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     This is a brief introduction to the various options on the Michigan State University Libraries Home Page. In addition to a discussion of finding books and journal articles it briefly introduces several important Library services. Remote users, who rely on Distance Learning Services for delivery of our materials, should find this information particularly helpful.

Finding Books and Journals

 Finding a Journal

      MSU Libraries subscribe to thousands of printed journals. Use the Library catalog to search for the title of the journal you need. If we have a subscription to an online version you will find a link. If we subscribe to a paper version you will find a call number. Current issues are usually in the Periodical Room on 2 West, but older, bound issues will be in the stacks by call number. Journals cannot be checked out until they are at least 10 years old, if the journal you need is not on the shelf, check the reshelving areas, especially those near the copy center. (Online students or students taking classes at remote campuses may contact Library Distance Learning Services for access to materials on our shelves.)
       MSU Libraries purchase web access to the full text of journals and journal articles from many different vendors. If the catalog has not pointed you to an electronic version, double check in the A-Z Title List of Electronic Journals listings to look for a link to the MSU access point for a journal. Note: Some journals can only be accessed from within a database (WilsonSelectPlus and Lexis/Nexis are two prominent examples) which makes this supplementary list necessary. We also provide a convenient listing of most of our electronic journal subscriptions on a page entitled E Journal Titles.
       If none of these methods is successful, it could be that MSU does not have access to the journal in any format. In that case we will request copies of individual articles for you from another library..

Finding Journal Articles

     The Resources tab includes the Indexes the Library offers. The indexes allow subject searching for individual journal articles. Many users gravitate to Proquest, InfoTrac OneFile or WilsonSelectPlus because they are the indexes with the most full-text on a wide variety of topics. They are not always the best choice, especially for in-depth research. Contact Reference Services for suggestions on the best index for a particular topic.
      If your project requires using "research" or "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed" journals, see the brief information page as a starting point.
      Using the listings of E Journal Titles to find articles by topic is not recommended. The vast majority of subject searching for journal articles is most efficiently accomplished in one of the index databases.
     An index search should provide a list of articles on the searched topic. (Contact Reference for help with searching.) There may be some links to full text articles, but often MSU will have electronic access to titles that does not show up within the index. To determine whether MSU has a journal available, look for the "Find text at MSU" link to search in the Library catalog for call numbers and links to online issues for most journal subscriptions and in the A-Z Title List of Electronic Journals for electronic versions of additional desired journals not found in the Library catalog. (See Finding a Journal above for information on accessing paper journals in our stacks. Online students or students taking classes at remote campuses may contact Library Distance Learning Services for access to materials on our shelves.) More details at Finding Periodical Articles in the MSU Libraries.

Electronic Resources

     Clicking on the Resources tab and then selecting Indexes will put you into a listing of electronic index subscriptions. Use these resources to locate information about journal articles, research reports and other similar information sources. Look at the bottom of the page for links to Proquest, InfoTrac OneFile or WilsonSelectPlus , the indexes with the most full text on a wide variety of topics. Contact Reference Services or use the Getting Started guides for index suggestions in specific disciplines.

Only a small proportion of online journals available are accessed through indexes. There are many other sources of electronic full-text journal articles. Most e-journal subscriptions are listed in the Library catalog. Also available:

• An A-Z Title List of Electronic Journals to which MSU has electronic full-text subscriptions
• A partial listing of electronically available Texts & Links (many of the book length items are listed in the Library Catalog )
• A listing of all the Newspapers we have via electronic access
• A listing by subject of the Research Guides prepared by MSU Libraries

Off Campus Connections

     Most of the resources MSU Libraries make available electronically require a subscription. Users will need to demonstrate their affiliation with MSU (student, faculty or staff) in order to be able to gain access. Most resources verify MSU affiliation by IP address. IP verification means your computer must be located on campus or using one of the MSU MichNET ports. The library provides a Proxy Server to enable off-campus users to access these resources. The Proxy server will require a MSUnet ID and password. (New students will need to activate their MSUnet ID before using it to access Library resources.)
     Persons trying to access the MSU Libraries from off-campus can receive technical assistance at any time by using our toll free line at 1-800-500-1554.
    Library Distance Learning Services also provides forms and services for students in off-campus and virtual courses. Distance students may consult their pages to request books and journals not available to read online.

Identifying Library Services

     MSU Libraries attempts to provide all desired information for MSU faculty, staff and students. To do this we recall checked out material, retrieve material from remote storage, get items from other libraries, and send materials to persons who cannot come in. A more complete listing of Library services and the forms used to request service can be found in the How To and FAQ sections of the library web page.

     Additional information about how to use the library is available on our Library Instruction page.