My Library Account is the gateway to research throughout the library web pages and for managing your library account. Your student identification card should have a 14-digit library barcode printed on the front. To activate your account (barcode) you can call or bring it to your home library, or fill out the Account Activation Form on the library web page. It may take 24-48 hours to activate your card. With this account you can view your library record, request library materials from other Alliant or LINKplus libraries, access research databases and full-text journals, and view e-reserves. As long as your card is active, and you have not exceeded the overdue fine limits, you will have access to your library account and the research databases.
1. My Library Account: Enter your full name (or just last name) and 14-digit barcode or student ID number. From the “My Library Account” page check due dates, renew library materials, and check status of items ordered from other Alliant or LINK+ libraries. You are responsible for tracking due dates on library materials. Contact your home library if you have trouble renewing library materials; you may have exceeded your renewal limits.
2. To Search to Encore, Classic Catalog, LINK+ and Advanced Search:
You can use the blue box in the middle of the library home page to search one of these four different ways to find library materials available at the Alliant and LINK+ libraries. Click in the appropriate button for which method you wish to use.
a) Encore is a discovery service platform to search Alliant Library's resources. Use Encore for broad searches to see what materials the Library has on a topic. Its results make it easy to refine your search to exactly what you want.
b) Classic Catalog searches the library resources in a more traditional manner (title, author, subject, etc.) and lists the titles in relevancy order.
c) LINKplus can be used to search for items not available at one of the Alliant libraries. If item is available it can be request and sent to your home library.
d) Site allows you to search the library's entire website, but does not search the catalogs.
3. Databases: Databases page contains an alphabetical list of library resources available. Select the database you wish to search. When you select a database a pop-up window will appear (make sure pop-ups and cookies are enabled). If you are having problems accessing the databases, check the FAQ page or try contacting your library.
4. Search for particular Journal title: From the Library home page, you can search for a particular journal title three ways. Use “Encore” to see both print and online journals availability. For online journals only use the “List of Online Journals” link.
While searching please be aware that:
- Print subscriptions may be housed at any of the California campuses. Journal issues not available full-text through one of the databases can be ordered through Interlibrary Loans. Use Interlibrary Loan link on library home page.
- [Electronic Resource] or “Online” – If you see either of these terms next to a journal title you might find full-text access to articles by clicking on the link included in the record. The library has access to journal titles from certain vendors. Date range available will vary from journal to journal. The library may not have access to all years/volumes of a journal title.
- Not full text on Research Database -- The library has purchased subscriptions to several journal packages to supplement what is available on the various databases. Before requesting the article through interlibrary loan first search the journal (not article) title in the library catalog (Encore or Classic Catalog) to see if article is available in one of these journal packages.