Using the Library catalogue and accessing ejournals

Birkbeck Library

Outline of session• Searching the Library catalogue• Finding items on the Library shelves• Reserving books• Checking your Library account• Finding a specific ejournal article• Finding articles on a relevant topic• Accessing ejournals from outside College

Using the Library catalogue

Accessing the Library catalogue

Go to the Library web site: www.bbk.ac.uk/lib

Searching the Library catalogue

You can search the catalogue for:• Books• ebooks• DVDs• Videos• Print journals

Note: ejournals are not listed on the catalogue.

Browsing by subject

• Don’t have a specific book in mind? • Search for your topic instead.• Use the word cloud to find related terms or

spelling variations.• The results are displayed by relevance.• Sort your results by date to get the most

recent publications.

Finding items in the Library

1. Make a note of the shelfmark.2. Books are grouped by subject.

Newer material has a number reference. Older material has an alphabetical reference.

3. Go to the relevant floor of the Library. Level 1: 001 – 745. Level 2: 745 – 865. Level 3: 865 – 999 and A – Z.

Finding items in the Library

Shelfmarks are found onthe spines of the books,videos and DVDs

Reserving books• If the book you require is out on loan, you can

request it.• All copies of the book must be out on loan.• Enter the barcode from your College ID card.• As soon as a copy is returned, the Library will

email you.• You have 5 days to collect the item from the

issue desk.

Reserving books

Checking your Library account

Use the ‘My account’ facility to• See what items you have on loan.• Find out when your items are due back.• Renew items already on loan.• See if your reserved books are awaiting

collection.• Check to see if you have any fines.

Checking your Library account

Accessing ejournals

What are journals / ejournals?• ‘Magazines’ with academic content.• Usually published monthly or quarterly.• Contain current research – usually primary

research.• Useful for up-to-date information.• Useful for getting a range of different

opinions about a subject.• Ejournals are online versions of print journals.

Understanding a journal reference• How can you tell the difference between a

book and a journal article when looking at your reading list?

• Book references usually include the place of publication and the name of the publisher.

• Journal references include volume and issue details and the page numbers that the article appears on.

Understanding a journal reference

Windsor, D. (2006). “Corporate social responsibility: three key approaches”. Journal of Management Studies. 43 (1): 93-114.

Author Date Article title

Journal name

VolumeIssue

Page numbers

Finding a specific journal article• Make a note of the name of the journal.• Go to the Library web site at

www.bbk.ac.uk/lib and select eLibrary.• Type the name of the journal in the ejournal

search box.• If the Library subscribes, a link to the ejournal

will appear.• Select the year, volume and then issue that

you require.

Didn’t find the article?• Make sure you entered the name of the

journal, not the article title.• E.g. Novak, S. (2008) “How does outsourcing

affect performance dynamics?” Management Science. 54 (12): 1963-1979.

Didn’t find the article?• Make sure the date of your article falls within

the date range for the link you have selected• E.g. Novak, S. (2008) “How Does Outsourcing

Affect Performance Dynamics?” Management Science. Vol. 54 (12): 1963-1979.

Didn’t find the article?• If you have checked the title and date and still

get a ‘no results message’, Birkbeck Library does not subscribe to the journal you require.

• Check the Library catalogue for print access.• If no print access, contact the Help Desk about

using other libraries or interlibrary loans.

Using other libraries• SCONUL Access Scheme gives reference

access to over 170 Higher Education institutions. Postgraduates often have borrowing rights. Hand in the application form to the Library Help Desk.

• Union List of Serials searches journal holdings of University of London libraries. http://www.inform25.ac.uk/ULS

Finding articles on a relevant topic• If you don’t have a reading list or want to

read further, you won’t necessarily know which journals to use.

• Use our ejournal packages to search by keyword(s) to find relevant articles.

• Go to the Subject Guides at http://www.bbk.ac.uk/lib/subguides to see lists of resources that are best for your subject.

Accessing e-journals

You need an IT Services username/password • To log on to computers inside College.• To access e-resources outside College.

Available from IT Services• Helpdesk, ground floor, Malet Street.• Tel: 020 7631 6543• Email: its-helpdesk@bbk.ac.uk

Accessing ejournals from outside College

• Register your PC by setting a cookie.• One-off process.• Lasts 18 months.• Login in with your ITS username and

password.

See http://www.bbk.ac.uk/lib/elib

Setting a cookie

Help

Contact the Library Help Desk.• Open 10am – 10.30pm Monday – Friday.• Open 10am – 6pm Saturday & Sunday.• Tel: 020 7631 6063 • Email: library-help@bbk.ac.uk

Any questions?