Getting Started
How do I find books?Check the Pfau
Library Catalog, which lists all books the library owns. Need
help? See Finding Books in Pfau Library.
Want books online? Check the library's ebooks options. One other option, if you are willing to pay a small fee (minimum of $5): A commercial service called ebrary allows anyone who registers to read its collection of current books online (a free piece of ebrary software is required). How do I find articles?Use one of the Library Databases to find full-text articles or citations & abstracts. Need help? See Finding an Article About Your Research Topic. Choose a database "By Subject" to help you decide which database to use. You must have your Coyote OneCard or Remote Access Library Card before you can use these databases at home. We suggest you take a look at the Library Tutorial, OLLIE, particularly the sections on "Finding Articles" and "Search Strategies." Many articles are available "Full Text" online. If an article you want is not available online, you can use our Interlibrary Loan service to have it delivered to you electronically, via email. See Delivery Options. How do I get library materials delivered?If the item you need is not available online, use Interlibrary Loan to get a copy. Request forms (on the ILLiad system) are available online. Books can be delivered to the CSUSB main campus or to Palm Desert Campus. Articles can be delivered to you electronically. Please plan ahead because delivery takes a least one week. See Delivery Options for more information. How do I use library resources from off-campus?Pfau Library's databases are available only for currently registered CSUSB students, faculty, and staff. Beginning in Fall 2007, CSUSB students will need only their Coyote ID number and name to log-in. A "Remote Access" card will no longer be required. However, if you have a Remote Access card, you can use it for printing or photocopying at the main campus library and computer labs. How can I tell if the article available online?In most full-text databases, click on the article title to see the full text of article. (See our list of full-text databases.) In EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier and Wilson OmniFilelook for the blue link HTML Full Text or PDF Full Text. If full text is not immediately
available within the database you are using, look for a button labeled
"Search for Full Text or "SFX."
If an article is not full-text online, you can request a copy from the library. See Delivery Options. How full is full-text?Full-text is exactly what it sounds like, the complete text of the article. It may or may not include non-textual elements like pictures, charts, or graphs, depending on the database. Full-text does not preserve the original look and layout of the article, but does provide the content. Do not be surprised to find typos or other errors in full-text articles, since some are scanned or re-typed into their electronic formats. What is "PDF"?"PDF" (portable document format) is like a photocopy of the original, printed journal page. It is a common format for delivering documents online. To read or print files in PDF format, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free. NOTE: PDF files tend to be large and may take a long time to download if you are using dial-up connection; be patient when retrieving them. What about printing, saving, and emailing?Most databases offer a print/save/email option somewhere, usually at the top or bottom of the page. Take advantage of these options whenever you see them; they will usually save paper by getting rid of unneeded frames and graphics. If you do not see a print option on the page, simply display the article in your web browser, then click on your print button. Saving:If saving a PDF file, use the Save option on the Adobe Acrobat toolbar, immediately above the document. If saving a web page (HTML full text), choose File....Save As from your browser menu. Some databases also have their own Save functions; look for them on your screen. Emailing:Some, but not all, databases have an option for emailing articles. (Examples: EBSCOhost, Wilson OmniFile, ABI/INFORM, Factiva, and Lexis-Nexis.) Display the full text of the article you want, then look for email options near the top of the page. From most personal computers, you can email any web page (including one that displays a full-text article) by going to the browser's menu bar and selecting File, then Send (or Send Page). However, computers in labs often have this feature disabled. Marking:Marking lets you check off
several articles and then print, save, or email all your marked items
in one step. In EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier, look for the "Folder" option, and
in ABI/INFORM or Wilson OmniFile, look for a small box next to the article
citation and click inside it to mark your items. Can't I just get it on the web?Alas, there is more hype than truth in the assumption that "everything is on the web." Relatively few books or articles are available on the web due to copyright restrictions, and when they are available, they are often not free (an exception is FindArticles, a service from Gale Group which has recent articles from a variety of periodicals). Classic works of literature which are out of copyright are free and abundant. Even if they don't have "everything," web pages do provide a wide range of useful information. If you are searching the web, try our list of Internet Search Tools or Internet Resources by Subject. There are many businesses on the web which will sell you books or articles. If you want to pursue this option, make sure you understand the costs up front. Books and articles provided by the library are free to you as a CSUSB student. This page
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