FAQ: Physics-Astronomy Library, UC Berkeley

FAQ: questions the come up....

	Library Services for UC Berkeley, Visiting Scholars, Alumni, Visitors +
	NRLF / Storage
	Books & eBooks: how to find them?
	Journals: where are they? articles?
	Exams, Prelims, Physics 111, Course Evaluations
	DVDs, CDs, Videos
	Copying, Printing & Computer Labs & Services (Map)
	Lost & Found
	Further Assistance

UC Berkeley students, faculty, staff and members of the public are welcome to visit the Physics-Astronomy Library and use both print and electronic library resources within the library. All borrowers must have a valid UC Berkeley student, faculty or staff, photo Cal ID card, a UCB/Stanford faculty library card, or a current UCB library card issued by the Library Privileges 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 to the library where they were borrowed. Library materials must be checked out at least 15 minutes prior to closing time.

Policies for Library Users
The Library Code of Conduct and Library Computer Use Policy document the Library's standards for Library use of our facilities, collections and services. These policies are in place to create a safe and secure research and study environment.The UC Berkeley Library respects and upholds the privacy of transactions and communications. Please see the Library's privacy policies for more information.

UC Berkeley Patrons & Others: Visit the Library Privileges Desk website or Doe Library for more information.

Registered Students, Faculty, and Staff use their Cal ID as a library card.
UC Berkeley undergraduates or graduate students on filing fee status may apply to have library privileges extended.
LBNL patrons go to the Library Privileges Desk in Doe Library, with a current employee badge. The card must be renewed each year, show your LBNL employee badge. LBNL staff members *Check directly with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL): http://www.lbl.gov/ucb or Calnet ID, http://calnet.berkeley.edu
Postdocs, formally sponsored by a UCB faculty member or department & entered into the HRMS, may be eligible for a Cal1Card, for access to the UC Berkeley Library resources.
Visiting scholars should receive official appointments with a UC Berkeley Department or Organized Research Unit, and register with the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) Program. The valid registration card should be taken to the Library Privileges Desk to obtain a Library Card. Go to Library Services for Visiting Scholars for more information.

Non-UC Berkeley

Students, faculty, and staff from other UC campuses bring their current registration or employee ID to the Library Privileges Desk to obtain a library card.
Non-UC patrons can purchase a library card from the Privileges Desk. See library borrowing policies.
University of California Alumni Association Members: Members of the UC campus-sponsored alumni associations may obtain a Library card. Information for Alumni and Visitors has additional information and application details.
California residents: May purchase a one-year Library card. A current government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport must be presented as proof of California residence. Please review application and privileges details.

For further questions contact: Privileges Desk in Doe Library, 510-642-3403.

Library Services for Alumni & Visitors:

Go to: The UC Berkeley Library Information for Alumni and Visitors, UC Berkeley Library.

NRLF / Northern Regional Library Facility

NRLF is the Northern Regional Library Facility, an off-campus storage facility in Richmond, CA. Many older books and journals in the Physics-Astronomy Library collection are in NRLF storage due to lack of space and infrequent use. Request material from storage/NRLF online via Pathfinder or Melvyl or in person at the circulation desk. Retrieval usually takes 1-2 days, excluding weekends. Holders of valid UC library borrower's cards may visit NRLF in person. A shuttle bus service is available.
For more information, see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/NRLF/

Books & eBooks

Where can I find electronic books, proceedings, reports and dissertations?
Electronic item are cataloged in OskiCat. Our Online Publications contains links to electronic publications such as Encyclopædia Britannic, CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Landolt-Börnstein, and Numerical Recipes in C, and dissertation databases. If you can't find an electronic item, check with the staff.
Where can I find more online resources?
A good place to start is the Useful Links page, which contains links to Nobel Prize Winners, PACS Numbers, WebElements (first periodic table on the WWW), etc. Search the Physics-Astronomy Library Homepage.

Journals

Our journals are shelved alphabetically by title in the the library. All bound journals can be charged out for 2 hours.

To access journals online?
For titles: Physics-Astronomy Library journals for full-text articles.
For title keyword: CDL eJournals.
To print 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.

To 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:
     arXiv. Cornell. eprint server.
     ADS/Astrophysics Data System (NASA) 1975-present, with older full-text access.
     INSPEC (via Web of Knowledge) : 1898--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 and many other indexes contain journal files from volume 1. Inspec 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 citation, access the journal electronically (see How do I access online journals? above) or from our print collection (see Where are journals shelved? above).

Exams, Prelims, Phys111 and Teaching Evaluations: ask at the Circulation Desk

We have older Physics 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: Classical & Modern, are shelved in Reserves at the Circulation Desk.
Prelims are charged out for 2 hours, and are library use only.
Prelims are made available by the Physics Department and are only available in print and are Library Use Only.

PHYS 111 Laboratory Experiments reprints and CD-ROM's are shelved in Reserves at the Circulation Desk.
Reprints are charged out for 7 days, and DVDs, CD-ROM's are charged out for 1 day.
Reprints are online via the Physics 111- Laboratory Advanced Experiments website.

Current Teaching Evaluations for Fall, Spring and Summer semester physics courses are shelved in Reserves at the circulation desk. You can search in OskiCat for Teaching Evaluations.

DVDs, CDs and Videos

DVDs, CDs & videos and the Physics Department Colloquia, are in Reserves 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. Some older colloquia are streamed, search under title in Pathfinder. Webcasts of recent Physics Colloquia,from 2005 are online.

There are many DVDs and videos available through the UC Berkeley Library. They can be found in Pathfinder by title, author or subject, you can limit to format DVD. Visit the Media Resources Center in Moffitt to watch a DVD or listen to a CD.

Copying, Printing & Computer Labs on campus

The copier is located in the library reading room. It only accepts Canon copy cards.

You can purchase copy cards in the Physics-Astronomy Library, from the card dispenser (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.

Copies are 15 cents for 8.5"x11" paper. Legal sized paper, 8.5" x 14" is available.

Printing of article PDFs is available from the public workstations in the library — follow the instructions posted at each monitor. Cost is 15 cents per page (8.5"x11" only), you 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.

COMPUTER FACILITIES on CAMPUS: This map shows computer labs with software and to print your own documents.

Lost & Found

The Physics-Astronomy Library lost & found is located at the Circulation Desk please inquire with staff about lost item.
Lost items are logged in the record book. They are taken to the UCPD Lost and Found at the end of each semester.
Please note which items are accepted at UCPD.
http://police.berkeley.edu/programsandservices/lost-and-found/index.html

Where can I go for further assistance?

You can email, echat, or call the Librarian Susan Koskinen.
Staff at the Circulation Desk will try to answer any questions you may have.

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