Kelli Bell English 190 Fall 2010

Thanks for visiting the library last Wednesday. Here are my responses to the questions you still had at the end of class. Please don't hesitate to email me for further help. Good luck with your research.

Jane Gillespie gillesj@slu.edu

I’m still confused about ILLIAD (Interlibrary Loan). Can you explain it again?

If the library doesn’t have an article you need you can request it through ILLIAD. The first step is to create an account. This involves filling out a form with your information and creating a user name and password for the ILLIAD system. Here is the link http://illiad.slu.edu/illiad/xii/logon.html

If you are requesting an article, click on the “request a photocopy” button. Fill out the information about the article, journal name, article titles etc and click submit. It usually takes 1-3 days for your request to be fulfilled. An email will be sent to the email address you provided in your user profile with a link to a pdf of the article you requested.

You can also use ILL to request a book if no one in the statewide MOBIUS system owns it.

Is full text available for all results from a database search? How do I find full text if it is not available in the database?

Sometimes there is full text “embedded’ in the database which is very convenient. The database we used in class, Academic Search Premier, has a lot of full text embedded. If the full text is embedded, you see a link labeled pdf or HTML full text right below the abstract in the results set. If the full text is not embedded into the database you will see the “Find it at SLU” button. Clicking on the “Find it at SLU” button brings you to the Article Linker page. If full text is available, you will see a link to the article on this page. If the full text is not available online, we may have it in print. Follow directions on the Article Linker page. If the full text is not available, you can request it through Interlibrary loan.

What is the best database to use?

It depends on what kind of sources you need and the nature of your topic. If you are not sure what to use, ask a librarian for a recommendation.

What are some other databases for different subjects?

Here is a list of databases by subject. http://libraries.slu.edu/databases/databases.php

What days do liaison librarians work?

Since liaisons work some nights and weekends at the reference desk and teach some library instruction classes in the evening, our schedule varies but we are usually here between 8:30-5 on weekdays.

Liaison librarians are happy to work individually with students. Send an email to the librarian and let him/her know when you are available. Here is a list of liaison librarians and their departments. http://libraries.slu.edu/about/directory/libnsnew.html. Also you can ask for the business card of a liaison librarian at the reference desk.

How many books does the library own?

About 1.8 million!