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Frequently
Asked Questions About Using the
RIT Library at a Distance
General Library Questions
Information Delivery Services / Interlibrary Loan
Electronic Course Reserves
Electronic Resources
General Library Questions:
Q. I know very little about using the RIT Library. Where can I go to learn about library services and resources that will
help me in my coursework?
A. Here are some electronic options:
1. The RIT Library Conference in FirstClass contains informational topics and instruction about using the Library. Login to your
FirstClass account and click on the "Wallace Library" folder.
2. The Distance Learning
Web site provides basic and detailed information about using the Library.
3. The Scavenger
Hunt for online learners-a useful way to test your knowledge of the Library's
services, resources, and learn research strategies.
4. The RIT Library homepage-encompasses
everything about the Library. Bookmark this site for future use.
Q. Where do I find information about books that RIT Library has
to borrow and subsequently deliver to off-campus locations?
A. 1. Einstein is the RIT Library's
catalog of what is available for students to borrow. If Wallace does not have
it, request an interlibrary loan via IDS Express.
2. ConnectNY
is another option for locating books from four other universities and colleges.
You must request via IDS Express.
Q. I need some specific, topical information. How can I locate this
information?
A. Subject-specialist librarians are available for specific, in-depth
research. Browse through the Staff
Directory to contact a specific person or by discipline
to find the subject-appropriate librarian. Each specialist has a homepage
with useful links and subject-specific information. Librarians may be
contacted by phone, e-mail or One
2 One (RIT Library's live chat.).
Under the "Research Assistance/Guides and Tutorials " button on the Wally homepage, there are useful tutorials (many
by subject), guides to networked electronic products and services, other guides,
bibliographies, and more, to assist in your research.
Q. Trying to use the RIT Library feels very confusing. I would like to contact one person to help me find what I need.
A. The Library Coordinator for Distance/Online Learning, Susan Mee,
is available to assist online learners and distance education faculty. Sue
may be contacted through FirstClass
email, by phone, 585-475-2568, or Instant Message at susanamee..
Information
Delivery Services / Interlibrary Loan
Q. How can I get library materials needed for my course work?
A. RIT Library's Information Delivery Services (IDS
Express) will FedEx materials to your home. See Borrowing
Library Materials for everything you need to know. Note: There is NO CHARGE
to distance learners for journal / magazine articles or books. There is also
an option for web delivery of articles in the preferences area of your IDS account.
Electronic Course
Reserves
Q. What is electronic reserves?
A. Electronic
course reserves is a service provided by RIT Library which allows faculty
to make course materials available over the Internet. The advantage is that
materials can be viewed, downloaded and printed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
from any computer with Internet access.
Q. How do I find my course listing?
A. Start at the RIT Library homepage. Select
Finding Course Reserves. Course Reserves
search options are listed. You can now search by professor name, course name or course number.
Q. How do I know which materials can be viewed on the Web and which
cannot?
A. To the right of each item for your course you will see a location
for the item - either "Reserve Desk" or "Internet Access Item." Items with location
"Reserve Desk" means the material is available in a traditional format and can
be checked out at the Reserve Desk in the Library. Items with location "Internet
Access Item" are those items which can be viewed on the Web.
Q. I have found my materials but I do not know how to view them.
A. Most materials on electronic reserve either do not require anything
special to view or are in a format called PDF (Portable Document Format). To
view PDF files, you need to have PDF viewer software installed. You should only
have to do this one time. If you are at the Library or an ITS supported open
lab, the viewer is already installed on the computer. If the viewer has not
already been downloaded and installed on the computer you are working on, the
"Viewer Software
Needed: Acrobat Reader (PDF)" link will direct you to the viewer software
and instructions on how to download it (depending on what kind of computer you
have, Mac or PC). When the Acrobat Reader has been fully downloaded, you will
need to install it on your computer. Find where you downloaded it, double click
on the file and the installer will open and follow the directions. When the
installer asks where you would like to save the file, save it in the Plug-Ins
folder in the Netscape folder. (It's usually a Netscape Communicator Program
Plugins you will have to find it on your own machine.) When you complete the
steps go back to your materials. Click on the item and the viewer will load
and display your material.
Q. The PDF files are not printing out and I see blank pages - how can I
get the Acrobat reader to work properly?
A. Our PDF Help
and Troubleshooting Tips page will assist you with any problem you may have.
Also, there is a live chat option to talk in real time with someone to help
you troubleshoot the PDF problem.
Q. I am being asked for a username and password, but regardless of
what I enter, I cannot get to my course materials. What is going on?
A. Items which are restricted to protect the copyright holder require
the use of the username and password. This information is usually provided to
students by Online Learning in your orientation package. (Note: this is NOT
the same as your DCE username and password). The materials are to be used for
course purposes only and the person using these materials assumes liability
for any infringements of the copyright law. If you misplace or forget the password,
your professor, the distance learning librarian, or Online Learning are the ONLY
people who can provide it. Once you have the username and password, be aware
that these are "case sensitive" (meaning upper and lower case matters.) You
must enter them exactly as they appear. All username and passwords are in the
form: Username: hill101 Password: sample The username is comprised of the professor's
last name and the course number with no spaces. The password is arbitrarily
assigned.
Q. Who can I contact if I still have questions?
A. For Questions on connecting from your personal computer (TCP/IP),
software requirements (Netscape, etc.)
- Contact the ITS Help Desk
(Information Technology Services). Call 585.475. HELP (4357) or 585.475.2810
(TTY) or e-mail.
- Hours of Operation: Sunday 12:00noon - 8:00pm Mon. - Thurs. 8:00am-
8:00pm Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
A. For Questions on viewer software, how to configure your browser to
automatically load viewer software.
- Contact VIA (VAX-Internet
Area) - Call 585.475.7343. Hours of operation: RIT Library's full facility
scheduled hours.
A. For Questions on electronic
reserve materials:
- Contact: Info Delivery Services at 585-475-2560 or by email at illwml@rit.edu.
Electronic Resources
Q. I am trying to connect to a library database and I am being prompted
for a DCE computer account username and password. What is a DCE account?
A. A DCE (distributed computing environment) account allows you access
to databases restricted to RIT use only. A DCE account validates you as a registered
student of RIT. DCE is also known as an RIT computer account.
Q. How do I get a RIT E-mail / DCE account?
A. If you are a student registered for a distance learning class and
do not have a current RIT email account, ITS will automatically issue you a
DCE account. Your DCE Username and Password will be mailed with your orientation
package a few weeks before classes start. If you are in need of a RIT account
before you receive your account information, contact either Online Learning
at 1-800-CALL.RIT (225-5748) or the Library Coordinator for Distance/Online
Learning, Marianne Buehler, at 585.475.5589 to have an account created. Please
refer to RIT
Library's Distance Learning page to view more information about your RIT
e-mail account.
Q. Help! I've forgotten my RIT E-mail / DCE password--what can I
do?
A. You can get a new password! If you are a registered distance learning
student, please call:
- Library Coordinator for Distance Learning, Susan Mee, at 585-475-2568.
- Distance Learning at 1.800.CALL.RIT (225.5748)
- On-campus students - please go to the ITS Help Desk. Be prepared
to present a photo ID (preferably your RIT ID).
Q. I am an RIT professor. The class I am teaching will need DCE accounts.
How can this be accommodated?
A. Professors can request DCE accounts to distribute to their students.
The faculty member needs to call the ITS
Help Desk (x6929 or x2810 TTY) or stop by the Gannett Building, 7B-1113
or e-mail ITS Help Desk with the course
info, students' names and SS#s. ITS asks for a minimum of a day's notice, please.
Q. Now I have an RIT E-mail / DCE computer account, but I am getting
an error message when I attempt to connect to a library database. Why?
A. Once you are assigned a DCE computer account, you need to activate
it. Activating your DCE account requires changing
your DCE password, which can be easily done online. After changing your
password, your DCE account will be ready to use.
Q. I am experiencing difficulties accessing the RIT Library's databases.
Who do I contact about the problem?
A. There is an online Library
Database Problem Report form you may fill out that is sent directly
to our Electronic Resources Librarian. Upon
receiving the Problem Report form, she is able to immediately address the problem
and contact you. The Distance/Online Learning Librarian is also available for
assistance at 585-475-2568, by e-mail
or Instant Message at susanamee..
Q. Why am I having trouble connecting to library databases via my
workplace computer?
A. Some companies have "firewalls" restricting employee access to the
Internet. Check with your network administrator to see if access is allowed
and, if so, how to set your company's proxy configuration in your Web browser's
preferences.
Q. What is the RIT proxy server?
A. RIT Library subscribes to
hundreds of reference and research databases
for your use. These databases feature copyright restrictions and contractual
agreements which require their use be restricted to members of the RIT community
only. If you are coming from an Internet address other than "rit.edu" then the
proxy server comes into play. The RIT proxy server does two things:
1. Authenticates you as a registered RIT student (via your DCE computer account)
when you are coming from an Internet address other than "rit.edu".
2. Acts as a gateway to other servers on the Internet, allowing you to be identified
as coming from the "rit.edu" domain regardless of where you are physically connecting
from. The RIT proxy server is, in essence, a machine that forwards requests
for Web resources from authorized users. The proxy server authenticates you
via your RIT DCE username and password, and then serves as a "proxy" between
your machine and the database provider's site. Since the proxy machine is part
of the RIT domain (rit.edu), the database provider allows the connection. Without
the intervention of the RIT proxy server, students coming from a non-RIT address
would be denied access to a resource Web site.
Q. I have bookmarked a library database that I frequently use so
I can go directly to it-- but for some reason I cannot get in. Why?
A. If you are coming from an address other than (rit.edu), you cannot
bookmark database Web sites, but instead must access all databases via the RIT
Library's Databases, Catalogs & More
link. Going directly to the database bypasses the proxy server (which authenticates
you as an RIT member) and will result in a forbidden entry message.
Q. Can I access all RIT Library databases via the WWW?
A. A few databases are available only within the confines of the Library
building (CD-ROMs in the Reference Area and products that forbid remote access
or make remote access cost-prohibitive). The majority of databases are readily
available via the Library's Web page.
Maintained by: Susan Mee
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