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You can still access the UC Berkeley Library’s services and resources during the closure. Here’s how.

10 Library Things Every New UCB School of Public Health Student Should Know: When School is at Home . . .

1. How do I access electronic library resources (databases, journals, etc.) from off campus?

     See Connecting from Off Campus:

  • Use the Library Proxy, which allows remote access to web-based electronic resources licensed by the UC or UCB Libraries, via Calnet logon or a bookmarklet, or
  • Use the VPN (Virtual Private Network), which requires a software download, and then establishes a secure "tunnel" to the UCB network

  • Wifi: Once campus reopens, and you are using your laptop or mobile device on campus, connect using either:
  • TIP: All UCB students have access to Box - with 50G of storage capacity!

2. Which databases should I use to find articles, etc., on Public Health topics?

     See Public Health Databases:

  • PubMed: citations in biomedicine and health; the primary article index for most public health topics
    » PubMed exercise set (docx)
  • Global Health: citations on public health topics from journals, books, book chapters, conference proceedings, and more, from more than 150 countries and in over 50 languages translated into English
    » Global Health Database exercise (docx)
  • Embase: journal article and meeting abstract citations in medicine/health; especially strong in evidence-based medicine and pharmacology/toxicology
  • PsycINFO: citations for journal articles, book chapters and dissertations in psychology, behavior, and related disciplines
  • Sociological Abstracts: covers demography, education, social psychology, and sociology. Sources include journals, books, conferences, and dissertations
    » Sociological Abstracts exercise (PDF)
  • Agricultural & Environmental Science Database: indexes journals, conference proceedings, reports, books, and government publications covering all areas of environmental science, agriculture, and more.
  • Business Source Complete: citations for articles and more in business, marketing, economics, and finance

  • » TIP: Use Web of Science or Scopus: two large, multidisciplinary databases that are exvcellent for cited reference searching and analysis
     
  • Many more databases are available
  • A brief note about Click to see Conditions of Use 

3. How do I find online journal articles and journals?

See Find E-Journal Titles:

  • Click the UC-eLinks icon ucelinks icon next to a citation in an article database (see box above) or in Melvyl (see box below) to access items available online
  • TIP: Use the UC-eLinks Citation Linker to see if a known, single journal article (or book, book chapter, etc.) is available online
  • Browse or search for online journals using the OskiCat or Melvyl catalogs (see box below) or use the UC-eLinks E-Journals Search.
  • A special note about access Elsevier journals (ScienceDirect), 2019 forward.
  • Use BrowZine: a free tablet application that lets you browse, read and monitor thousands of scholarly journals available from the UC Berkeley Library

4. How do I find online books, journals, dissertations, reports, etc.?

See Guide to Library Catalogs:

  • Use OskiCat, the UC Berkeley library catalog, to find online publications; at some point, you should be able to page print books from the library as well » Take a look at the newest Public Health ebooks in the Library!
  • Melvyl is the catalog for all the UC libraries (and beyond). When looking at a book, etc., in Melvyl, click the title to see details about its location and availability
    » Melvyl also contains some article citations but we recommend using article databases to find these
  • The UCB Library licenses several databases to find dissertations online

5. How do I get chapters from books, articles, etc. that are not available online?

See Interlibrary Borrowing and Lending:

  • Never pay for an article!
  • Click the UC-eLinks icon ucelinks icon  then Request It or Request to request an article, book chapter, or other item that you find in a database or Melvyl. Articles are generally delivered to you electronically
  • You can also start at the UC-eLinks Citation Matcher: if the article, chapter, etc. is not available online, you will see an option to request it from the library
  • Delivery of entire books is on hold until libraries reopen
  • You can also easily get articles delivered from Stanford University
  • A special note about access Elsevier journals (via ScienceDirect, etc.), 2019 forward.

6. How do I organize references, cite them correctly in my papers, and get help with academic writing?

EndNote, RefWorks, Zotero, Mendeley Help:

  • Use Zotero, a free, open-source program you can use with Firefox, Chrome or Safari.
  • Use RefWorks – licensed by the UC Berkeley Library and free to use for UCB students, staff, and faculty
  • Purchase EndNote and install it on your computer. A free 30 day trial is available.
  • Use Mendeley, another free product, to organize and share references
  • Note: Both RefWorks and Mendeley have problems functioning with the free version of Microsoft Word that is available for students

  • See also our Citation Guides/Submitting Manuscripts to Journals guide
    » TIP: The UC Berkeley Library will help pay author fees so you can publish in an open access journal!
  • The UC Berkeley Student Learning Center Writing Program has lots of information on the writing process, topic development, revision, and much more
  • UCB's Graduate Division sponsors workshops on dissertation writing, academic grant proposal writing, and more
  • Working on a systematic review? Sign up for UC Berkeley's Covidence account!

7. What other online resources are available on my topic?

See Guides to Public Health Subjects:

  • Explore the "grey literature" on this guide to Public Health topical web pages
  • Topics include Statistics/Data, AIDS/HIV, Cancer, Environmental Health, Food/Nutrition, International Health, Maternal/Child Health, Legislation/Regulations, and many more
  • These research guides provide access to selected resources not generally available via article databases or library catalogs, each with a descriptive annotation
  • Also included are public health resources in multiple formats, including: data, news, dissertations, podcasts/video/webcasts, images, and more

8. Tell me about fun stuff, like free art and free streaming movies!

The Library can help with your free time too:

Caufied print, available from the library
Want free art to hang in your home or office? Once campus reopens, check out the Graphic Arts Loan Program. You can reserve a print online, but you must pick it up and return it in person. Includes works by Hiroshige Ando; Claudia Bernardi; Marc Chagall; Shiro Ikegawa; Yolanda M. Lopez; Roberto Matta; Gino Scarpa; and many more.

Tired of watching Star Trek reruns? The Library subscribes to Kanopy Streaming - an on-demand streaming video service which provides access to more than 26,000 films, including titles from PBS, BBC, Criterion Collection, Media Education Foundation and more! Another place to check out is Docuseek2, a streaming video service featuring social issue and documentary films from several independent distributors.

And for your ears, the library provides you with several music databases, such as:
Database of Recorded American Music: Audio files of compositions of classical music, folk music, opera, jazz, country music, early rhythm and blues, musical theater, experimental music, electronic music, early rock and Native American music from the United States. Complete original liner notes and essays from independent record labels and sound archives, and
Naxos Music Library: A collection of Western classical music including classical music, jazz, world, folk and Chinese music. Includes notes and biographical information on composers and artists.

cover of Becoming by Michelle ObamaYou also have access to UC Berkeley OverDrive, a platform for user-friendly access to digital audiobooks and popular ebooks.

9. After I graduate, can I still access all this cool stuff?

Take a look at the Library's Alumni Guide: Library Resources for Public Health Lifelong Learning, Research, Productivity, and More

Once you graduate, what can you still access? This Alumni Guide has information on accessing online journals, books, and databases; evidence-based practice and continuing education; statistics and data; productivity and survey software; and more.

10. How do I get help & What else does the library offer?

See Reference:

  • The Marian Koshland Bioscience, Natural Resources & Public Health Library is operating online during campus closure.
  • For help with researching a topic or finding books, articles, statistics, etc., contact a librarian; we strive to provide you with respectful, thorough assistance!
  • Librarians have online office hours (sponsored by the SPH DREAM Office) Tuesday 10-12 and Thursday 1-3; no appointment necessary
  • For help at other times, 24/7 IM chat reference and email reference are available
  • You can also email us directly (see top of this page) to schedule a research appointment, and you can contact one of the many subject specialist librarians at UCB
  • Check out the Searching Literature Effectively Guide
  • Online library instruction sessions (PubMed, finding data, using Zotero, even sewing!) are sometimes offered. Here's a calendar
  • If you can get a group of 5 or more students together, we will do an instruction session on any topic
  • TIP: All UCB students are eligible for free software including Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Help with urgent student needs (mental health, food, cash, housing, and more) is also available at UC Berkeley
  • GradPro (from the UCB Graduate Division) has information on a huge number of professional development opportunities: workshops, consultations, working groups, and more. Check out their calendar