NBL Reference Toolkit

Q: The PC at the desk is having problems.

A: Try rebooting the machine. If that doesn’t work call Andrew Ruggerio or your backup librarian.

Q: Where is/are:  [you can also check the building directory tab]    

• the circulation desk?   A: Upstairs on the main floor to the right as you enter the building.
• the restrooms?            A:  In three locations:   From the front door, go straight through the main lobby towards the main stairs.   As you face the stairs, to your right is a short hallway where you will find a restroom.  Restrooms are also located down the hall towards the Media Center on the right before you enter the Media Center.  A third set of restrooms are on the basement level at the bottom of the center stairs.
• undergraduate reserve?  A: Most reserves are at the circulation desk.  Media and Music department reserves are in the Media Center.
• graduate reserve/graduate reading room? A: All reserves at Douglass are at the circulation desk or Media.  Graduate study carrels are on the third level, which you can get to by going up the stairs across from the circulation desk.
• the nearest computer lab? A:  The Fordham Commons is past the Ref Desk. The Fordham Lab is also available for use if no class is taking place.  The main reading room also has computers available for both students and the general public.  The nearest computer lab outside the library is in the Douglass Campus Center on the third floor or in Loree Hall just beyond the Campus Center towards the Eagleton Institute.
• the room where my class is meeting for library instruction?  Check the room schedule on Room Schedule. It’s probably the Douglass Instructional Alcove.  Take the main staircase all the way to the basement level and it is opposite the lower level stacks.  You will see a sign for the “Instructional Alcove”.
• the librarian offices? A:  The offices are on the ground level, more or less diagonally across from the Ref Desk, through the stacks.  They are towards the right if you are facing the windows.

These directions are, of course, just suggestions. Use whatever words you’re comfortable with, as long as you’re clear and concise.  Time permitting, walking a person part of the way is more helpful than just pointing.

Q: Can I type my paper, use Microsoft Word, etc., on any of the computers in the library?

A: MS Office applications are available on all public pcs (with NetID)   

Q: What does “stacks” mean/Where are the stacks?

A: Stacks refer to the shelving areas for circulating and non-circulating books throughout the library in which patrons may browse and peruse. Check the handy map at the Ref Desk to check the call number ranges for each level.

Q: I’m trying to find a book/article on…?

A: Conduct a brief reference interview.  Show them how to do a simple author/title/keyword search and explain the advantages and disadvantages of books and articles.  Share successful strategies such as writing out a research question, reading the catalog and index records for clues to best verbiage, parsing through key words and concepts.  Encourage use of LibGuides.  For articles, identify an appropriate index and show them how to use it. If you’re not sure which to use, see the “by subject” guide at the top of the “Indexes & Databases” page. If you are unsure about any of this, consult your backup librarian.

Q: Can I print from these (i.e. library) computers?

A: Yes. Click on the browser’s print icon, and you’ll be prompted to name and set up a print job. Laptops using wireless can print as well.

Q: Where can I get change?

A:  You May be able to get change from one of the food vendors at the campus center across George Street.  Banks are located downtown.

Q: Can I use the library if I’m not a student?

A: Yes, you can use any of our resources here in the building. To check out books or use any of our electronic resources from home, you have to be a current Rutgers student, staff, faculty, or emeritus faculty. You may pay for guest privileges or get alumni borrowing privileges, which allow you to check out books for 28 days. For details, see https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/borrow-access-request/alumni-guests-visitors.

Q: For how long can I check out books?

A: Faculty, staff and graduate students can borrow books for a full semester. Undergraduates can borrow books for 6 weeks. Books can be renewed as many times as you’d like, but are subject to recall, if requested by another user. If recalled, a book has to be returned within two weeks.

Q: How do I check my library record/find out what books I have checked out?

A: Click on “My Account” on the libraries homepage then log in—they’ll need a NetID and password or barcode and PIN to do this (see above). The overview that appears should answer this question, though feel free to click the other tabs for details.

Q: My professor put an article on electronic reserve. What/Where is that?

A: You can access electronic reserves from any computer that has access to the Internet. Course reserves can be located in QuickSearch by first selecting "Course Reserves" in the dropdown menu that originally reads "Rutgers Libraries" (in Basic Search) or clicking the radio button next to "Course Reserves" above the search fields in Advanced Search, then searching using the instructor's or course name. If the material isn’t in QuickSearch, then it might be on the class site (Canvas, Sakai, etc.).

Q: Someone has already checked out the book I need OR Rutgers University Libraries doesn’t have the book at all. Can I still get it?

A: First try EZ Borrow or UBorrow. Both alloy you to borrow books directly from university libraries other than Rutgers.  It should take three to five days,  quicker than recalling.  From the library home page click Find [tab]/Books/EZBorrow , UBorrow  You can also recall the Rutgers copy by locating  the record of the book in the catalog, and clicking  on "Book Delivery/Recall." You’ll be asked  to specify at which library you want to pick up the book. You will be notified by email when you can pick the book up. The person who has it checked out now is allowed to keep it for two more weeks, so you may have to wait that long to get it, or longer.

Q: I’ve ordered a book/article from another Rutgers library, from interlibrary loan, or EZ Borrow and it hasn’t come in yet. How can I check on its status?

A: You should be notified via email when it arrives. You can check the status of your request by clicking on My Library Account on the Libraries’ homepage.  Login with your NetID and password or your barcode and PIN.  If you’ve been waiting a few weeks and you want to make sure there’s no problem, you can submit a question to “Ask-a-Librarian.”

Q: I need to see (Douglass/RUL employee).

A: Ask the client for his/her name. Look up the employee’s name on the homepage under About [tab] Faculty and Staff Directory.  Call up the employee and tell them someone is here to see them. The directory is publicly available

Q: I can’t get into a database from home/off campus.

A: First, ask if the person is a current Rutgers student, staff, faculty, or emeritus faculty member. If the answer is yes, then ask whether s/he is logged on with a NetID and password.  (see # 5 below.)  If there is still a problem, pass it along to a librarian.  If there is no immediate solution, take down the user’s phone number or email so that we can keep her/him informed as we resolve the problem.

Q: How late is the library/ the reference desk, etc., open?

A: Click on Hours at the top of the home page :  You will find links to the hours of operation for all  buildings and service desks. Remember to tell them that the circulation desk shuts down one half hour before the building.

Q: Can I use library resources from my home/dorm?

A: Yes. The Libraries’ homepage and the online catalog are accessible to anyone via the Web. However, to access electronic reserves and to use most of the indexes listed under “Indexes and Databases” you have to be a current Rutgers student, staff, faculty, or emeritus faculty. When you’re viewing any library page off campus, you should see a yellow “not logged in” link in the upper left of the screen. Just click there and login, using your Rutgers NetID and password.

Q: How do I get a password for My Account?

A: (for a client at the desk) The circulation desk can help you. (for someone calling on the phone) You can get your password by calling the Circulation Desk of any Rutgers library. Rutgers students, faculty, and staff use their NetIDs for online library services and do not need separete passwords.

Q: Where are your magazines/journals/periodicals?

A: If you already have a citation, look up the periodical title in the catalog. More recent issues of many of our journals are now available in full-text online. Current DGLSS periodicals are on the shelves between the Ref Desk and the Fordham Commons. Bound Periodicals are in the Tapestry Room (the room just beyond the main staircase when walking away from the Ref Desk) or classed in the Stacks. If you don’t already have a citation to an article, you’ll probably want to use one of our article indexes to identify citations, instead of just browsing through the journals. If you've never used an article index, please see one of the reference librarians.

Q: Does the library have (periodical/book)?

A: Show them how to do a title search for a periodical or a book.. Explain where the bound and current periodicals are located (#8 above Remember to show the client how you’re doing the title search so they can do this on their own in the future. Briefly explain the difference between a browse (begins with) and a keyword (words anywhere) search.

Q: I just printed something from a computer. Where do I pick it up?

A: The default printer for Rutgers NetID computers is on the main level.  Students can print 5 cts/page using the $30/semester quota on the RU student id cards.  You can also select color printing from computers in the Fordham Commons, which costs 25 cents per page. 

Q: Where can I make copies?

A: You can use the scanning station on the ground level or in the Mabel Smith Douglass Room. Either email the scanned documents to yourself and print from another computer or you can buy a copy card from the machine in the Mabel Smith Douglass Room.

Q: Can I check out books without my ID?

A: No.

Q: I just looked for this book and it’s not on the shelf. What do I do?

A: First, double check the title in the catalog and make sure of the location and status.  Check the sorting shelves on the appropriate level, and then ask them to report the title missing (at the circulation desk) if not found or do that yourself, after instruction the user to try EZ Borrow and/or UBorrow.

Q: How do I renew books?

A: Online click on “my account,” then on “renew checkouts.” You’ll need your NetID and password or your barcode and PIN (#6 above). Or visit any circulation desk.

Q: How do I get things that are on reserve?

A: First ask what kind of reserve and if they’re certain it’s on reserve at Douglass. All reserves are at the circulation desk or the Media Center. Articles are generally retrieved thru electronic reserve. (see below)

Q: I just looked for this book and it’s not on the shelf. What do I do?

A: First, look up the title in the catalog and make sure of the location and status.  After you check and the book is also not on the sorting shelves on the third floor, take them (or send them upstairs)  to the circulation to report the book missing.  Tell the person at the circ desk that you’ve checked and the book is not there and that they will change its status to missing. Once a book is declared missing, it can be requested through EZ Borrow.

Q: The book I want is at (another RUL library). Can I still get it?

A: Yes --  click on Book Delivery/Recall.  Depending upon the material and where it’s located, it generally takes one to four weekdays to fill a request. You will be notified by email when to pick up the book.

Q: How do I get this article in full text?

A: If they have only the article title and not the full citation, explain the importance of journal title, issue and date. Then find the complete citation (Google works well for this).  Search in journal tab for journal title, and if no online version exists, explain that Article delivery will send a digitized copy to their desktop.  If RUL does not have the journal issue at all, send them to ILL.

Q: I’ve ordered a book/article on interlibrary loan/from another library. Where do I pick it up?

A: Pick up books at the circulation desk of whichever library you’ve specified. All articles are now delivered electronically.  Instructions for access are in the email notification.