Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a library card or register to use library resources?
Online student email and dial up access instructions
Where and how can I find library assistance?
How and where do I find books?
How can I tell whether the Health Sciences Library owns a certain journal?
What do I do if the print journal issue I need is at the bindery?
What do I do if the Health Sciences Library does not own a book or journal article that I need?
How do I identify journal articles on my topic?
How can I obtain a copy of a journal article owned by the Health Sciences Library?
How can I find full text journal articles online?
How can I access databases from home?
Can I use my wireless laptop in the library?
How do I print from the computers in the library?
How do I renew books or other items? What are the fines for late items?
I am a student here. How do I establish an email account?
See our complete hours information.
How do I get a library card or register to use library resources?
Several types of library cards/registrations are available.
Regular HSC students, staff and faculty should read this information.
Other affiliated library users, for example Clinical HSC Faculty, are issued library cards for borrowing materials. (See Services and Fees for more information on Clinical HSC Faculty and other types of library users).
Unaffiliated library users may purchase library cards for borrowing materials. You will be asked to provide photo ID and complete a brief application form. Library cards expire periodically, so you may need to renew and update your information after a year.
Questions? Call us at 303-724-2152 or click here for more information.
Where and how can I find library assistance?
For all patrons: The Health Sciences Library Reference Desk is staffed Mon.- Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday from 1 - 5 pm. The Service Desk, open during all library hours, can help with reserves, renewals, locating library items and much more. If you are not in the library, our Ask a Librarian service is ready to help you through live online reference, over the phone, or through email. Instructional handouts and help guides can be downloaded for free. Web tutorials are also available for independent study.
for affiliated patrons: the Health Sciences Library offers free classes in using our online resources.
Do you have more involved, research related questions? Affiliated patrons can use our Research Support Service for personalized help. For a small fee, the Health Sciences Library's Professional Search Service will perform full literature searches for you.
Finally, Student Technical and Email Help assists HSC students with their e-mail and Internet connectivity problems.
How and where do I find books?
Use IMPULSE, the catalog of the Health Sciences Library and ten other local health sciences libraries. If you find the item you need, look for the HSC code in the item record--this will tell you it is owned by the Health Sciences Library. (A list of all IMPULSE library codes is available). The catalog record will also tell you if the book is currently on the shelf or in use.
Reference and Reserve books are located on the first floor of the library. Books, atlases, slides, videos, and audio cassettes are located in the basement of the library--they are all shelved together. An exception to this are items from the Health Sciences Library's Special Collections - these items have special location codes with the IMPULSE catalog.
If you do not find the item you need, try using the red PROSPECTOR button from within your search. This will search the holdings of 15 major Colorado public, academic, and special libraries.
IMPULSE is the catalog of the Health Sciences Library and ten other local health sciences libraries. You can search IMPULSE by Author, Title, Word (Keyword), or MeSH heading. If you find the item you need, look for the HSC code on the item record--this will tell you it is owned by the Health Sciences Library. If it is owned by one of the other IMPULSE libraries, make sure you first Call that library before visiting. (Some of these libraries are only open to the public on an appointment basis). If you don't find the item you need in IMPULSE, try using the PROSPECTOR button from within your search. This will search 15 major Colorado public, academic, and special libraries.
How can I tell whether the Health Sciences Library owns a certain journal?
Try our new Find Journals web page or use the Find Journals link or the first search box prominently displayed on the Health Sciences Library home page. [Screen shot below]
After entering your Journal Title look for the link labeled "Journal", as shown below in the orange box:
What is the difference between the Health Sciences Library’s Find Journals web page and the IMPULSE library catalog? You should use IMPULSE to find Health Sciences Library books, reserves, and audiovisual materials, and for access to the PROSPECTOR statewide library borrowing system. IMPULSE catalogs the Health Sciences Library’s print journals and selected online journal holdings but many of our 23,000+ online journals are not cataloged in IMPULSE. The new Find Journals web page includes BOTH the Health Sciences Library’s print and complete online journal holdings.
Find out more about finding full text online.
What do I do if the print journal issue I need is at the bindery?
The Health Sciences Library sends its journals to an off-campus bindery. The binding process takes about 4 weeks.
If you look at the IMPULSE illustration above, you will see the hot link reading "Latest Received". There is a hot link like this on all journal records that the Health Sciences Library currently receives. Clicking on the link provides a list of the latest issues received by the library, as well as whether or not a given issue of a journal is at the bindery.
Double-check to see that the item is a Health Sciences Library journal (location code: HSC). Other libraries in the IMPULSE catalog have different bindery procedures.
Bindery items. If an issue you need is being bound, it will display the status "TO BIND," as well as the date it was sent to the bindery. Journals are at the bindery for an average of 28 days, so you may calculate an "estimated time of arrival" for your item from that date.
Missing and claimed status. If you see a status of "missing", the journal issue in question may have been stolen. If you see a status of "claimed", the journal has not yet been sent to us by the publisher.
Note: if you are one of the Health Sciences Library's primary users, we offer free, regular ILL service for the Health Sciences Library's materials that are at the bindery. It is also possible that we can access those articles for you online; ask us at the reference desk. (Unfortunately, claimed and missing items are beyond our control, and we do not offer free ILL service for those items).
Call Health Sciences Library Circulation at 303-724-2152 for more information, or if you have a question about a particular journal title.
What do I do if the Health Sciences Library does not own a book or journal article that I need?
You have several options to obtain materials not owned by the Health Sciences Library.
1. Use the Health Sciences Library's fee-based Interlibrary Loan Service to request the item from another library. The ILL service has access to general national networks and can locate and request most items for you. For more information, see the Interlibrary Loan web pages.
2. You can use the IMPULSE library catalog to look for journals or items owned by another IMPULSE library. First, look for your item in IMPULSE, then change the drop down box at the upper right from UCD Health Sciences Library to: All IMPULSE Medical Libraries, then click on Search. This will allow you to search nine other health sciences libraries in the Denver area. (Note: if you find an item at another local health sciences library in IMPULSE, please call that library before visiting; some libraries are open by appointment only).
3. If the item is not owned by an IMPULSE library, you can search for it in Prospector. From within your search in IMPULSE, click on the red Prospector button in the upper right corner of the IMPULSE search screen. (This button is ONLY available after you do a search in IMPULSE). Prospector allows you to search the holdings of 15 public and university libraries in Colorado. If you are a cardholder at any participating Prospector library, including the Health Sciences Library, you can request FREE book loans--online--from Prospector libraries.
Journal articles are not available through Prospector. However, you may wish to travel to an owning library to photocopy the articles you need there. We recommend you call the library first to make sure the journal issue you need is available, and that the library is open to the public.
4. You may also use the Access Colorado Library and Information Network (ACLIN) to locate items. Go to http://www.aclin.org/ and click on Search Colorado Libraries. This will allow you to search Colorado libraries that are not part of the Prospector project. Please note that some libraries do not include journal holding information in their catalogs.
How do I identify journal articles on my topic?
The easiest way is to use an online database. There are several methods for accessing the Health Sciences Library's databases. PubMed is one popular option. If you are a student or paid employee of the Health Sciences Center (HSC), or you are paid by University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) then you can access MEDLINE through Ovid.
Ovid is just one of the database systems the Health Sciences Library purchases for its primary users. For a complete list, go to the Health Sciences Library's Catalog and Databases page. Scroll down to the next question to learn more about Ovid.
If you are not a student or paid faculty/staff of HSC or UCH, then PubMed from the National Library of Medicine provides a free, powerful, and up-to-date search engine for the MEDLINE database. If you have not used the PubMed system before, there is an online tutorial for using Pubmed from NLM.
After you find journal articles on your subject, the next step is to determine whether the Health Sciences Library owns the journals that you need. Determining whether the articles are available online, in print form only, or available either way will be part of that process.
How can I obtain a copy of a journal article owned by the Health Sciences Library?
If the Health Sciences Library owns the journal that you want to copy, you can copy the article yourself using the copy machines in the Health Sciences Library. (Due to high demand for these current journal issues, journals received within the last ten years do not circulate outside of the library).
Keep in mind that copyright restrictions apply to all copies you make.
The charge to use library copy machines is ten cents per page. The machines accept coins, one dollar bills, five dollar bills, and custom copy cards, which may be purchased at machines in the library for a minimum of $2.00. (The card itself costs $1.00 and comes with 1.00 in copies). Copy cards are also required by the pay-for-printing system available from computers in the Health Sciences Library (also 10 cents per copy). Copy cards can be refilled.
For a fee, the Health Sciences Library's Interlibrary Loan Department will copy articles and fax or mail them to you.
How can I find full text journal articles online?
Full text may or may not be available for the particular journal and article you need--and it may or may not be free. Still, this type of access is becoming increasingly available. The Health Sciences Library's full text is integrated with many of our online databases, including Web of Science, Ovid, and PubMed. If you are an HSC student, or are paid by HSC or UCH, you will have access to this content. From off campus you will be asked to log in with your name and institutional ID. Please consult our Finding Full Text information for more.
Some online journals at the Health Sciences Library require logins and passwords. What's the deal?
About 40 of our online journals require an institutional login and password (most do not). To access these resources you must be registered in our library system with your institutional ID (primary HSC/UCH library users only) The logins and passwords are available online, but if you are off campus you must log in first to see them, using your name and institutional ID.
How can I access databases from home?
Many of the library's databases, including Micromedex, Infotrac, and FirstSearch, are restricted to computers on the HSC or UCH premises. If you connect from home using your campus Internet account, you should not have a problem accessing these databases. (UpToDate is an exception - details). However, if you are affiliated with UCH/HSC, but are not using a campus Internet dialup account, you must be registered with us in order to access resources.
Most students and employees are automatically registered if you are in University employee or student databases. You can check to see if you're automatically registered by logging in here using your institutional ID number. If you have a a question about your library registration status, call our Circulation Desk at 303-724-2152.
How do I print from the computers in the library?
The Health Sciences Library began using a laser pay-for-printing system in 1999. The charge is ten cents per page. To use the printers, you must first purchase a copy card which is $1.00 for the card only. Copy cards are available at the Service Desk, at the copy card vending machine in the 1st Floor Info Commons printing area, and at the vending machine near the north end of the second floor. Any amount can be placed on the card at the Service Desk using cash, a check, or a Visa or MasterCard. Cards can be charged at the vending machines using cash only.
How do I renew books or other items?
Use the IMPULSE library catalog and click on the My Account/Renew Your Books link at the top right of the page. Or, call the Circulation Department at 303-724-2152. You will not be able to renew an item if someone else has placed a hold on it.
What are the fines for late items? Fines will accumulate at 50 cents per item per day. When your fines reach a certain level, you may be blocked from checking out further materials until the fine is cleared up.
How do I establish an email account?
Students are provided with email accounts through the campus. Mary Mauck, the Student Email Coordinator, has an office in the library. Contact Mary at 303-724-2171. If she is not in, leave a message and your call will be returned promptly.
There is more information about your email account and Internet connection issues on the HSC Student Technical and Email Help web pages.
You can also request assistance and information via email at student.postmaster@uchsc.edu
Don't hesitate to give us a call at 303-724-2109. Or, you can send us an email through Ask a Librarian and we will get back to you promptly. If you're in the library, stop in at the Service Desk on the first floor. We're here to serve you!