Library Orientation 2009

Research Resources

| Important Registrations | Library Catalog  | Library Services |

Important Registrations

There are several services you should take a few minutes to register for. Links to the online forms are listed below.

Distance Education Services

The Distance Education Library Services page provides access to information of special interest to Texas A&M University distance learners and intends to supplement the Libraries Home page. Links provide details on the range of services available.

1. Get it for me is an interlibrary loan and document delivery services paid for through student fees. All articles are delivered electronically to your desktop. Books are mailed to you with return mailers.
   
   It is important for you to choose DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENT when filling in the "Status" section of the online registration form. Do not choose Graduate Student. 
2. Sign up for TexShare Program. This is a resource sharing program among public and private colleges, universities, and public libraries in Texas. TexShare cards must be renewed each semester.

Library Services

• Libraries and Reference Services
  Texas A&M University Libraries consists of 5 branches on campus. You will find that most (if not all) of your research needs will be served by the following 2 Libraries:
  • Sterling C. Evans Library - The main library in the center of campus and home to the Engineering librarians.
  • West Campus Library (WCL) - Specializes in business and provides online guides for research.
  • Library & Reference assistance is also only a call or a click away:
    • AskNow is an online / electronic / chat-based reference service. You can connect to a librarian online and they can guide you through the use of a database or help with suggesting a resource.
    • Phone - You can call toll-free 888-843-0044 and get connected to any reference desk.
    • Email - You can email questions to either of your primary contacts listed below.
  • Electronic Forms
    Our Electronic Forms allow you to request certain activities without having to visit the library. You can ask a reference question, change your address, order materials from other libraries (Interlibrary Loans), renew materials, etc.
  • Off Campus Access to E-Resources
    With your TAMU NetID Account (NEO) activated you can easily gain access to the majority of our electronic resources off campus from your home or office. For more information see the University's NetID page.
  • Research and Subject Guides
    Included in your package are various handouts to help you with your research and some of our electronic resources. Our Research Guides page provides electronic access to both the handouts you received and many more. The Subject Guide pages provide information much like this MID Orientation guide and are available on a wide range of topics.

Library Catalog

LibCat, the TAMU Libraries' online catalog includes the materials (books, journals, videos, documents and other materials) that the Libraries hold. If we do not own what you need, you can request specific materials (books, journal articles, book chapters, etc.) via Get it for me.

LibCat does not contain citations to individual articles in the journals, newspapers, or proceedings in the Libraries' holdings. For that you must use a bibliographic database, or index, which are discussed in the next section.

• When searching LibCat it is not required to use upper-case characters in titles or proper names.
• Be sure to choose the proper search type in the selection box.

Title: To do a "title search" you must enter the exact title. For example:

• supply chain and transportation dictionary
• distribution management handbook
• advanced supply chain management

Journal: To do a "journal search" you must enter the exact title. For example:

• logistics management and distribution
• industrial marketing management
• journal of business logistics

Author: To do an "author search" enter it last-name first. For example:

• gates, bill

Subject: A "subject search uses the Library of Congress subject headings that have been used to catalog the item. This is not the same as a "keyword" search. For example:

• business logistics
• physical distribution of goods

Keyword: A "keyword search" will search all the fields in a bibliographic record including the abstract if one exists. Apply Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) carefully. Enclose all multi-word concepts in quotes. For example:

• "supply chain management"
• collaboration AND business
• "electronic commerce" AND marketing

Help for Off-Campus Access

From on campus, you have access to the full range of electronic resources offered by the Libraries.  From off campus, the vast majority of the Libraries' electronic holdings are available to currently enrolled students and the faculty and staff of Texas A&M University and its affiliated agencies (such as TAES, TEEX, TTI, etc.).

Access from off campus requires user authentication.  When you click on the link for any e-resource from the Libraries' web site you will be prompted for your NetID and password.

E-Resource Access Troubleshooting Guide

Step 1 - Check browser version:

The Library's web sites support the following browser versions: Internet Explorer 6.x, 7.x,  Firefox 2.x, 3.x, Safari 2.x 3.x, Opera 9.x

Suggestion:
Update your web browser.

Step 2 - Check browser settings:

Your web browser needs to support cookies and JavaScript.

Step 3 - Know your current NetID and password:

If you have trouble logging into TAMU Email with your NetID and password you probably will also have trouble using library resources from off-campus.

Suggestion:
If you are having trouble with your NetID password, visit one of the CIS Open Access Labs or the Circulation Desk at Evans Library to have your account marked for a password reset. Alternately, you can contact Help Desk Central at (979) 845-8300 between 8am and 5pm Monday-Friday and they may be able to help you with this over the phone. If you have not already done so, you can activate your NetID account.

Step 4 - Reset your password in the Aggie Computing Gateway:

You may need to reset your password even though you are able to use your NetID successfully with TAMU Email. Wait about 10 minutes before trying to login.

Suggestion:
Go to the Aggie Computing Gateway page at http://gateway.tamu.edu/ and us the "NetID Account Management" options to reset your NetID password.

Step 5 - Check your university affiliation in the campus directory:

Though you can login to TAMU Email, you may still not be able to login to the Library site due to your university affiliation. Please check your university affiliation status. If your university affiliation status is reported as invalid by the above link, please use the Report a problem form on that page to request assistance.

Step 6 – Check firewall settings

If your machine is behind a firewall, make sure that ports 2048, 9443, 8331 and 9003 are open. See this link for more information.

Step 7 – Let us help!

If you have tried the 6 steps above and still can't access library resources, please let us know!  You can use our Webmaster link at the bottom of any of our web pages to submit a problem to our support staff who will contact you directly.