Orientation Tips for Graduate Students

• The Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Library in 100 Hildebrand Hall is the library for chemical engineering and chemistry. Hours for all libraries are on the web. AirBears access is available.
• Use the PATHFINDER catalog to find most books and journals on the UC campus. Use the MELVYL catalog to find materials on all the UC campuses. Your student ID card is your library card. There is a Guide to Library Catalogs.
• Most journals in chemistry and chemical engineering are available electronically. To locate:
  • Browse the Chemistry Library's ejournals page.
  • Search Electronic Journals A-Z.
  • Search PATHFINDER or MELVYL as catalog records will have links to the online content.
  • Use the UC-eLinks Citation Linker
• An increasing number of reference books are becoming available electronically. To locate:
  • Browse the Chemistry Library's Electronic Books page
  • Use the UCB Library system's compilation of Electronic Resources
  • Search PATHFINDER or MELVYL to locate the title and link to the online content.
  • Use the UC-eLinks Citation Linker
• Search the literature:
  • SciFinder Scholar Online version of Chemical Abstracts. SFS is a client/server program so you must download and install a software program on your own computer in order to access the database. You can also search SFS in the Chemistry Library. Limited number of ports.
  • Crossfire Beilstein/Gmelin - Online access to Beilstein and Gmelin databases. Like SciFinder Scholar, this is a client/server program that requires the downloading and installation of a software program in order to search the database.
  • Web Of Science Web version of Science Citation Index.
  • You have access to an immense number of other databases including Compendex, Inspec, Biosis, PubMed, Applied Science and Technology, NTIS, ABI Inform, etc. PubMed users be sure to use http://uclibs.org/PID/17708 in order to link to UCB electronic journal subscriptions.
• Use the campus Virtual Private Network (VPN) or the Library Proxy Server. The proxy server requires Internet access and a web browser and is relatively easy to set up with your CALNET ID or your student ID number. With the Library Proxy Server you can access almost all the library resources but NOT SciFinder Scholar or CrossFire Beilstein/Gmelin. If you want to access these two resources you must install the VPN.
• Avoid library bills. Check your library inventory and renew online. Activate email notification so that you get library notices in a timely manner.
• Request NRLF materials online. Northern Regional Library Facility (NRLF) is a warehouse at the Richmond Field Station where the library stores low-use books and journals. Use the NRLF Request feature on PATHFINDER to electronically request material at NRLF. Books will be sent to a campus library for you to pick up within two days and journal articles will be scanned and web delivered to you within two days.
• If what you want is not on campus and not at NRLF, you have a variety of options:
  • Use the MELVYL Request feature in MELVYL to request books electronically.
  • Use UC-eLinks button in databases to request journal articles
  • Use the UC-eLinks Citation Linker for journal articles, books and book chapters.
  • Use the UCB online Interlibrary Borrowing Service forms to request books and journal articles.
  • Use the Research Library Cooperative Program to request books and journal articles at Stanford and University of Texas.
  • Use the expedited document delivery program that the Chemistry Library operates for College of Chemistry faculty, graduate students and researchers if you need a journal article faster than the average time of two weeks for the above options. This is fairly expensive for the library so only use when the other options are too slow for your needs.
• For after-hours access, swipe your campus photo ID card on the unit to the right of the library doors. All rules regarding food and drink apply to after-hours use. Do not let anyone else in on your card. When you swipe your card, your access is recorded. There is a yellow emergency police call-down box in the reading room for use after-hours.
• The College has a photocopier in the library that will work with your College card, once your card is coded with a fund code. Until then, use the public photocopiers that operate on change or on a Cannon copy card. Copy cards can be purchased at the dispenser in the library. Student discount cards are sold in various denominations and are available only over-the-counter at full-service copy centers, for locations see Library Copy Services.
• Bibliographic management software programs such as EndNote and RefWorks allow you to easily store and manage all your citations, insert them into papers and generate lists of references.
• Keep current with library resources and services with the Science & Engineering Libraries News blog. Keep current with new articles published in your field by creating alerts in databases and by having selected journal table of contents sent to you via email or an RSS feed.
• Check the Chemistry Library instruction web page for classes on how to use many of these resources. Also take classes at the Teaching Library and at other libraries on campus.

UC Berkeley Library Web Search UCB College of Chemistry UC Berkeley home Contact webmaster

Copyright © 2007
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Last updated 08/17/07. Content maintained by: M. Mahoney.