Borrowing and obtaining material

 
Who can use the Library
How many books can I borrow and for how long?
How can I check which books I currently have on loan?
How can I reserve a book?
How can I extend my loan?
How can I obtain items the Library does not have?
What shall I use MyLibrary account for?

Accessing and using resources

 
How can I find student reports and Team projects?
All student reports (Individual Projects, Internship reports, thesis, Team projects) are searchable by author and title through the Library online catalog. If you are looking for a reports and you know which year it has been done, you can browse through our lists of reports classified by year.

How do I access electronic resources on and off campus?
Using your ISU ID and password (usually name.lastname and your password), you can access nearly all of our electronic resources from any computer --on and off campus. Just enter your ISU ID when prompted to do so.
Some databases or e-journals however are only accessible within ISU central campus premices. That information is usually indicated.
Our pages to find journal articles and e-books are great places to start.

Can I search all the resources of the Library in one search?
No, not everything is searchable in one place.
Our main search systems, searches a lot of the content available in the Library's print and digital collections, including books, internet resources, student reports, novels and DVDs.
To search for journal articles and other reports, we recommend that you start your search with our Discovery tool EBSCO EDS.

How do I find full-text scholarly articles in by subject?
Scholarly material is generally available in subject-specific databases that include journal articles, conference proceedings, and related material published in related disciplines. For example, scholarly articles in economics can be found in a database called EconLit, and health science literature is available through PubMed. Click Find articles on our Library web page to get lists of databases classified by subject.

How do I find an article by citation?
The process is easier when you have the full article's citation which identifies the article's full title, journal, and author name.
Use EBSCO EDS and search for the article title for example. When full-text access is provided to you by ISU Library, just click on the provided link to read it online. When ISU Library does not provide full-text access, click on the link to ask the librarian to get the full-text article for you.
 
We also suggest that you use EBSCO EDS, which is an online research tool that "pulls together" many external databases so that they can be explorer using a single search box . In other words, rather than searching several databases, you can do and EDS search and get a single list of results coming from various sources.
 
I am an ISU alum, why can I not access e-resources after entering my ISU ID and password?
Access to e-resources is often restricted to current ISU students, faculty and staff. Alumni have access to a range of publicly available e-resources or Library services.
If you are having problems accessing e-resources, please report it using our Contact form or contact the librarian directly.

What if I am informed an e-resource has reached the maximum number of users?
Some e-resources allow only a limited number of simultaneous users, so you should try again later.  If this happens frequently, please let us know.
Please note: To avoid this problem, we recommend that you read e-books online instead of downloading them. Downloading is like a loan and noone else will be able to read an e-book if you have downloaded it. Read our web page for e-books.


 
 

Literature search, citations and bibliographies

 
How can I get help with my assignment, research paper or report?
We have lots of options for help! From our web pages about literature searching, you can get guidance about how to evaluate information, make citations and references, stay current with your research or using referencing software.
You can also come visit us at our reference desk or make an appointment with the librarian.

How can I get help with Zotero, Mendeley or any other citation tools?
Check out our Referencing software page for information, or come to see the librarian.

How do I cite a source using ISU specific style?
Citations are a means of giving credit where credit is due. At ISU, you have to use the Anglia Ruskin Harvard style for your citations, references and bibliographies. Read our Library web page for Citations and References and do contact your librarian when further help is needed.
 
 
 

Getting other Help

Computer and Network Services at the University
Find libraries nearby you
List of ISU staff and professors
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