PDF file sent from the library?
A: Most likely, you don’t have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. To download the latest version of Adobe, go to: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html Follow the on screen instructions.
Q: What is the loan period?
A: UAH books: 90 days, with a possible 90 day renewal ILL books: usually only 21 days, with no renewal. (The due date is controlled by the lending library.)
Q: What are the overdue chargers?
A:
Overdue fines for ILL books accrue at the rate of $1.00 per item per day. After 21 days overdue, the book is declared "lost" and a fee of $65.00 is imposed, which includes a nonrefundable $15.00 processing fee. After the bill is submitted to the University's Bursar, it becomes 'final' and the "Lost" item cannot be returned for adjustment of charges. Failure to pay the overdue fines/lost book fees will result in the suspension of your library privileges.
Q: What is the cost for using the UAH library?
A: Students must pay the shipping cost to return borrowed books to the library. Students must also pay any overdue fines. All other services are free. Articles are yours to keep for free.
Q: What are the library hours?
A: Staff are present 9am to 5pm Central time, M-F. However, students have nearly uninterrupted access to the library databases via the web site. NOTE: from 2:00am to 3:30am Central Time, the catalog (Traditional Books) is closed for daily maintenance.
Q: I use the services of my local library. Is that allowed?
A: Absolutely! If you have local service, make the most of it. Use the best of what you have locally, and the best of what we can provide to you.
VII. Contact Information
Email: amridge@uah.edu
Office hours are normally 9am to 5pm Central time, Monday through Friday.
Back to the Top
|
