Help Info

If you want the VCSU Library page (or any page of your choice) to start up right away when you click on Netscape, follow these instructions!

Open Netscape, go to the Edit Menu and select Preferences. On the left-hand column, single click on the word Navigator. This will change the information in the right-hand frame: it should give you three choices"Navigator starts with: oBlank page oHome page oLast page visited.

Choose the "Home Page" option by clicking the button and then type http://www.vcsu.nodak.edu/library in the Location Box below it. When you have finished, click OK. From now on, when you start up your computer, and open Netscape, you will be taken directly to the best student access page on campus!!!

Log In
1. On library home page (http://library.vcsu.edu), click on “Aleph Library Catalog.”
2. Click on “Sign-In” at the top left side of screen.
3. User ID/Barcode is Empl ID or 23106… number. Password is last name. Click on “Log On.”

Search other libraries
1. At the top of Aleph search screen, near the right side, click on “Libraries.”
2. In the list that comes up, choose “ODIN Union Library Catalog” (it is at the top of the list on the left side).
3. Perform a search for the item (use author, title, and/or subject).
4. Locate desired item in list and click on “#-view” to the left of the author’s name.

Submit Request
1. When the item information screen comes up, click on “Interlibrary Loan Request” (at the top right side of screen).
2. Check patron information for accuracy; enter e-mail address if none is listed, or if an alternative address is desired.
3. Scroll down. Near bottom, choose an entry from drop-down menu next to “Until what date are you interested in the material?”
4. Click on “Go” at bottom of window.
5. Window should now say YOUR ILL REQUEST WAS SUCCESSFUL in red letters at the top. Scroll down and click “OK” to close window, or “Print” for a copy of request (not necessary).

Log Out
At top of screen, click on “Sign-Out.” When new screen comes up, click on “Go” to finish logging out.

SUBMITTING AN ILL REQUEST
(for journal articles or items not available in ODIN libraries)

Log In
1. On library home page (http://library.vcsu.edu), click on “Aleph Library Catalog.”
2. Click on “Sign-In” at the top left side of screen.
3. User ID/Barcode is Empl ID or 23106… barcode number. Password is last name. Click on “Log On.”

Submit Request
1. At the top of the screen, near the center, click on “My Account.”
2. When patron information screen comes up, click on “Interlibrary Loan Request (blank)” (at the top right side of screen).
3. Fill in required fields for book or article being requested. ---If desired item is a book , type in available information in empty fields.

*Only Author and Title are required . All other fields are optional for books.

-If desired item is an article , complete entries as follows (* indicates required information):

*Author: Author of article
*Title: Title of Journal/Magazine
*Edition: Type in Volume Number and Issue Number
Place of Publication, Publisher: Enter if available, but not required
*Year: Publication year of desired article
ISBN: Leave empty or enter ISSN number.
Series and Sources: Enter if available, but not required
Pages to Photocopy: Enter required page range.

*Free text note: Enter title of article (required) and any special notes/requests.

4. Pickup/delivery location: Should be left as NDV.
5. “Preferred Media” for books should be left as Printed (loan). For copies of articles, choose Serial (copy).
6. Read through copyright agreement and click in check-box to accept (request will not go through unless copyright agreement is checked).
7. Click on “Go” at bottom of window.
8. Window should now say YOUR ILL REQUEST WAS SUCCESSFUL in red letters at the top. Scroll down and click “OK” to close window, or “Print” for a copy of request (not necessary).

Log Out
At top of screen, click on “Sign-Out.” When new screen comes up, click on “Go” to finish logging out.

How to Use the Online Journals in the Subscription Databases.
Both InfoTrac and Education Abstracts have help buttons right on the website. Please remember to logout if the instructions tell you to do so! That way others can use the journals, too!

Finding articles in Education Abstracts:
1. Click in box to select index of your choice (currently only Education Abstracts Full Text 1983-present is available)
2. From the upper right-hand corner menu bar, click on Search or SearchPlus (use SearchPlus if you want to select only full text online articles)
3. Click in the search box and type the term or phrase that you want to search for
4. Choose the type of search you would like to do: (author, title, subject, or keyword (words anywhere)
5. If you are using SearchPlus, you may limit for Full Text at this point. (This will give you fewer articles, but you will be able to read/print/use them immediately)
6. The full text hits you receive will say "Full Text HTML or Full Text PDF" at the beginning of the record. Just click on "Full Text HTML" to display the complete article and citation in your browser (ie:Netscape). You can now print the article or send it to yourself via email if you want a digital form of it to use in your report. (Don't forget to cite your source!! These articles are all copyrighted!)
7. Please remember to LOGOUT (from the right-hand menu bar) when you are finished so that others may use the database!
8. Further assistance is available at the menu bar….and you can always Ask-A-Librarian!

Finding articles in InfoTrac:
1. Select one of the 4 different collections of magazine/journal articles by clicking on the icon:
a. Expanded Academic for information on: Astronomy, Religion, Law, History, Psychology, Humanities, Current Events, Sociology, Communications and the General Sciences.
b. Health Reference Center-Academic for information on: Fitness, Pregnancy, Medicine, Nutrition, Diseases, Public Health, Occupational Health & Safety, Alcohol and Drug abuse, HMOs, Prescription Drugs, etc.
c. General BusinessFile for researching all business and management topics as well as investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries.
d. Gen'l Reference Center is a general interest collection for searching magazines, reference books and newspapers for information on current events, popular culture, the arts, sciences, sports, and etc.
2. Enter a term or phrase that you wish to search in the search box.
3. Limit the search to articles with text if you want only the articles available to you online.
4. You can also limit by date or name of magazine/journal.
5. Once the articles are retrieved, you can click on view text and retrieval choices to get the article. Scroll down to the bottom and choose either Browser Print to reformat for printing from your browser or Email Delivery to have it sent digitally to your email address. *Also note that there is a list of which magazines are in the VCSU library so you could get the "real" issue if you needed it, too!
6. If you need to find an article in a specific magazine, go to Advanced Search, type in jn=name of magazine and click on Search. (jn= means "journal name is equal to)
7. Once the list is retrieved, you need to click on View and then scroll down to History and click on View again!
8. More help is available online or use our Ask-A-Librarian service for help.

Using FirstSearch
1. FirstSearch is a pay-per-use database, so you need to ask the librarian on duty at the Reference Desk for assistance with the authorization and password.
2. Because it is more expensive than the others that the library purchases for you (like InfoTrac and Education Abstracts) please use it after you have serached the other sources for information about your topic.

Using Lexis-Nexis
1. This flagship service provides full-text documents from over 6,000 news, business, and legal publications, with a variety of flexible search options.
2. For help using Lexis-Nexis, follow the tutorials.

Using Encyclopedia Britannica Online
1. Encyclopædia Britannica contains three sections: the complete encyclopedia, with related Internet sites, Britannica's Internet Guide which allows you to search web sites, selected by Britannica editors, or the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. The encyclopedia is the default selection when you open the page.
2. Enter a word, phrase, or question in the search box. Click Search.
3. The results will include several matching terms. Click on one of the underlined terms for the entire text, then select Format for Printing to print the article. Many articles contain related terminology within the article that are "clickable" as well as other suggested terms at the end of the article.
4. Online help is available.

Using Google
1. Google is a search engine that retrieves
2. How do you? Read all about it at: http://www.google.com/help.html
3. Some cool things at Google:
I'm Feeling Lucky! The "I'm Feeling LuckyTM" button automatically takes you to the first web page returned for your query. An "I'm Feeling Lucky" search means less time searching for web pages and more time looking at them. For example, to find the homepage for the Smithsonian Institution, simply enter into the search field and click on the "I'm Feel Lucky" button. Google takes you directly to www.si.edu, the official homepage of the Smithsonian Institution.
Special Search Operators. Some words, when followed by a colon, have special meanings to
Google. Right now Google supports one such special operator. The query link: <url> shows you all the backlinks for a given URL -- that is, what pages point to that URL. For example, link:www.google.com will show you all the pages that point to Google's home page. You cannot combine a link: search with aregular keyword search.

Searching the Government Links
VCSU is a partial Government Depository which means we receive and store some of the many government documents printed every day. Although lots of them are available in paper and microform at the library, many more are becoming available online. Searching Government Documents is somewhat more complicated than looking for other items, but a wealth of information and statistics is available. Please ask a Reference Librarian on duty to help and don't forget the Ask-A-Librarian online, too!!
1. For help searching the GPO Access go to: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/help/index.html

How to Use Poem Finder on the Web
To begin searching click on "Find a Poem."
Searching Poem Finder
Search methods include: Basic Search; Advanced Search; Subject Navigator; and The Year's Best Poetry.
Searching Tips
Basic Search ==> Natual language searching
When you first enter the Poem Finder database, you will see tthe Basic Search page. The Basic Search will also appear at the top of all of your results pages so that you can do a new search at any time.

To use Basic Search enter any word(s) or phrase in the search window and click on "Go." Basic Search searches all of the information in the database for your search terms, and provides a list of results ranked by relevancy to your query.

Your search terms will be highlighted in the results list and/or the actual poems or biographical material.
For example, if you want to search the entire database for the words "Mending Wall by Robert Frost," simply enter the words in the search windows and click on "Go." This search will return results ranked in relevance. Those results most closely matching the terms you enter appear at the top of the list.
Select "Mending Wall by Robert Frost" from the list to view the poem or author information.

Those poems which have full-text are indicated by a "T" to the left of the poem title. Advanced Search ==> More Options
Use Advanced Search to narrow your search. You can search either in one field, two fields or three field at a time, combining them with the operator of your choice (either and, or, not). Enter your search term in the search window, and select a field from the pull-down menu. You may select "Go" to search now, or you can combine a second and third field as well. For example, if you wish to find poems with
the subject of "baseball," enter baseball in the first search window, select the "poem subject" field from the menu, and click on "Go." You will now see a results list which for instance contains the poem, "Casey at the Bat." You can also narrow your search even more by using a second (and third) field. For instance, if you want to find poems with the subject of "baseball" that also have the word "casey" in the title, enter the word "baseball" in the first search window and select "poem subject" as your search field. Then click on the "and" connector between the two fields. Enter the word "casey " in the second search window, and select the "poem title" field to search. Now click on "Go." Please note that you should only combine fields that begin with the same word (i.e., only search poem fields together, or author fields, etc.).

Subject Navigator ==> Instant Subject Access
Subject Navigator is a subject hierarchy that organizes thousands of individual subject headings for quick and easy access. To use Subject Navigator, select a topic from the first level such as "People." The next level will appear from which you can select "Literary Figures." From the third level, you can select a literary figure such as "Robert Frost." Subject Navigator will then give you all poems in the database for which "Robert Frost" is the subject.

The Year's Best Poetry
The Year's Best Poetry is an anthology of poetry published in the current year by both established and emerging poets. To view this, just click on the link and you will see a list of poems organized alphabetically by year (1999, 1998).

Who may ask a question?
The "Ask a Question" service is intended for VCSU students, faculty, and staff.
If you are not affiliated with VCSU, we can only respond to questions about our collections and the resources of the VCSU Library.
If we cannot address your question, we may be able to direct you to the proper resource for your questions. See below for alternative resources.

What kinds of questions may I ask?
Requests for brief factual or statistical information
Questions about which resources to use (WebODIN, the subscription databases, the Internet, government information, etc.) and questions about the VCSU Library resources, services, and facilities.

Who will answer my question?
Reference librarians and staff
When will I receive a response?
Questions will be responded to as quickly as possible, usually within 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays).
Suggested alternative resources
Consult your local school or public library
The Internet Public Library
Pitsco's Ask an Expert
Ask Jeeves
For further assistance you are welcome to visit our reference "real" desk during library hours!

To find out what you have checked out or check on the status of an interlibrary loan request, sign in at the Aleph catalog using your library barcode (a 14-digit number starting with 23106....from your VCSU ID card) OR use your EMPL number and then your last name as the password. Once you have correctly signed in you can "view your library account". Please ask for help at the library if you need it!