Subject Resources
Library Help
Guide to Using the Library for Our Staff and Visitors
Library Orientation
The University Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign has one of the largest libraries in North America.
Learn to use it effectively.
Library Identification
- I-Card and Borrower Identification Number
University of Illinois staff will need to show their I-Card to borrow materials. The Borrower Identification Number (begins with 2011...) is required for requesting from UI Classic catalog and to create an account in VUFind for I-Share or local requests.
- NetID and password
Required for Interlibrary Loan
- NetID and Active Directory (AD) password
Required for access online resources from off campus via the Proxy Server.
- Manage your passwords
CITES offers password reset options and help
- NESSIE
The University Library uses your contact information from NESSIE to alert you of overdue books and items on hold.
For best results, keep your e-mail, phone, and campus mail address up to date.
- Courtesy Borrowing Cards
Illinois residents not affiliated with the University of Illinois are eligible to borrow University Library materials, including materials in the Institute Library, with this card.
Your Accounts
- My Library Account
University of Illinois and I-Share loans and requests can be viewed and renewed in your library account. Use either the VuFind or the "classic" Interface.
The same information is visible in both interfaces, and it is possible to renew items in Both.
I-Share requests can be placed only in VuFind.
- Interlibrary Loan, ILLiad Account
Use this account to request books not available at UI or in I-Share and photocopies of articles that are not available at UI.
Log in with your NetID and bluestem password (see above) to place request or check the status of your requests.
- University Library Catalog
Books, magazines/journals, media, and other materials that the University Library owns.
Items can be requested for delivery to any library for pickup, or via campus mail to your office.
NOTE: The "Classic" Interface is still available.
Standard loan period for most books for faculty, staff and grad students is 16 weeks with up to 10 renewals of 16 weeks each.
- I-Share
Search and request items from University of Illinois and 75 other academic libraries in Illinois.
You must use your Library Borrower ID (see above) to create a VuFind Account to request items.
Items may be picked up at any I-Share location or delivered via campus mail to your office.
Standard I-Share Loan period is 28 days with 3 renewals of 28 days each allowed.
- WorldCat
Find library materials worldwide to request through Interlibrary Loan.
- Easy Search
Search multiple sources, including all of the above catalogs and e-book collections from major publishers simultaneously.
Pickup Locations and Campus Mail Delivery for Requested Materials
- If your office is in the South Research Park, the Prairie Research Institute Library is the closest library for book delivery.
Choose "UIUC PRAIRIE DESK" from the pickup location menu.
- If your office is in the Natural Resources Building, the Law Library is the closest library for book delivery.
Choose "UIUC LAW CIRC DESK" from the pickup location menu.
- If you are located off-campus, please consult your librarian about book delivery.
- Campus mail delivery is available. Note that campus mail delivery may be slower (a week) than picking up the book at a library desk (usually 2-3 days).
Choose "UIUC CAMPUS MAIL"
- Interlibrary Loan books are delivered via campus mail to Institute staff who have adjunct faculty appointments. Other staff must pick books up at the Main Library central circulation desk.
Literature Searching and Search Alerts
- Recommended databases for Prairie Research Institute Staff
- Easy Search
Choose your subject area (e.g., Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering) and search multiple sources simultaneously, including the catalog, literature databases, and e-books.
- Discover Button
Locate online full text and print library holdings; offers Interlibrary Loan request link if item is not available online or in print.
- Table of Contents and Topical Search Alerts
Most journals and abstracting and indexing databases support saved searches and email alerts or RSS feeds. Table of contents or topical search alerts are possible.
See Current awareness : setting up search alerts for basic alert instructions for Engineering Village, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.
For assistance with alerts, contact your librarian.
Useful Tools
- Journal and Article Locator
Search for a journal by title or ISSN, or search for a specific article.
- RefWorks
Web-based citation management tool.
- Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)
Appending http://dx.doi.org/ to the front of any DOI for a persistent link to the resource.
If you are creating links to your articles on your website, the DOI link is the most stable link.
You can use DOIs to search the Journal and Article Locator for University Library online and print holdings.
Datasets may be assigned DOIs through DataCite.
