You will typically have multiple options for getting access to the library materials you need. Here are the basics.
One thing that's tricky about doing college-level research is that many resources only contain information about things like books and articles, rather than the actual content of those books and articles. What you need to find is the full text of the item.
For some items, you'll find the full text is automatically included. For other items, you'll need to look for a link that says "full text" or some variation of that term. (Sometimes it just says PDF.)
Many search tools only include bibliographic information, and no full text. Compendex is just one of these. This index contains information about millions of engineering articles, books, standards, and more going back to the 1880s. But you won't find any full text in Compendex.
In cases where you don't see a direct link to full text, look for Get It @ ISU. This link will use the Library's link resolver and attempt to find online access to the full text of the item you were looking for.
This tool works great for items we have access to online. For stuff in our print collection... not so much. See the next two sections to find out how to check for a print copy or get a PDF delivered.
This is your best option if time is of the essence. Once you've identified a library item you want to use, there are a few steps to follow to get your hands on it.
Then just go to the indicated floor (or tier) and find your book or other item on the shelf. In the Library's General Collection items are arranged using call numbers. Just follow the signs on the shelves until you find the range that includes your item's call number, then skim the shelves in that row until you arrive at the one you want.
Call numbers group items by broad topic, so it may be worth taking time to look over other items shelved near the one you were first interested in. There may be other relevant books nearby!
If time isn't a pressing issue, you can opt to have Library staff locate the item and hold it for you at the Main Desk. How?
For items that can be requested, when you open the item record in Quick Search you'll see a box where you can sign in to request materials, save searches, etc.
Use the link in this box to sign in with your net ID (first part of your @iastate.edu email) and password. Once you've done that, you can request the item using the link that appears on the page.
Depending on the item, you may need to choose a location or item type first. (In this example I chose General Collection rather than Media because I wanted the book, not the disc that went with it.)
The last step is to choose your pickup location (this is most likely to be Parks) and click request. You'll be notified when the item is ready for pickup, and all you have to do is stop at the Main Desk with your ISU Card to check it out.
Even if the ISU Library does not have a particular book or article, we can still get it for you. You may remember Interlibrary Loan (ILL) from Lib 160. Fill out the request form and our ILL staff will track down a copy of what you need and get it to you at no cost to you.
So those articles you might find, the ones that want you to pay $40 or more to read the full text and you've checked, but the ISU Library doesn't provide access? Yeah, you can get around that.
Pro tip: You can use the interlibrary loan/document delivery form to request articles and book chapters we have in hard copy, and get a scanned PDF digitally delivered. (Note that you can't request an entire book, standard, etc. this way.)
The library's collections and services are available to all ISU students, faculty, and staff and Parks Library is open to the public.
