Physics-Astronomy Library, University of Califorinia, Berkeley
Physics-Astronomy Libary, new address, 351 LeConte Hall
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        Circulation Policies & FAQ
  Borrowing | ILL Course and Permanent Reserves
  Library Services for Alumni & Visitors NRLF / Storage
  Loan periods Journals: where are they? articles?
  Renewals & Inventories Copying & Printing
  Recalls, Searches & Holds DVDs, CDs, Videos
  Returning Library Materials & Receipts Exams, Prelims, Phys111, Evaluations
  Replacement Bills & Overdue Fines Misc: Lost & Found, Assistance
  Lost Library Materials Library notifications by email
 
How to Borrow Library Materials
All borrowers must have a valid UC Berkeley student, faculty or staff photo ID card, a UCB/Stanford faculty library card, or a current UCB library card issued by the Library Privileges Desk.
Present your library card and books to be borrowed at the circulation desk. Presentation of your library borrowing card when checking out materials signals an agreement on your part to abide by library rules and procedures for using and returning items. You will be held responsible for all materials until they have been returned. Library materials must be checked out at least 15 minutes prior to closing time
UC Berkeley
  • Students, Faculty and Staff use their CalNet ID as a library card.
  • LBNL staff can get a library card at the Services Desk in Doe Library (M-F 9-4:45), with a current employee badge. The card must be renewed in person on campus each year, and you must show your LBNL employee badge. Senior LBNL staff members may obtain an annual card through the LBNL Library. LBNL guests do not have UCB Library card privileges unless they pay a yearly fee of $100.00.
  • Postdocs and visiting scholars should inquire with their department on how to obtain a library card.
Non-UC Berkeley
  • Students, faculty, and staff from other UC campuses can bring their current registration or employee ID to the Privileges Desk (Doe Library) to obtain a library card.
  • Non-UC patrons can purchase a library card from the Privileges Desk.  For more information, please see the library borrowing policies at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/services/library_privileges.html.
For further questions regarding UC Berkeley library cards, please contact:
Privileges Desk in Doe Library (at the entrance to the Gardner Stacks)  642-3403.
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How do I obtain material not owned by UC Berkeley? (InterLibrary Loan)
Berkeley faculty, students, and staff can obtain materials from other libraries through the Interlibrary Borrowing Service (IBS). See Borrowing from other Libraries
Requests can be made through Melvyl: look up the record of the item use the Details/Locations link, click on the
button, and fill out the form that appears. Requests can also be made by filling out a print form available at the Interlibrary Services Office in 133 Doe.
Non-UC Berkeley patrons are encouraged to use their public library's interlibrary loan service.
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Library Services for Alumni & Visitors

Information for Alumni and Visitors, UC Berkeley Library.
The Library provides borrowing privileges and other services to our community of Visiting Scholars including:

       Graduate student level borrowing privileges (varies with UCB libraries)
       Access to full-text online resources on campus and remotely via the proxy server
       Free interlibrary loan
       Access to fee-based Baker accounts (for document delivery)

Visiting Scholars must receive official appointments with a UC Berkeley Department or Organized Research Unit, and register with the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) Program. The University Services Fee for registering as a Visiting Scholar is $200. After registering with VSPA, the valid registration card should be taken to the Library Privileges Desk (Doe Library, floor 1) to obtain a Library Card.
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 Loan Periods
Type of Material Loan Period
Books
Undergraduates 1 month
Graduate students 1 month
Faculty 1 semester
Others 1 month
Course Reserves Items may be 2 hours library use only, 2 hours out of library, overnight, 1 day, or 1 week
Bound Periodicals 2 hours or closing time, whichever comes first
Reference Library use only
CD & DVD Media 1 week, with some exceptions
Special Collection Requested during open hours for use at the reference desk.
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Renewals & Inventories
You can renew books in GLADIS by typing in inv <ID number> and following the instructions. You can also renew items at the Circulation Desk or call 510-642-3122.  Note: journals and 2-hour Reserve items cannot be renewed.
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Recalls, Searches & Holds

All library materials are subject to recall after 7 days for course reserves or for another borrower. Recalled materials not returned by the requested date may incur a fine or an auto-block.

If material wanted is not on the shelf, check with the circulation desk. If material is checked out, it can be recalled and held for library card holders. If material is not checked out, a search may be requested. When material is available, borrower will be notified and the item held for 7 days. Searches must be requested in person.

Hold pickup, recall and overdue notices can be received via e-mail. Bill warnings and search notices will continue to be sent via U.S. mail. Go to the online form to sign up for, or cancel e-mail notification, or to change your email address. More information about the e-mail notification service.
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Course & Permanent Reserves
How do I look up course reserves and where are they located?
      To find course reserves, in GLADIS, type in:
                    f co <course abbreviation and number> (f co PHYS 8A) or (f co ASTR 10)
           -or-
                    f in <instructor last name> (i.e. f in HELLMAN)

Note the call number and ask for the item at the CIRCULATION Desk. Most reserves circulate for 2 hours and cannot be renewed.
Permanent reserves are also shelved behind the circulation desk.

Permanent reserves are noted as "on reserve" in their entries in the online catalogs. Once you have identified the call number of the desired material, request it in person at the circulation desk. Overdue reserve material will incur a fine. Loan periods for reserves are determined by the faculty who place them on reserve. There is a limit of 2 reserve items per borrower.

All reserve items can be requested at the Circulation Desk and have to be checked out with a valid ID or library card (no exceptions).

*To place materials on reserve - see Course Reserves (separate page with online forms and links).
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Returning Library Materials & Receipts
Where do I return books?
Please return all items (including reserves) to the Library during open hours. 
When the Library is closed, use the after-hours book return bin located outside the south entrance to LeConte Hall, behind the bicycle rack.
All borrowers are responsible for Library materials until the items are returned to the Physics-Astronomy Library. Books borrowed for home use should be returned to the library during open hours or in the BOOK DROP during closed hours. Borrowers are responsible for library materials charged out to them until they are returned to the library from which they were borrowed. Please return materials borrowed from other libraries directly to the library from which they were borrowed.

Receipts for returned Physics-Astronomy Library materials will be issued on request at the time the materials are returned.
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Replacement Bills & Overdue Fines

Unheeded overdue notices are followed by automatic blocking of library privileges, and then by a bill for replacement. A minimum standard replacement fee of $150 (more if the actual replacement cost is higher) is charged for each item, plus a non-refundable $10 processing charge for each item billed. Autoblocking prevents the borrower from borrowing materials from any library on campus. Library fines are added to replacement bills for recalled items. Overdue accounts are charged interest.

P
atrons with overdue reserve or recalled materials will have borrowing privileges blocked until the items are returned. Overdue 2-hour loan items incur a fine of $10 per day up to a maximum of $50. Any overdue 2-hour, library use, 1-day, or recalled item which is billed for replacement incurs a fine of $50, plus a non-refundable $10 processing charge for each item billed.
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Lost Library Materials
Immediately report lost materials and problems with overdue fines or replacement bills to the Physics-Astronomy Library Circulation Supervisor.
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Library Notifications by Email
Keep your patron record up-to-date with your current email address, and you will receive library notifications by email rather than the US Post. Receiving email notifications is more timely and efficient, especially if your street address changes.
Go to this link to update your email address: https://sunsite2.berkeley.edu:8394/patronupdate/index.htm
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NRLF / Northern Regional Library Facility
Many older books and journals in the Physics-Astronomy Library collection are in storage off campus due to lack of space and infrequent use. Request material from storage/NRLF online via Pathfinder or Melvyl. Retrieval usually requires 1-2 days, excluding weekends. Holders of valid UC library borrower's cards may visit NRLF in person. A shuttle bus service is available.
NRLF
is the Northern Regional Library Facility, an off-campus storage location in Richmond.  Books, journals, and articles can be requested from NRLF online via Pathfinder (for current UCB faculty, students, and staff), or in person at the Circulation Desk.  Requested items are available within two working days.  For more information, see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/NRLF/
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  Journals
Where are journals shelved?
Our journals are shelved alphabetically by title in the Journals section of the library (see floorplan). All bound journals can be charged out for 2 hours.

 
How do I access journals online?
For a titles list go to the Physics-Astronomy Library journals with electronic access to full-text articles. To search by title keyword use: CDL eJournals. To print out an article, see Is printing available at the Physics-Astronomy Library? below.  Electronic journals can be accessed from any computer on the UC Berkeley campus. For off-campus access, a Proxy Server Service is available for current UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff.
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How do I search for journal articles?
Use the Physics-Astronomy Library's Article Indexes page for a selected list of useful article databases: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PHYS/cal.html.

Key databases for physics and astronomy include:
ADS/Astrophysics Data System
(NASA) 1975-present, with older full-text access.
INSPEC (via Ovid) Archives: 1898-1968; 1969-present, with direct links to full-text articles.
Web of Science: Science Citation Index
1900-present,for both general and cited searches.

To search for older articles use Inspec Archives and many other indexes contain journal files from volume 1. Inspec online includes Physics Abstracts (Science Abstracts) — its author and subject indexes go back to 1898.  The collection is shelved in the Article Indexes section of the Physics-Astronomy Library.


Once you have found the reference, access the journal electronically (see How do I access online journals? above) or from our print collection (see Where are journals shelved? above).
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Exams, Prelims, Phys111 and Teaching Evaluations: ask at the Circulation Desk
Do you have old Physics exams?
We have old exams for the Physics 7 & 8 course series at the Circulation Desk. They circulate for 2-hours, in-library use only. The Society of Physics Students also has a number of midterms and finals from previous years' Physics classes, apply at 275 LeConte Hall.

 
Prelim Exams and Solutions are shelved in the Reserves section at the Circulation Desk .
They circulate for 2 hours, in-library use only:
Written Prelim Exams and Solutions,
Classical and Modern.
 
Where can I find PHYS 111 reprints?
PHYS 111 reprints and CD-ROM's are reserve items available at the Circulation Desk. Reprints are charged out for 7 days, and DVDs, CD-ROM's are charged out for 1 day. Reprints will be online fall 2008.

 

What about current Teaching Evaluations?
Teaching Evaluations
for Fall, Spring and Summer semester Physics courses are in Reserves, ask for them at the circulation desk. You can search in Pathfinder for Teaching Evaluations.


DVDs, CDs and Videos
Where are DVDs, CDs and videos shelved?
DVDs, CDs and Videos, including the weekly Physics Department Colloquia, are shelved in the Reserves area and can be checked out at the Circulation Desk. A list of videos can be found at the Physics-Astronomy Library Homepage under Video Collection. Webcasts of recent Physics Colloquia, 2005 are online.
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Copying and Printing
Where is the copier located?
The copier is located in the library reading room. It only accepts Canon copy cards.
 
Where can I purchase a copy card?
You can also purchase cards from the card dispenser next to the copier (only accepts bills). Copy cards can be purchased from the Library Copy Service at The Library Copy Service, 321 Moffitt Library, 238 Boalt Hall, and 2101 VLSB.  Discount cards for students are available at these locations.
How much do copies cost?
Copies are 15 cents for 8.5"x11" paper.  No other size paper is available at the Physics-Astronomy Library.
Is printing available at the Physics-Astronomy Library?
Printing is available from the seven public workstations in the library — just follow the instructions posted at each monitor.  Cost is 15 cents per page (8.5"x11" only), and you will need a Canon copy card to retrieve your print job.  Printing is only available from web-based applications such as IE or Firefox and Adobe Acrobat Reader.  To print from other applications (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.) please apply at the Evans Microcomputing Facility in the basement of Evans Hall.
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Useful Links
Where can I find online books, proceedings, reports and dissertations?
Our Online Publications page contains links to electronic versions of popular publications such as Encyclopædia Britannica, CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Landolt-Börnstein, and Numerical Recipes in C, as well as dissertation databases.
Where can I find more online resources?
A good place to start is the Useful Links page, which contains links to useful sites such as Nobel Prize Winners, PACS Numbers, WebElements (first periodic table on the WWW), etc.  Also, the Physics-Astronomy Library Homepage contains many useful links, including most of the sites mentioned in this FAQ's page.

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Miscellaneous
Where is the Lost and Found?
The Physics-Astronomy Library lost and found is located at the Circulation Desk -- please inquire with staff about lost items.
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Where can I go for further assistance?
You can email or echat with the Librarian Susan Koskinen.
Staff at the Circulation Desk will try to answer any questions you may have.

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