10 Library Things Every New UCB School of Public Health Student Should Know

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library
  1. How do I access electronic library resources from off-campus?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/Help/connecting_off_campus.html
    • Use the proxy server, which allows remote access to web-based electronic resources licensed by the UC or UC Berkeley Libraries after a quick browser configuration
    • Use the Campus VPN (Virtual Private Network), which requires a software download, and then establishes a secure "tunnel" to the UC Berkeley network

  2. What databases should I use to find articles, etc., on Public Health topics?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/indexes.html
    • PubMed: citations in biomedicine and health care; primary article index for most public health topics
    • Global Health: citations on public health topics from journals, books, book chapters, conference proceedings, and more from more than 150 countries and in over 50 languages translated into English
    • PsycINFO: citations for journal articles, book chapters and dissertations in psychology, behavior, and related disciplines
    • Sociological Abstracts: covers demography, education, social psychology, and sociology. Sources include journals, books, conferences, and dissertations
    • TOXLINE: citations on the biochemical, physiological, toxicological, and societal effects and aspects of chemicals and drugs
    • BIOSIS Previews: citations on biology, ecology, agriculture, environmental science, and more. Includes citations to journal articles, books, and meeting abstracts
    • Business Source Complete: citations for articles in business, marketing, economics, and finance
    • ERIC: educational literature from journals, books, conferences, reports, curricula, dissertations, and audiovisual media. ERIC also includes materials on tests, measurement, and evaluation
    • Web of Science: a large multidisciplinary journal article database. It is the best tool for cited reference searching
    • Many more are also available

  3. How do I find online journals and journal articles?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/jrnlnews.html
    • Browse or search for online journals using the UC-eLinks Electronic Journals Search, or use the OskiCat or Melvyl catalogs (see below)
    • Click the UC-eLinks icon next to a citation in an article database (see above) or in NextGen Melvyl (see below) to access items available online

  4. How do I find books, journals, dissertations, reports, etc., including course reserves?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/Catalogs/guide.html
    • Use OskiCat, the UCB catalog, for print and electronic publications, course reserves, and items stored at NRLF, the off-campus storage facility
    • Click the Course Reserves tab in Oskicat to search by Department/Course Number or Instructor
    • Use the NextGen Melvyl or Current Melvyl, the catalogs for all the UC libraries (and more). Click the title (in "NextGen") or Details/Location (in "Current") to see details about the location and availability of books, journals, etc.

  5. What books do I have checked out and how do I renew them?
    See: https://oskicat.berkeley.edu/screens/help_renew.html
    • Log in to My OskiCat
    • All items may be renewed online except for journals, reserve materials, microfiche, and items on which you owe fines

  6. How do I get books, articles, etc. that are neither at a UC Berkeley library nor available online?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/otherlibs.html
    • Click the UC-eLinks icon then Request It to request an article, book, or other item found in a database or NextGen Melvyl. Articles are generally delivered to you electronically
    • Click the Request button in the Current Melvyl catalog to request books and journals from other libraries
    • Other options are listed on our web page

  7. How do I organize references and cite them correctly in my papers?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/endnote.html
    • Use RefWorks – licensed by UC Berkeley and free to use for UCB students, staff, and faculty
    • Purchase EndNote and install it on your computer. A student discount for EndNote is available at The Scholar’s Workstation
    • Use Zotero, a free, open-source Firefox add-on you can download. It is already installed on Firefox on the library’s public PCs
    • Use Mendeley, another free product, to organize and share references

  8. How can I keep up with new research in my field?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/keeping_up.html
    • Use alerts for updates on topics you’ve searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts, etc. Create cited reference alerts in Web of Science
    • Receive electronic tables of contents from journal publishers
    • Use RSS feeds for tables of contents, database alerts, or updates from grant funding entities

  9. What other online resources are available on my topic?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/internet.html
    • Explore the Public Health Library’s web pages on such topics as Statistics/Data, Environmental Health, International Health, and more
    • These web pages provide access to selected resources not generally available via article indexes or book catalogs, each with a descriptive annotation

  10. How do I get help?
    See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/reference.html
    • For help with researching a topic or finding print or online resources, come to the Public Health Library Reference Desk: Mon-Fri 10-12 and 2-4, or call (510) 642-2511 during those same times
    • For help at other times, reference service via IM chat and email are also available
    • For help with what you have checked out, renewals, placing holds, etc., come to the Public Health Library Circulation Desk or call (510) 642-2511