Shouldn't there be at least one public access academic library?

[Donna Ferentes]

I can assure you that students and academics are very much capable of theft. One of the reasons I needed the BL last Xmas actually.

So they are. But you're not going to get them joining the library for that purpose. Allowing free access would make that possible: the idea is to reduce the risk.

 

[tastebud]

Vixen -If you are a member of the British Psychological society

I am! I am!

- you should be able to get reference access to the senate house library -I think you need to get some kind of form from the BPS first before you go there though.

Cool. I will look into this. None of this applies to online stuff though I assume. That's what I mostly require. New and cutting-edge research is much easier to obtain online.

 

[tastebud]

So they are. But you're not going to get them joining the library for that purpose. Allowing free access would make that possible: the idea is to reduce the risk.

Maybe. I don't know though. I marvelled at the level of theft/defacing books during my university years. Used to piss me off no end!

 

[bossgin]

I am! I am!
Cool. I will look into this. None of this applies to online stuff though I assume. That's what I mostly require. New and cutting-edge research is much easier to obtain online.

for online access, you do need an Athens login I'm afraid

 

[Donna Ferentes]

for online access, you do need an Athens login I'm afraid

For some journals you do, for some journals you don't.

 

[J77]

As the librarian says - Athens is not needed.

In fact, most university libraries hold their own subscriptions - if you go to an online database, such as, sciencedirect, when logged onto the university network, the subscription shows up automatically.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

But, at the same time, some journals do require Athens and some require passwords that you have to go and ask for at the desk.

 

[kea]

i have an athens log-in, haven't really tried to use it yet but if anyone is in dire need of one i can probably help

 

[J77]

i have an athens log-in, haven't really tried to use it yet but if anyone is in dire need of one i can probably help

That's another way - get someone with lots of access to email you the articles.

Students in the East are very good at doing this - bigging up your work and then asking you to send them all your articles and the corresponding references

 

[Donna Ferentes]

But don't tell anybody you're actually doing it, as it breaks all sorts of rules.

 

[kea]

yeah natch
(i have no idea how it works btw ... only got it recently and haven't used it yet, other than a cursory look at some planetary sciences articles ... still, sure i can figure it out ...)

 

[fractionMan]

yeah natch

That's a good girl

 

[Fruitloop]

Athens just gives you a single sign-on to resources from different providers, so how good it is depends on what's in your institution's collection. Like DF says, some dbs don't need Athens as they just use IP authentication on campus/in the library, and some just don't support it at all.

 

[5T3R30TYP3]

Thanks for starting this thread, I was going to ask something like this a while back but completely forgot...

 

[equationgirl]

Lots of academic libraries have visitor access, and many will let you join as an external borrower, and sometimes this is free. Unless you are a member of the institution it is highly unlikely you will be able to gain access to the electronic databases as many of library open access terminals are to access the catalogue only, and not for the electronic journals.

What you after anyway? I work in a library, i might be able to help....

 

[p-j]

I've been researching some random stuff I'm interested in but it's all academic writing and google turns up very little. Thing is, there is no public access academic library that I know of - which is pretty disgraceful I reckon.
I've had this problem before and tried to join the British Library and they just said 'You need a letter from an academic supervisor to support your application.' I pointed out I wasn't in academia and they just shrugged.
So you're either in or out of the academic knowledge loop, and I'm out

try again with the British Library. They can be really snooty, but so far as I know, if you are researching, then you should be able to get access. Before going to apply in person, get in touch with reader admissions ([email protected]) and explain your situation. I did that, was told all would be fine. The snooty jobsworth at the desk did say no, but when I said that xxxxxx at reader admissions had okayed it, she handed the card over (still looked grumpy though).

with regard to access to academic journals.... the trick is to sign up for a very cheap (e.g. 70 quid) course at the OU. You get a username & password that gets you online access, and it's apparently never revoked (not yet anyway....).

pj

 

[Pickman's model]

i'd forgotten the london library, which (for those able/willing to pay the money) is an excellent resource, apparently.

 

[p-j]

Don't you need some kind of accreditation or publication to show them though? I was researching for some writing I was doing and they didn't offer any way for me to get in.

The problem is dealing with the people who sit there issuing the cards... write to someone higher up and arrange it before you get there.

If people know of academic libraries in London that allow the public to become members I'd love to know.

well, lots of them do - pretty much everyone I contacted would allow people to use the library for reference or (less often) to borrrow books. They do charge a lot though. Senate House is the obvious one to try.

You could also try the Open University Library. That's in Milton Keynes, but I think they have a postal service. I think there's some sort of free access you can get, but I pay 30 pounds a year - for that I can borrow 6 items at a time.

pj

 

[p-j]

Lots of academic libraries have visitor access, and many will let you join as an external borrower, and sometimes this is free. Unless you are a member of the institution it is highly unlikely you will be able to gain access to the electronic databases as many of library open access terminals are to access the catalogue only, and not for the electronic journals.

Yes, that's true of the OU. Apparently it's a condition of the institutional license they have with the journal providers.

 

[Pingu]

have you ever investigated the intricacies of the interlibrary loan system?

mrs pingu is somewhat of an expert on this very subject (seeing as its her job)

 

[equationgirl]

Interlibrary loans aren't exactly complicated, but again, if you're not a member of the institution it's unlikely you'll be allowed access to the system. If you are allowed access, be warned it may be at a higher rate than is normally charged for the students and academic staff.

 

[J77]

But don't tell anybody you're actually doing it, as it breaks all sorts of rules.

I didn't say I did it!

That would be a full-time job - have enough things to do without being a traifficer of knocked-off physics papers

 

[nadia]

Being your field is psychology, would there be any hospital postgraduate library you might be allowed access too

 

[tastebud]

with regard to access to academic journals.... the trick is to sign up for a very cheap (e.g. 70 quid) course at the OU. You get a username & password that gets you online access, and it's apparently never revoked (not yet anyway....).

pj

That's useful to know. I was thinking of starting a course with them anyway.

Being your field is psychology, would there be any hospital postgraduate library you might be allowed access to

Are you talking to me? My field is.

Yeah. I'm starting to temp. in hopsitals/charities tomorrow so I hope that I will be allowed to abuse the interweb for my own personal use: including making use of their free online journal subscriptions (again for my own personal use).

 

[Dissident Junk]

Getting access into the BL is only half the battle. Then you need to get access to the books you need. They keep hardly anything on site. I've asked for stuff in the past to be told that it will take two weeks as it is in the Woolwich depository. IMO, a good university library is the best option. . . but I didn't like Senate House. I could never find anything in Senate House.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

i'd forgotten the london library, which (for those able/willing to pay the money) is an excellent resource, apparently.

Curiously enough I am just today requesting an application form for a job there.

 

[Thora_v1]

Good point! How does this work.. anyone know? My friend got Alumni access from UCL but I have a sneaking suspicion it was only given to First Class graduates. Maybe I should ring the libraries about it.

Any UCL graduate can get Alumni reference access - you just need proof you graduated. You can get borrowing rights too but it costs £50 quid a year.

The public can get reference access to UCL libraries but you have to pay for it - £7 a day/£20 a week/£30 a month iirc.

 

[J77]

This is quite relevant:

I was just looking for a paper from a journal to which my current place doesn't have a subscription but my old place does.

By reconnecting the internet through my old place's cache server I can access the articles

(This is under the assumption of a continued status at my old place - could work for others.)

 

[Pickman's model]

Interlibrary loans aren't exactly complicated, but again, if you're not a member of the institution it's unlikely you'll be allowed access to the system. If you are allowed access, be warned it may be at a higher rate than is normally charged for the students and academic staff.

& at publick libraries?