Off-Campus Students

Welcome to the library services page for GCSU students at the Macon Campus, the Warner Robins Center, and those enrolled in online courses. The GCSU Library is committed to providing you with the library resources you need to complete your assignments. The library provides access to thousands of books and journal articles online. If what you need is not available online you can request it and it will be sent to you.

If you have any questions about research or library services we have a number of ways you can get help.

• First if you don't need help right away you can use our ASK-A-LIBRARIAN page. Your question will go to the library's reference desk where it will be answered as soon as possible.
• For faster help when the library is open, you can call the reference desk at (478) 445-0979. The Reference Desk is staffed when the library is open so you can get an answer quickly. For more information, please visit the LITC Hours page.
• Finally, Gary Austin is the library's contact with the Off-Campus sites. You can call him at (478) 445-0987, or e-mail at gary.austin@gcsu.edu

           
GETTING STARTED

Library Barcode

      Before getting started you will want to get your barcode activated on the library's system. Having an active Library barcode allows you to

1. Access your library account to see what items you have checked out.
2. Request books using GIL Express
3. Find the current GALILEO password in the online catalog.
4. Use the Library's Interlibrary Loan service to request material not available online or through GIL Express.

To get your barcode, call the Circulation Desk at (478) 445-4047 or (478) 445-0975. You can also e-mail them at circ@gcsu.edu

FINDING BOOKS

Gil Universal Catalog

The GIL Universal Catalog allows you to search libraries across the University System of Georgia. If you find a book you need, you can request it using GIL Express and have it delivered to a participating library near your home or workplace, including the Macon State College Library on the main campus, or the Library's Warner Robins location next to Nola Brantley Public Library. When you are finished you can return the book to the same library. To see what other universities participate in GilExpress, click here.

WorldCat 

WorldCat combines that catalogs of thousands of libraries from around the world. If you can't find what you need from the GIL Universal Catalog you can search WorldCat for libraries outside of Georgia. You will need to use Interlibrary Loan to request materials you find in WorldCat.

FINDING ARTICLES IN JOURNALS

You have many databases available for your use through GALILEO. You may need a password to connect to these resources. You can find the current password by doing the following...

     1. Connect to GCSU's online catalog at http://gil.gcsu.edu
     2. Select "Get GALILEO Password" in the right-hand column.

     3. Enter your barcode and last name.
     4. The password will appear in the drop-down box.

You can also get the GALILEO password by logging in to your PAWS account.

General Databases

The following lists some good databases for general searches on all topics.

• Academic Search Premier
• Lexis-Nexis
• Research Library

You can also choose one of the tabs to see a list of databases for a particular area.

Journal Locator

            Use the Journal Locator to see if the journal you need is available in the GCSU Library or in any of our online, full-text databases.

In this example from the Journal Locator we can see the Journal of Business is available in the library. You can click on the link to find what dates are available. You can also see it is available from several online databases with the dates of availability included. So, you could click on one of those links to search for articles in that journal.

SUBJECT GUIDES

      The librarians have created subject guides to research in many areas for use by students and faculty. A complete list of guides is available at http://www2.gcsu.edu/library/reference/guides/index.html. You may find these specific guides to be useful.

• Business & Economics Research Guide
• Education Research Guide
• Nursing Research Guide

REQUESTING MATERIALS

Books

Use GIL Express to order books from any library in the University System of Georgia. You can have the books delivered to a participating library nearby for pickup and, when finished, return them to the same library. To use GIL Express,

1. Find the item you need in the GIL Universal Catalog
2. Click on GIL Express Request at the top of the screen.
3. Select "Georgia College and State University Library" as your home institution
4. Enter your barcode and your last name in the appropriate boxes and click Logon
5. Click OK
6. Reenter your barcode
7. Choose a Pick up library from the drop-down list.
   (NOTE: if you would like to pick up your item at Macon State College's Warner Robins Center, you will need to select "Macon State College" from the Pick up Library box and then select "WRC Circulation Desk" from the Pick up at: drop down list.
8. Click on Submit Request
9. When finished, be to sure click "Exit" or "Logoff my account," especially if you are using a public computer, to make sure your barcode and last name are erased from the system.
   

Journal Articles

If you have a journal article you need to request, you should first try the Library's Journal Locator to see if it is online in any of our databases. If not, you can use the ILLiad system to request the article from the library. To use ILLiad,

1. Click on the "Interlibrary Loan" link on the Library's Home Page
2. Click on the "Interlibrary Loan Request Form" link
3. Enter your username and password. Click on the "Logon to ILLiad" button.
   NOTE: if you've never logged on to ILLiad before you will have to set up your account first. Click on "First Time Users Click Here" to create an ILLiad account.
4. Choose which type of request you want to make: Article or Book.
5. Fill out the form as completely as possible, then click "submit request"

Most articles will be delivered electronically. You will receive an e-mail message telling you the article is available with a link to the article. You will have to log on to ILLiad again to get your article. If you request a book that is not available through GIL Express, the book will be sent by UPS. You must include a street address (not a P.O. Box )in the request form.

For more information, go to the Interlibrary Loan Home Page.

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

       For general information about the library, go to the home page at http://library.gcsu.edu.