University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus MyUSF  |    Directory    |     usf.edu    

The Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at USF St. Petersburg campus is open for reduced hours.
 Please use the button below to find out everything you need to know.


CAMPUS RETURN  

Research at a Distance

Information and resources for USF St. Petersburg Distance Learning Students

Introduction

Types of Materials Available

As a USF St. Petersburg campus student, you have access to thousands of online books, articles, dissertations, and other types of documents. You also have access to the collections of all USF libraries as well as other state colleges and universities. The Libraries provides hundreds of databases and other search tools you can use to search this content.

This guide provides basic information for accessing and searching the Library's databases. For more specific information, see the subject guides available at https://lib.stpetersburg.usf.edu/RIHome/allguides.

Connecting from Off-Camps

Connecting from off-campus

Since most of the research databases provided by the library are licensed only for the use of USF users, anyone trying to gain access from off-campus must identify themself as a USF student. Authentication is easy and is done through your MyUSF account.

  1. Log in to your MyUSF account.
  2. Click on the 'Learning and Teaching Tools' menu item.
  3. Click on 'USF St. Petersburg Libraries' in the drop-down list.

You will then go to the Library's Home Page. From there you can search the Library's Catalog or link to the database list or research guides.

Doing Research

Finding books and other items in the USF Libraries

USF Libraries Catalog

Use the USF Libraries Catalog to search for materials owned by the library including books and e-books, videos & DVDs, streaming videos, and more. The catalog includes materials form all USF libraries so if the item you need is not online or available in our library you can request it from another campus. You can also use the 'UBorrow' button to look for items at other Florida Universities.

Your USF ID card allows you to use any USF library, or even any public university library in Florida. You can check out books from a library close to you, even though you are not a student. Some restrictions may apply. Check the list at http://www.fcla.edu/FCLAinfo/sus/borrowing_agreement.html to see if a nearby library participates.

Finding Articles, E-Journals & Databases

The Library provides access to hundreds of databases and other search tools to help you find articles in newspapers, magazines, and journals; data and statistics, dissertations, specialized research reports, and much more. The Library also provides subject guides to help you choose the best search tools for your research. These guides may be especially useful for distance learning students:

  1. Business Resources
  2. Journalism & Media Studies

You can also view a complete list of available guides, or you can search the complete list of databases by subject or by title.

Getting Help With Your Research

You can call the library at 727-873-4405. Generally, research help is available during these times:

Monday - Thursday 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Friday 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Saturday 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Sunday 1:00 P.M. to 6:30 P.M.

The hours may change between semesters, on holidays, and in the summer.

You can also visit the library to get help in person. See the Library Hours page for more information.

Getting Materials

Many of the materials you need will be available online. The Library provides access to thousands of online books and journal articles.

Online Books

Online books are available through the Library Catalog When you do a search look for the word E-book. You may see a URL listed, or you may see the words Click for Online Full Text. Follow the instructions to access the book.

Online Articles

To see if an article is online, look for the words Full-Text, PDF Full-Text, or HTML Full-Text. Clicking the link will open the article. You can then read, save, and email the entire article.

If you don't see full-text for an article you need, check the other online resources because it may be available somewhere else. Look for the 'Find-It' or the 'SFX' button. When you click it, the system will search for any available full-text in all of the available databases.

The Library's Getting the Full Text (Find It @ USF) tutorial provides more information on finding full-text articles.

Sometimes you may have all the information about an article and you want to see if it is online. Perhaps you found it in a bibliography or your instructor gave you the information and suggested you read the article. There are a couple of ways you can see if it is available

  1. Go to the Library Databases page
  2. Click on the Find eJournal button
  3. Type the Journal Title into the search box and click "GO"
  4. If your journal is available online you will see a list of databases that contain full text for that journal and the dates available. Choose one of the databases and do a search for the article.

Another method...

  1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above
  2. At the Title Search page, click on the CitationLinker tab
  3. Fill in the information about the article you need, including Journal Title, Date, Volume Number, and Starting Page Number
  4. Click GO

If the article is available online you will see a list of databases. Click one to go straight to the article.

Materials not Online

Borrowing Agreement

USF St. Petersburg students who attend ALL of their classes online or at remote locations, and who have a valid USF ID card are able to receive books and articles via mail. This document delivery service has limitations and should be cleared through the USF St. Petersburg Interlibrary Loan Unit at 727-873-4549 or ill@nelson.usf.edu before submitting. Before making a request, you will need to set up an acount on the Library's ILLiad system.

As a USF St. Petersburg student, you may use other libraries in the State University System and the Community College System in Flordia. If you live near one of these libraries you may want to see if your material is available there. You will need a USF ID card to gain access.

To make a request, log in to the Library's Illiad system. Select the type of item and fill in the information. Articles may be sent via email or by regular mail. Books will be sent by regular mail. You are responsible for return postage and for returning the book on time.

Students and faculty can renew certain materials through the online renewal service. Go to the Libraries of the USF System homepage and click the link Online Renewal, then click go to online renewal service on the following page. Enter your 14 digit library number and your 4 digit pin (last four digits of your social security number) and select USF as your university. You should see a list of your current materials on loan and their due dates. Follow the system instructions for renewing the materials. If you experience difficulty with the online renewal system, please call the Poynter Library Circulation Desk at 727-873-4405 or email the Circulation Unit staff at circ@nelson.usf.edu. NOTE: After successfully renewing materials, remember to print the page for your records! Proof of renewal is required in the event of system errors and for disputing fines/fees.

Other Useful Guides

DL Contacts

CONTACTS

For more information about Poynter Library distance learning services please contact the following Poynter Library staff members:


Gary L. Austin
Research & Instruction Services
Phone: 727-873-4404
glaustin@mail.usf.edu

The Library Research and Instruction Department provides research and instructional support to USF students, staff, and faculty, and to other library users. Off-campus students can receive help via phone, email, and the Ask-A Librarian Chat service. If you are able to visit the Library you may also schedule a face-to-face research session with one of the Library's subject specialists using our Research Assistance Program (RAP).


Natalie Polson
Access Services: Circulation & Interlibrary Loan
Phone: 727-873-4549
npolson@usf.edu

Access Services provides access to the variety of materials and resources purchased and made available by the USF Library system. They do this for off-campus students by providing delivery services for resources that are not availabe online.


Summer Natali
Student Technology Center
Phone: 727-873-4242
snatali@usf.edu

The Student Technology Center provides an academic computing helpdesk, assistance and training in software such as Canvas and Student Information Systems, as well as access virtual platforms and software, a digital makerspace, training room, and the MyStudio Booth recording room.
https://lib.stpetersburg.usf.edu/DL
lib.stpetersburg.usf.edu
crawl=CC-MAIN-2020-40
71122
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:QE3JYSZKIX475OJZK5JBRB4DCYM2EPNL
<urn:uuid:29d63e75-59ca-478c-a167-6df8cd199c40>
2020-09-22T18:12:33Z
54.85.246.96
text/html
sha1:LLHJTGAGSUVGX2TVWRQR6O7JO7NWSBND
<urn:uuid:2a47ab70-214f-4a0b-913f-d7743eb6ac9d>
https://lib.stpetersburg.usf.edu/DL
response
<urn:uuid:5bb2f531-bec9-4cf3-a0ba-bd6850a6dbd4>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2020-40
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for September 2020
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-137.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.17 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.2-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/