Finding Reserve Materials by Using the "Hard Copy Reserve" Search

Have you ever wanted to know if your professor has your textbook on reserve but you weren't sure how to find out? Did your professor tell you to read an article from a book that's on reserve at the library? Or do you want to know if there are any old tests on reserve to help you study for your next exam? Finding the answers to these questions got a lot easier last year when the new library catalog was released. The catalog now houses all the reserve items in a way that can be searched by everyone.

All you need to do to find reserve items for your class is to click the "hard copy reserve" link on the main library catalog page. Next you will see the option to search by course or professor. The course search uses the same abbreviations the university uses, "bio," "comm," "mc," etc.

Enter the last name to search for the professor, lecturer, or instructor.

If you do not find a textbook on reserve by your professor, sometimes you can find it under another professor's name...especially for the larger core classes that use the same textbook. Try searching by course too.

Another thing to remember: this is different from the "electronic reserve." E-Reserve, or ERes for short, is for electronic access to reserve materials. In order to access ERes materials, you will need a password, given to you by your professor. The materials (usually articles or book chapters) can be downloaded and printed. Hardcopy reserve will be on the 4th floor at the Researve desk and most items must be used in the library. Photocopying articles or chapters is allowed.

Change is Good

The Alkek Library has undergone a lot of changes this summer. You may have noticed the library's new Website that went live over the summer. The re-design was based on the the results of a usability study that was conducted on the existing Website in the early summer of 2005. Hopefully the new Website will be easier to navigate and to find the library's resources. We welcome any comments or suggestions about the new Website. You can make suggestions here.

Also, August 15 the new library catalog went live. The new catalog has many more features than the old catalog. It has a clear, easy to use interface with many more ways to limit your search to certain types of materials. There is also a way to search Course Reserves which wasn't possible with the old catalog. Keep in mind this is the hard copy reserves, not E-Reserves. Soon, the "My Account" feature will be activated. The will allow you to log-in and check your library account to see what items you have checked out, to renew items, view requests, any fines you may have, and your preferred searches/alerts. Look for the "my account" link to change from gray to marroon. Then you will be able to log in using your TxState NetID & password.

A lot of times change is a good thing....