In preparation for this year’s survey of our users’ satisfaction with the Library, we have been taking a final look at the 2018 Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS).
One thing we noticed that particularly gave us pause is the frustration that sometimes occurs when an article is not available from our databases in full-text. Here are two representative comments:
- “Some resources are not available so I have to go and purchase materials.”
- “Many times I will search for an article and many of the links that come up require a purchase to view it.”
The Library recommends that students and faculty never purchase articles or dissertations from database vendors. The reason is that there is almost always a quick way of obtaining the item without paying for it.
Whenever you get a citation or abstract without the full-text, the first step should be to check the Full-Text Journal Finder to find out whether the journal in question is available in full-text from a different database.
If none of the Library’s databases has the article you need, you can request it though our InterLibrary Loan service. This automated, easy-to-use service is very fast. Most journal articles are delivered to the requester in 2-3 days.
The librarians strive to use our resources budget to provide the most online content possible, with InterLibrary Loan providing expeditious access to what we don’t have. If you are ever in doubt about the quickest way to get full-text access to an article, contact the reference librarians.