UHD Library Blog

Trouble with Library Forms Online

Students, Faculty, and Staff - Please be aware that we are having some intermittent problems with some of the library form on our web page. 

If you have requested an instruction class, a research consultation, or applied for a TexShare card and do not hear back from someone in the library in a couple days, we may not have received your request.

Library staff and IT are working hard to quickly resolve this issue.  In the mean time, if you feel you have been overlooked please contact the library either through the Ask-A-Librarian service, or calling the reference desk at 713-221-8187.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Research from home or anywhere

The UHD library has lots of great databases and resources online.  But, did you know that you can use them from home, or off campus in general?  All you need to know is your UHD network
account and you have access to it all anywhere you can get to the internet. 

You can browse through an A-Z listing of databases or if you are interested in subject related sources check out the Research Guides by subject. 

• Current students use your username and password. See MyUHD if you don't know your username or forgot your password. You can also use your 900# and password.

  NOTE: You must be registered during a semester to be considered a current student.

•  Current faculty and staff use your campus computer account (UHD e-mail username and password).

If you run into technical issues you might want to look at our connecting to databases webpage for some common trouble shooting.  For other issues report the problem by using Ask a Librarian or call the Information Desk at 713-221-8187. If you see an error message when you try to connect, please tell us what the message says. 

 

Borrowing and Returning materials

University of Houston-Downtown students, faculty, and staff can borrow books and other library materials from W.I. Dykes Library collections and from libraries at other University of Houston System campuses. Limited borrowing is also available to UHD alumni and visitors. More details about borrowing privileges and obligations can be found on the Borrowing and Circulation page.

Return books to libraries at UH-Downtown, UH-Clear Lake, or the University of Houston. After-hours returns can be placed in a drop box in the library's 5th floor lobby. Return audio and video materials to staff at the library where they were checked out.

Circulation staff will notify borrowers of the due date when materials are checked out.  If you forget the due date for materials you borrowed, see My Account or call 713-221-8186.  For details about loan periods for books and other library materials, see Loan Periods and Renewals.  Materials from the general collection can be checked out for at least 6 weeks.

The loan period for some materials can be renewed for additional time. Renewal may be blocked if another person has requested the item. To renew an item, visit the Circulation Desk, call 713-221-8186, or renew online using My Account.

Place a hold to reserve a book that is checked out or to request delivery from another University of Houston System campus:

1. Go to the UHD Library Catalog.
2. Search for the book you want.
3. Click on the title to display the book record.
4. Click on the request button at the top of the book record screen.
5. Fill in the form and click on the submit button. Be sure to include your current e-mail address.

You will be notified by e-mail when the book is ready to pick up. Books are usually delivered from other campuses in 3-5 days (excluding weekends). If the book is checked out to another person, it will be delivered after the previous borrower returns it. If someone has requested the same book before you, the book will be delivered after that person has checked out the book and returned it. To confirm your request or to check on the status of your request, see My Account or call 713-221-8186.

Please return or renew materials before the due date to avoid late or lost item charges.  Borrowers are responsible for returning library materials in good condition.  Replacement costs may be charged for damaged materials such as books, CDs and DVD packaging.  For details about charges for late, lost, or damaged items, see Library Fines and Charges.

Books Come To You, Anywhere You Are

Did you know The UHD Library has 190,000 eBooks?  All the ebooks are viewable on a computer, but only some are downloadable. There are a few ways to access them:

They can be browsed by broad subject area by going here: http://wj2gn4jw9z.search.serialssolutions.com/?L=WJ2GN4JW9Z&tab=BOOKS.  There is a drop-down box for browsing by subject.

They can be searched by subject, title, and author via LibSearch at http://uhd.summon.serialssolutions.com/. Enter a search topic, for example “project management.”  To get just ebooks, on the resulting page, in the left column, check off “items with full-text online” and “book/ebook.”  That should get a list of ebooks.

A very important note – as mentioned above, only some of our ebooks are downloadable to an e-reader, and, unfortunately, not to a Kindle. (Amazon only uses a proprietary format which doesn’t currently allow academic ebook subscription platforms to use.)  Our primary ebook platform, ebrary, does allow downloading of most of its books, and they can be viewed using the free Adobe Digital Editions software, which can be used on many mobile devices.  If you want to just see ebooks that can be downloaded, can go straight to ebrary at:

https://ezproxy.uhd.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/uhdowntown.

Support information about downloading these ebooks can be found at http://support.ebrary.com/?cat=69.

Congratulations to UHD librarian Jovanni Lota!

The 2012 class of Emerging Leader participants have been announced and one of UHD's very own librarians has been selected.  See the announcement on the American Library Association news page.

Learn what the Emerging Leaders program is about from the ALA website.

 

Library Welcome Week Events!

 

Library service during the Winter Online Term

As we approach UHD’s first ever Winter Online Term, we at the library would like to address some questions that you may have about library service during this time.

 

Will the library be open during the Winter Online Term?

The library will have shortened operating hours December 18^th-23^rd and January 3^rd-16^th.

Winter hours are as follows:

DAY	OPEN	CLOSE
Monday	8 AM	5 PM
Tuesday	8 AM	5 PM
Wednesday	8 AM	5PM
Thursday	8 AM	5 PM
Friday	8 AM	5 PM
Saturday	CLOSED
Sunday	CLOSED

The library will be closed from December 24^th-January 2^nd.  However, we will be monitoring the library’s email Ask-a-Librarian reference service December 27^th-31^st from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Questions regarding placing items on reserve or interlibrary loans may not be resolved until the library reopens on January 3^rd.

Email reference questions can be submitted by filling out this form:

http://www.uhd.edu/library/forms/askform.html

 

Can I put items on e-reserve for my students?

Yes!  The normal rules and procedures for placing items on reserve apply.  Information about course reserves can be located here:

http://www.uhd.edu/library/about/reserves.html

To ensure your students have access to course reserve material on the first day of class, we ask that all items be submitted by December 20^th.  Please be aware library reserves staff will not be available the first week of class (Dec 27-31) to add items to the reserves modules which were submitted late.

Items submitted after this date will not be processed until after the library reopens on January 3rd.

 

I’ve never taught an online class and I’m not sure where to find information

You may want to look at the Library’s Online Instruction FAQ’s page: http://www.uhd.edu/library/about/onlineinstructionfaq.html

The Library Online Instruction FAQ’s page will provide you with contact information, information about online resources, and a wide range of other useful information to help make your online course a success.  In addition, the Library is creating general subject guides for all courses offered during the Winter Online Term.  Your subject guide will be available here by December 18: http://library.uhd.edu/.

Adding the subject guide URL to your Blackboard course will greatly assist your students in their research.

Please contact the library with any questions you may have about library service during the Winter Online Term. 

Have a great Winter Term!

Library Employee Wins Student Award

Congratulations to Cesar Alvarado, Technology Coordinator in Library Systems!  Cesar received this year's award for Outstanding Psychology Student at UHD on April 29th. Cesar is currently serving as President of the UHD chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology.