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How Do I?

 

How Do I …

… find a book?

There are various ways to find books. You can use the Quick Search box on the left side of the library’s home page . Or, for more search options, use the Library Catalog link to get to the Five Colleges Libraries Catalog. If UMass Amherst does not have the book you want, you can order it from one of the other colleges, and if it’s not in the Five College system, we can even order it for you from another library.

… find an article on my topic?

To find an article on a topic, you should start with a Database that covers your subject. You can select Articles (Databases) from the library’s home page. You will see many databases to choose from. If you are not sure where to start, use the general database Academic Search Premier. You can also do a quick search of Academic Search Premier by clicking on the Articles tab in the Quick Search box of the library home page. If you are still not sure which database to choose, the subject research guides will give you recommendations by subject area or you can ask a librarian. Once you identify articles that you want, the next step is to retrieve the actual article.

… retrieve an article?

In many cases the full-text articles will also be available on-line from library databases or through UMLinks a within the databases. If you are not in a database and have the citation information for an article, you can search the ejournals list to see if it is online or do a Five Colleges Libraries Catalog Journal Search for the paper or microfilm version if available.  To get a specific article through the library website, you may also utilize the library’s UMLinks Citation Linker.

However, in some cases you will not find the full text through UMLinks or Citation Linker. To find these articles, you will need to note the full citation information, including:

With this information, you can go to the library catalog to find out the UMass libraries have the journal for which you are looking in print format.

If the UMass libraries do not have the title and volume you need, you may order a copy via Interlibrary Loan.

… find out if UMass Amherst has a particular journal, magazine, or newspaper?

All online periodicals – journals, magazines, and newspapers - are included in the library’s eJournal locator. All print materials can be located by searching the Library catalog with the Journal Title Search option.

… get a library card?

The UMass Amherst Libraries lend to faculty, staff, and students of the UMass Amherst campus and the Four Colleges. Borrowing privileges are also extended to adult residents of Massachusetts and to secondary students under 18 years old. For students, faculty, and staff of UMass Amherst, the UCard is the library card. All others must complete the borrower card application. UMass faculty, staff and special needs students are eligible for a proxy card.  A proxy card allows a designated individual to check out books for them.  Research assistants are often designated as a proxy for faculty members. The faculty, staff, or student who has authorized the proxy is responsible for all materials charged out on the proxy card. The UMass Amherst Libraries are committed to protecting each library user's privacy and confidentiality by keeping any personally identifiable information about users private.

… connect from off campus?

You need an OIT computer account or NetID to connect to the UMass Amherst’s subscription databases from off-campus. Your library barcode on your student ID will not work. To access our databases from off-campus:

You should then be allowed to access your chosen database. The login will be remembered for the session, but will time out if there are 30 minutes of inactivity.

… renew items I have checked out?
Most Library materials circulate and may be renewed in person (at the Circulation Desk on the Entrance floor of the library),  online, or by written request. Some library materials, such as reference and law, and those in Special Collections and University Archives, are designated as non-circulating. Loan and renewal policies vary.

… find a print, media, or music reserve?
Locate print, media, and music materials selected by faculty and placed on reserve for students in specific courses in the Reserves section of the UMA Library Catalog. Check out print and media reserve items at the Reserves/Media Desk on the 3rd Floor of the Du Bois Library. Use Music Reserve items in the Music Reserve Lab, Fine Arts Center, Room 149A.

… find an electronic reserve?
Scanned materials selected by faculty are available online to students in specific courses through the Electronic Reserves web page. Electronic Reserves are available 24/7 from any computer with Internet access and include journal articles, chapters from books, or course materials selected by a faculty member. To access Electronic Reserves:

*Passwords may only be given out by instructors. They are always lower case and are specific for your course. Passwords may not be obtained from the library.

… put something on reserve?
Faculty may place high-demand supplemental materials on reserve for students in their courses. View instructions and request forms provided by Reserves/Media staff who assist faculty with print, media, music, and electronic reserves on the 3rd Floor of the Du Bois Library.

… check my library account?

The Library currently offers various service accounts with different logins. Click on My Library Accounts on the library home page to access and learn about: Five College Libraries Borrowing, Interlibrary Loan, and RefWorks Citation Manager.

… get an item not at UMass Amherst?

To get an item not at UMass Amherst, you can try the other colleges in the Five Colleges Libraries Catalog (Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst, and Hampshire). You will be able to request items by clicking on the Request link once you have located the desired item. The request form will ask you for your library barcode number, which is located on your UCard.

If what you want is not available in the Five Colleges, you can use Interlibrary Loan to go beyond the Five College area. You don’t need to worry about where the item is located – we do the searching and obtain the item for you if we can find a copy. You will need to set up a password to utilize the service online.

… request delivery of an article or book from the UMass Amherst collections?

Current UMass Amherst faculty, students, or staff may use the Library Express service to request delivery of materials from the library collections located in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library and the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library. The fee for this service is $5.00 per article or book, and materials will be delivered directly to your desktop or doorstep, whether you are on campus or off, near or far.

… request books or articles from the Five College Library Depository?

Books can be requested through the "Request Item" function of the Five Colleges Libraries Catalog. Articles can be requested using the article request form. For more detailed information, see the Five College Library Depository website.

… get help with my research?
We currently offer several forms of research and reference assistance. Librarians are eager to help. These services are intended primarily for UMass students, faculty, and staff. We respond to inquiries from the general public as staff time permits.

… choose the best databases for my topic?
To choose the best databases to use for your topic, select Subject Research Guides from the Find menu on the library’s main page. There you will find links to databases by subject. If you are still not sure, use one of our Ask a Librarian services to get personal help - tailored to your topic - from a librarian.

… add money to my UCard (debit account)?

In the Learning Commons, on the W.E.B. Library’s lower level, there is a machine for adding money to your UCard. You can also purchase a guest card (the cost of the card is $1) and add money for printing to it. You can also add money online with a credit card. UCard accounts are set up in the Franklin Dining Hall ID card office or at the UCard web page.

… print in the library?
Printing from the computers anywhere in the Library is paid for with the UCard (student or staff ID card) account. UMass students receive a certain amount of free printing every semester. Visitors may purchase a guest card in the Learning Commons for printing.  

… cite a source for my paper?

 … locate books in the stacks?

Use the library catalog to find the availability, call number, and location of a book. Please note that UMass Amherst has two separate library buildings: W.E.B. Du Bois Library and the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library. To find what floor a book in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library is located, see the Call Number Location chart. Look for a match with the first one or two letters of the call number of the book you’re looking for. If you do not find the book on the shelf, please stop by the Circulation Office for help.

… change my e-mail address with the Libraries?

If you are a UMass student, staff member, or faculty member, you will need to change your email address through the Office of Information Technology (OIT). You can find more information about this at http://www.oit.umass.edu. If you are a member of the community-at-large, you may either send an email from your new email address to: circadm@umlibr.library.umass.edu or notify a circulation staff member in person when you next visit the library.

… request materials from another Five Colleges library?

This service is only available to UMass faculty, students, and staff with a valid UCard. Use the Five Colleges Libraries Catalog to locate the desired item. Then  click on the Request link. The request form will ask you for your library barcode number, which is located on your UCard.

… buy a copy card?
Copying and printing anywhere in the Library are paid for with the UCard (student ID card) account. Accounts are set up in the Franklin Dining Hall ID card office or at the UCard web page . If you have an active account, you may add money (bills) to it at the black machine near the copiers and printers in the Reference Area of the Lower Level. Guest Cards are available from the same machine for $1 plus whatever money you put on the card. Some copy machines take change and bills, but the printers only operate from the UCard or Guest UCard.

… recall a book from another user?

Users may recall an item that is checked out to another user (through the "request item" feature in the Library Catalog). If you have an item recalled by another user, you will receive a Recall Notice. Note:Recalled items must be returned to the UMass Amherst Libraries within 10 days. Fines accrue at the rate of $2 per day up to $30 for items not returned within 10 days of a Recall Notice.

… check on the status of my requests?

It depends on the type of request. You can check the status of your Five College Library requests through the Five Colleges Libraries Catalog My Account Link. To check on your Interlibrary Loan requests (that is, requests outside of the Five College system), login to your Interlibrary Loan (ILL) account. Both these online checks can be done at any time of day from any computer that has Internet access.

… arrange for a library instruction class?

As a part of the UMass Amherst Libraries’ Instructional and Curriculum Support Services, librarians offer tailored workshops & training sessions at the library or in your classroom or lab. Please consult the list of subject liaison librarians. You may contact a subject librarian directly. Or you may complete the general instruction request form. Based on availability, a librarian will contact you to confirm your session.

… find audio or video information?

In the library catalog, use the advanced search screen to search by format. You will see many format options in the limit section at the bottom of that screen (e.g. DVDs, VHS, CDs, cassettes).

… borrow a laptop computer?

Laptop computers are available on the 3rd floor of the Du Bois Library in the Reserves / Media Department. You may call the department with additional questions at: (413) 545-2358. Only UMass Amherst students may check out equipment. A valid UCard is required. A second picture ID may also be requested. This equipment is intended for use exclusively in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library. Wireless access is available on the Lower Level, Entrance Level, and 2nd and 3rd Floors.

… search the Library Catalog?

To search the library catalog, select the Books (Library Catalog) option under the Find tab on the library’s homepage. You will be taken to the catalog. Please note that the default search setting is Keyword. You may also search by Author, Title, or Subject. You can enter the author or title of the item, subject terms representative of the scope of the materials, or keywords that may include any or all of the above. 

… manage and format the references for my bibliography?

RefWorks Bibliography Manager will help you manage and format the references for your bibliography. To utilize RefWorks, click on the RefWorks link from the library’s main page, or go to the RefWorks login page. For assistance using RefWorks, please ask a librarian or use the RefWorks tutorial link at the top left of the Login Center page.

… check my paper for possible plagiarism?

UMass Amherst has two Plagiarism Detection Services during the fall 2006 semester: Turnitin and MyDropBox. These services allow a student or faculty member to submit an electronic version of a student paper for textual comparison with the Internet, some subscription databases, papers submitted by students at other participating schools, and student papers submitted by UMass Amherst students in previous semesters. The services provide a report of the matching text, so that the faculty member can evaluate whether the student has cited sources and paraphrased appropriately. Contact Anne C. Moore (545-0148 or annem@library.umass.edu) for access information.

… conduct historical research with primary sources?

To learn how to conduct historical primary research, visit the Department of Special Collections and University Archives website. Under Research Tools, select Five Colleges Research Guide.

... report an emergency, safety problem or problem with another user in the Library?

Emergencies taking place in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, and any safety problems or problems with behavior of other library users in the building, should be reported immediately to the Building Monitors, located in the Entrance Level. Building Monitors can be reached by phone at 577-0840. Every elevator lobby has a campus phone.

… find something I lost or left in a library building?

Check the Lost and Found of the particular library. Items found in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library are stored for at least one month in the Circulation Office (545-2623). Items left in the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library (545-1370) are stored at its Circulation Desk until the end of each semester.

…schedule an event in the Library?

To promote the scholarly and cultural life of the campus community, the UMass Amherst Libraries welcome applications to hold events in our facilities. The Libraries consider requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Events must enhance the academic or cultural life of the campus community, and/or contribute to the professional development of the faculty or staff of UMass Amherst. In approving the request, the Library also considers the impact of the event on Library users and the ability of the Libraries to support the event. Fill out the application on page two of the events policy.

…donate materials to the Library?

If you wish to donate materials to the Library, contact James R. Kelly, Humanities Bibliographer, at (413) 545-3981 or jrkelly@library.umass.edu.

…request that the library acquire a book?

Librarians select books and other materials based on the University’s curriculum and faculty research interests.  Faculty and graduate students are welcome to suggest items that should be added to the collections by submitting recommendations through the Form for Suggesting New Material.

… suggest an addition to this list?

Please fill out this form and submit it to suggest an addition to this list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Last modified: January 8, 2008

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