Hours What are your hours? Reference, Periodicals, Circulation, Center for Business Research, and Library & Information Science Library have the same hours. Government Information, Instructional Media Center, Special Collections, and Digital Services and Art Slide Library have different schedules that are posted on the library's website. Printed cards are available in the kiosk. What are the library hours during holidays, finals, etc? Schedule changes coming up in the next couple of weeks are also on the What's New? page. Where can I go to study after the library closes? Hillwood Commons is open until midnight, seven days a week. What are the hours of the Information Technology Labs (computer labs)? The Information Technology labs in the library are open the same hours as the library but close fifteen minutes before the library does. Computer labs elsewhere on campus may have different hours. What are the bookstore hours? The bookstore hours are posted on their website.

Access Who can use the library? LIU card holders (students, faculty, and staff) have access to everything: borrowing privileges, databases, interlibrary loan, etc. Alumni, continuing education students, PLA members, and Brookville residents are allowed borrowing privileges, with an LIU card, but no access to databases or interlibrary loan. How do I get an LIU ID card? Students: go to the Public Safety Office, 299-2214:    Monday: 10:00am - 9:00pm Tuesday: 10:00am - 9:00pm    Wednesday: 10:00am - 9:00pm    Thursday: 10:00am - 9:00pm    Alumni: Go to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, now located in the Kahn Discovery Center, 299-2263. Then go to the Public Safety Office on the days and hours above. Brookville Residents: go to the Office of Community Relations, Administration Building, room 210, 299-3500, or email neighbor@liu.edu. Post Library Association: go to the PLA Membership page for details. The PLA Office is in the Library, room 133, 299-2892 Once you have your ID card, bring it to the Circulation Desk to get a library barcode placed on it. How do I join the Post Library Association, and what else do they do? The library's website has information about the PLA's history, events, and how to join. Is access to the library ever restricted? From April 1 to the end of Spring semester and from November 1 to the end of Fall semester, only LIU students, faculty, staff, alumni, PLA members, and Brookville residents may use the library. All users must have an LIU card with them. The Government Information Department is open to everyone, even during restricted periods.

Location Where is room ___ ? Where is the School of Education, Palmer School, IT, AV, Director's office, etc. A map of the library is available. Rooms with a two digit number are in the School of Education, either in the 302 complex or the new 320 office. Where is my class held? You can check the schedules for Undergraduate and Graduate courses or Continuing Studies courses or their printed counterparts in the Reference Department or call that department. This still might not work if the classroom was changed at the last session, and you missed class. Where is my professor's / advisor's / dean's office? A searchable campus directory is available on the university's website, as is an alphabetical directory, and printed directories are in each department. If their name does not come up, come to the Reference Department, and we'll pursue it. This often happens with Adjuncts, who are not listed in the telephone directory, but their department might have their information. Once you know which department the person works in, check the map of the library. Where is my teacher's web page? See answer under Internet. Where is the ____ building? A map of the campus is available on the college's website. Where can I get help with my homework / papers / studying? The Writing Center is located in Humanities Hall, Room 202, ext 2732. The Mathematics Department Tutoring Lab is in Life Science, Room 240. The C.W. Post Tutoring Program can be reached at Ext 3057. The Academic Resource Center is in Post Hall. Ext 2937. The HEOP: Higher Education Opportunity Program office is in Post Hall. Ext 2397. Where is the exhibit / lecture / event being held on campus? The library website lists exhibits and events sponsored by the Library and sponsored by the Post Library Association. Events coming up in the next couple of weeks are also on the What's New? page. Other events may be found on the campus' Calendars page which has links to the Academic Calendar, the Admissions Events Calendar, the Campus Events Calendar, the Weekly Calendar, the Athletics Calendar, the School of Visual and Performing Arts performances, and the Tilles Center Calendar (and its Institute for Arts and Culture). There are also pages with schedules for the Hillwood Cinema, the Career Center, the Hillwood Museum's exhibits and events, and the bus, train, and campus shuttles. A new student activities schedule has also been posted at Calendric Where are the faculty evaluations? The most current student course evaluations are available on the university's website, but they may be accessed only from public computers in the library's Reference Department, Periodicals Department, and Bibliographic Instruction Lab, not from computers in the IT computer labs or elsewhere on campus. Hardcopy versions of recent evaluations covering most schools are kept in the library staff office. Please inquire at the Reference Desk. Course evaluations for the Palmer School are on reserve at the Circulation Desk. The full collection of past evaluations is available in the Special Collections department on weekdays from 9:00-5:00. Where are the books my professor said were on reserve? Most reserve material is kept at the Circulation Desk in the lobby. The Library now enables faculty to make their reserve materials available over the internet. A few things may also be kept in other library departments. Where do I find other books? See: How do I find a book? Where do I find periodicals, magazines, journals, and newspapers? See: How do I find a periodical? Where do I find the forms relevant to research with human subjects? The Office of Sponsored Research has a webpage about Human Subjects Research at Long Island University. The Guidelines for Investigators includes the consent forms for the subjects. The forms page has links to the Human Subjects Application ("Application for Review of Research Involving Human Subjects") to obtain permission from the university to conduct the research, the Exempt Application ("Application For Exempt Category Review"), and the Annual Review Form ("Annual Review/Renewal Application"). All three are in Microsoft Word format. Where do I find master's theses and dissertations? See: Theses Where is the Lost & Found? The main library Lost & Found is at the Circulation Desk in the lobby. Some of the departments also hold items that were turned in. So try the departments you visited as well as the Circulation Desk. Where are the restrooms / water fountains / photocopiers? Photocopiers are available on the main and lower floors of the building. Restrooms and water fountains are available on all three floors. Handicapped accessible restrooms are on the lower floor. Where are the telephones? A pay phone is located on the lower floor near the elevator. A campus phone is located in the Computer Center. Is it okay to park outside illegally or without a sticker? No.

How Do I Find a Book? Use LIUCat: Long Island University's online public access catalog. What is "List Search"? Use List search (also called Browse) if you know the author or title you want. Be creative when thinking of ways authors and titles can be misspelled or rearranged (e.g. Frankel / Frankle / Franckel or Pudd'inhead Wilson or Nietzsche, Friedrich). It takes you to an alphabetical list you can browse. (More Information) What is "Keyword Search"? Use Keyword if you have a general topic or subject. It finds the word anywhere in the title, author, description, or subject (unless you specify just one of these fields). (More Information) Does the library have everything listed in LIUCat? All of the campus libraries of LIU are included in the computer, so make sure the book you want is here at C.W. Post. It may also be in one of the departments (rather than the circulating stacks), checked out, or on reserve. Where in the building should I go? Look at the first letter of the call number to find the stack level on which the book is shelved, or go to the proper department. A printed guide to the bookstacks is also available. You will need a picture ID to enter stacks. Reserve books are usually kept at the Circulation Desk. I can't find the book, but the computer says it's not checked out. If a book is not on the shelf or you can't find it, a librarian can accompany you to the stacks to help you locate it. Be creative when you try to think how it might be misshelved. Also, check the pre-sorting/pre-shelving area on each stack level as well as the Circulation Desk. What if my book is checked out? If a book is actually checked out, you can put a hold on it at the Circulation Desk. Can I get a book from another campus? If book is at another campus, you can order it on Interlibrary Loan. Can I get the full text of books online? The library subscribes to ebrary, which contains the text of approximately 25,000 books. ebrary books are included in LIUCat and will appear in your search results with the phrase "[electronic resource]" after the title. Click on the title and then the ebrary link to access it. You will need to install the ebrary reader (available from the ebrary website) on your computer to view it. To search for only ebrary books, do a keyword search and type "ebrary" after your search terms. You can also search directly from the ebrary website. This will let you search through the full text of books as well. If you want to search by subject headings instead of through the full text, LIUCat will have better indexing. More information. The library also subscribes to both the Gale Virtual Reference Library which contains the full text of 200 encyclopedias and other reference books and xrefer with the full text of an additional 250 dictionaries. You can search through all of them at once or choose a particular one. They are listed on the database page under Reference Books as well as by specific subject headings. The library subscribes to a number of other reference books that can also be accessed this way. The book I want isn't listed. Is the book in another library? Do I have the title right? To verify the existence of a book, use the WorldCat database on FirstSearch. WorldCat searches every major library in the country but not the smaller, public ones. You can also check the online catalogs of local libraries. Nassau County residents may use any Nassau public library; Suffolk County residents may use any Suffolk public library. Also, the LILRC Research Loan Program will enable you to check books out of a number of Long Island libraries. Ask for help in the Reference Department. Can I get it from another library? See: Interlibrary Loan How many books can I check out? Students can have up to 36 books checked out at any one time. Does the library have textbooks? Generally we don't purchase college textbooks. The Instructional Media Center has a collection of K-12 textbooks. Can I access LIUCat from home? Yes, just click the link, or go to liucat.liu.edu. No password is needed. Can I find out if have any overdue books or owe fines or have an expired account? Can I get a list of books that I've checked out? Go to LIUCat. Click on the "My Account" tab. Enter your barcode and PIN (the first time you log in, your PIN is the last 4 digits of your Social Security number) and click the "Login" button. Click on the appropriate link: Overview: provides a summary of your information. Checked Out: provides a list of items that you have checked out, items that are overdue, and items that you claim to have lost. You can also use this to renew a book once so long as it is not yet overdue. Holds: provides a list of items that you have asked to be placed on hold for you and whether or not they are available yet. Fines/Blocks: displays how much you owe, whether your account is blocked, and the reason why. Profile: displays the date your account expires, as well as your name, address, telephone number, campus, and email address. If you are using a public computer, be sure to log out and close the browser when you are finished, or the next person to use that computer will be able to see your account information. You can also call the Circulation Desk at (516) 299-2303 or visit in person.

How Do I Find a Periodical? Periodicals, journals, magazines, newspapers, and serials are kept in several places. Library and Information Science periodicals are kept in the center for Business, Law, and Information Science Sources on the main floor. Their holdings list is available online. Government published periodicals covering many subjects are kept in the Government Information Department on the lower floor. Their holdings list is available online. All Other periodicals, covering every subject not mentioned above - including Business, are kept in the Periodicals Department on the lower floor. Their holdings list is available online. What periodicals do you have on my topic? Go to the bottom of the LIU Online, Print, and Microform Journal Holdings page and use the drop-down menu to choose a broad subject heading. It will take you to menus where you can choose a more specific heading. An older subject list of our hardcopy periodicals is also available, but it is no longer being updated. How do I find an article on my topic in these periodicals? See Databases. There are also printed indexes. Can I get the text of articles online? About two thirds of the databases we subscribe to offer some amount of full text online by clicking the link, but only a small percentage of all the periodicals that exist can be accessed this way. The LIU Online, Print, and Microform Journal Holdings page will let you know which database contains the periodical you want. Additional periodicals can be accessed through the Electronic Journals page. This contains only a small percentage of what we have access to, but it will also include periodicals not listed on the Full-Text Electronic Journal Search page. Try both places to be complete. What if you don't have the periodical I need? Fastest: see if it is available full text in one of our databases by using the LIU Online, Print, and Microform Journal Holdings page and the Electronic Journals page. Fast: use the Long Island Library Catalog (LILCat) to see if the periodical is in a nearby library. But, before going to that library, call to make sure that the database was correct and that they will allow you to use their collection. Slower: request an interlibrary loan.

Databases What are databases? Databases index periodicals so that you can locate articles on a specific topic without being forced to browse through them issue by issue. Some databases contain books and encyclopedias. Some databases provide other information such as statistics or company financials. What databases do you have? An alphabetic list of databases is on the library's website. A list of databases by vendor is also available. When you select one of these, the link may take you to a list of all the databases offered by that company. Select the database you want from their list. How do I choose a database for my subject? The best place to start is the list of databases by subject. Select the broad subject area from the list, and read the database descriptions to see which ones would be most useful to you. I'm still not sure. The databases listed under "General" contain articles about almost every subject. Try one of these if you're not sure. Academic OneFile, ProQuest Research Library, and Academic Search Premier are good choices. Keep in mind that the more specialized subject databases will provide more comprehensive coverage of their subjects than these general ones will. Where can I access the databases? You can access almost every database from any university computer - library, computer labs, dorm rooms, offices, etc. - so long as it is hooked into the university's computer network. A few databases are available only from library computers and are marked with this graphic: Can I access the databases from home? See: Remote Access. Do the databases contain the full text of articles or books? Databases that contain full text are marked with this graphic: . Most of the databases we subscribe to offer at least some amount of full text online by clicking the link, but only a small percentage of all the periodicals that exist can be accessed this way. In many cases, the database will just provide a citation to an article. If you are looking for a particular periodical in a database, see: Can I get the text of articles online? What if I find an article listed in a database, and there's no text? Many of the databases that do not contain the full text themselves will include a link that says something like: "ArticleLinker" or "Find Alternate Full-Text " or "Check for Full-Text availability". When you click this link, it will look to see if the full text of that journal is available in one of our other databases using our LIU Online, Print, and Microform Journal Holdings page. If it is available, a new window will pop up with a link to the appropriate database that you can then search by article title. Sometimes it will even include a direct link to the article or journal. If that says "Sorry, no holdings were found for this journal", then where can I get it? See: How do I find a periodical? Can I print out my articles or citations? Library computers are networked to a printer in each department (computers in the Bibliographic Instruction room print to the Reference Department printer). Follow the printing instructions in each database, instead of just clicking the "print" button, and then go to the service desk. Do not exit the database until you are sure your printout is ok. Printouts of citations are free. Printouts of full text cost ten cents per page in the library departments. The Computer Labs will let you print out up to twenty pages for free. Can I email my articles or citations to myself or save them to a disk? Many databases will let you do this. Ask if you need help. Emails and saved files might not include illustrations, tables, or graphs that were part of the article. Are there databases for literary criticism? Go to Literature on the subject list of databases. Literature Criticism Online provides the full text of the sets: Contemporary Literary Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Literature Criticism 1400-1800, Shakespeare Criticism, and Classical & Medieval Literature Criticism, as well as Drama Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Short Story Criticism, and Children's Literature Review. Magill on Literature contains the full text of MasterPlots and other reference books published by Magill. Twayne Authors Series contains the full text of books with criticism and biographies. MLA International Bibliography is the comprehensive index to literature journals and books. You can also get books from LIUCat.

Remote Access How do I access databases from home? About seventy percent of the databases that we subscribe to can be accessed from off campus computers. On the subject and alphabetic lists, they are indicated by this graphic: On the vendor list, they are indicated by a red asterisk (*). These three pages are the only places that can be used for remote access. library.liu.edu provides quick links to the databases and homepages of each campus library. More instructions are on the subject list page, and a printed card is available in the library. Do I need a password? The library barcode number on the back your LIU ID card is your Login ID number. Do not include the spaces. Bring your card to the Circulation Desk to get a barcode. It may take a few days for your number to be activated. How do I get a card? See: Access. It's asking me for a username and a password. All I have is this number! You are trying to access the databases from the wrong page, such as one of the department homepages. The remote access links will work only from the three pages listed above. (You can't bookmark the databases either, but you can bookmark any of these three pages.) It says that the database is not currently available! Your barcode number may have expired. This may happen at the end of each Spring semester. Check your account. If you are still a registered student, come into the Circulation Department, and they can update you. I still can't get on! Do not include the spaces in your barcode number. Make sure that you don't have any overdue books or owe a fine or have an expired account. You won't be allowed access if you do. Check your account or call the Circulation Department at (516) 299-2303. Most of the databases make use of cookies and Java. Make sure that your browser is set to accept cookies and that Java is enabled. Some of the databases use "pop-up" windows. If you are using software to block pop-up ads, you must turn it off or set it to allow pop-ups from the database websites. If you started at library.liu.edu, make sure that you selected the databases for your campus. If you have installed a personal firewall or other security software on your computer, it may block some databases. You may need to temporarily disable it in order to use them. See further instructions. There are known problems with certain browser versions and internet service providers (i.e. WebSpirs databases with Netscape 6.2, some AOL users with Internet Explorer). If possible, see if you can try a different browser or browser version. Sometimes the database company is having technical difficulties or is too busy. Try again later. You can call the Reference Department at (516) 299-2305 or email our technical support person at rpa@liu.edu. For more Information.

Instructional Media Center Where do I find videos, films, CDs, software, and other multimedia? The Instruction Media Center, on the lower floor, has documentaries and other educational videos, DVDs, and films, as well as CDs, LPs, educational software, pictures, and more. Videos and films are included in LIUCat, but materials in other formats are not. They can be located through a card catalog inside the IMC. A catalog of DVDs is also available on the website and in hardcopy. Videos and films circulate only to faculty. Where do I find curriculum guides, children's books, school textbooks, and lesson plans? The IMC has curriculum guides, children's fiction and nonfiction, and textbooks for kindergarten through twelfth grade with teacher's guides. New York State curriculum guides are available on the internet. Only the IMC's reference books are in LIUCat. The rest of these materials can be accessed through a card catalog in the IMC. Some of these materials circulate and some do not. Lesson plans can be found in books and education journals (see also finding journals). On the internet, they can be found at Educator's Reference Desk (formerly AskERIC) and other education websites. Where can I get study guides for the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) ? The official NYSTCE website has preparation guides for each of the subject areas in PDF format that you can download.

Interlibrary Loan Can I get books or articles from other libraries? Interlibrary loan is a service available to LIU students, faculty, and administrators. We handle requests from only the C.W. Post community. If you are from another LIU campus, make the request at that campus. This is not a quick service, and it is safest to assume that your request will take at least four weeks to arrive. Interlibrary loan is best for long term projects, theses, etc. Can I get a book or article from another campus? Yes, but it might take a week or two even if the book is on the shelf at the other campus. Circulation records are not uniformly indicated in LIUCat for other campuses. In some instances, that determines whether or not we can proceed with an interlibrary loan. If it is not on the shelf, it could take four or more weeks to arrive. How do I request an interlibrary loan? The Interlibrary loan webpage has links to forms that you can fill out. Is there a faster way? See: What if you don't have the periodical I need? or Is the book in another library?

Citation Style How do I cite the sources I use in my research papers? The basics of each major citation style are on the library's webpage. The complete style manuals are kept on reserve in the Reference Department. These contain examples about a wider variety of sources as well as other things you may need to know, such as margins, font size, etc.

Competency Exams When and where is the library competency exam given? The library exam schedule is available on the library's webpage. The printed schedule is in the Reference Department. How do I prepare for it? The Library does not administer the test, but good study guide is the Library Workshop Manual on the library's webpage. A printed version is on reserve at the Circulation desk. When and where is the computer competency exam given? It is usually given in room 139 of the Life Sciences building, but check the schedule in the Reference Department for specific rooms and dates. Go to the Computer Science department in Pell Hall for further information.

Photocopiers Where are the photocopiers? Main floor: the Copy Center room is in the back of Reference Commons. Lower floor: in the Periodicals Department and the Instructional Media Center. Can I make copies from microfilm and microfiche? Yes, the machines that you use to read them will also print out copies. How much do copies cost? Ten cents per page. Where can I get change for the machines? There is a change machine in the Copy Center. The photocopiers will accept $1 bills, $5 bills, quarters, dimes, and nickels. The microfilm and microfiche machines will accept quarters, dimes, and nickels. Some work on the honor system, and you should pay at the counter after you finish making copies. Can the photocopiers enlarge or reduce? Yes, the machines in the Copy Center, Periodicals Department, and Instructional Media Center can. Can the photocopiers print on both sides of the page? No. The photocopier doesn't work / is jammed / is out of paper / ate my money! Ask for help at the nearest library service desk. If they can't fix the problem themselves, they will call the Library Business Office (x2811) or the Director's office. In the evenings they will call the Reference Department. When the machine runs out of letter size paper, it usually still has the longer, legal sized paper. You can change sizes if you are in a hurry. Does the library have a fax machine that students may use? No, sorry. But fax machines and other equipment are available for use in the Student Technology Center in Hillwood Commons.

Internet Where can I access the Internet? All library departments, computer labs, offices, dorm rooms, and any other computers that are connected to the university network have access to the Internet. We prefer that computers in the library departments be used for research purposes rather than email, chat rooms, net surfing, etc. How do I find information on the internet? The best place to start would be with the databases the library subscribes to. These will often provide better, easier to find information than the free Internet. In addition, the librarians have compiled many lists of useful websites. To find other sites, you can use a search engine. How can I find my teacher's web page? Some faculty have web pages set up at webct.liu.edu. IT has set up a page where you can learn about WebCT. Some faculty have web pages set up on myweb.cwpost.liu.edu. In many - but not all - cases, the address will consist of the professor's first initial and last name, so that Jane Jones' web page might be at http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/jjones. You may have to contact your professor to get the proper web address. How do I get an email account? You already have one. All registered students are automatically given an email account. Log on to the Student Information System to find out how to access yours.

Disabled Students How do disabled students get or find a book in the book stacks? Either inquire at the Circulation Desk where there may be a student available to help you, or go into the Reference Department. They have keys to the stack elevator and can accompany you into the stacks to locate the needed materials. How do visually impaired students get access to materials with small text? There is a specially equipped computer in the Periodicals Department that can enlarge documents onto the screen (but not print them) and present an extra large display of webpages, databases, etc. Additionally, it has software that can convert text to speech. They also have a special photocopier that can enlarge text. Ask at the desk in that department. Where are the accessible restrooms? Women's and men's accessible restrooms are on the lower level.

Theses and Dissertations Where are the theses and dissertations? We have a few as samples in the Reference Department. The complete collection is located on the B level of the library, alphabetized by author. Access to this level is restricted. Please inquire at the Reference Desk if you wish to go there. The list of theses can be viewed and searched from the library's website. Doctoral dissertations from the Palmer School are kept on reserve at the Circulation Desk. They are listed in LIUCat. Microfilm copies are available in the Director's office. The text of dissertations written by LIU students who have published through UMI Dissertation Publishing are now also available online in Dissertations & Theses @ Long Island University.