FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LIBRARY'S ONLINE JOURNALS

• Which full-text Online Journals do I have access to as an NCI-Frederick employee?

• I work at NCI-Frederick, so why am I asked for a password sometimes when I try to access a title on the Scientific Library's list?

• Why are some of the titles on NIH's online journals list not available to NCI-Frederick employees? Don't we all work for the government?

• Where can I find Contents, Abstracts, or Instructions to Authors for Online Journals?

• How can I access these journals from home if I am an NCI-Frederick employee?

• What is the difference between HTML and PDF document formats? How can I get my articles to print in PDF format from my office computer?

• Why does the Library provide site-wide access to some full-text journals but not others?

• Why can't I access full-text when the title has a PubMed or Web of Science link?

• What are the Copyright and Licensing Issues with Online Journals?

• Whom do I contact if I'd like to recommend that the Library acquire online access to a journal title not on the list?

• Troubleshooting access problems

• Which full-text Online Journals do I have access to as an NCI-Frederick employee?
  
  Scientific Library’s Online Journals List: Go to the Full-Text link under "Online Journals" on the Library’s Home Page as a gateway to over 8,000 full-text online journals! Here you will find an alphabetical list of full-text titles made available by the Scientific Library and the NIH Library to NCI-Frederick employees. The list also includes links to Open Access titles. In the box "Title begins with", type the first few words of the title you wish to see, or click on the letter of the first word of the title. Titles on this list should be available to you, so please let us know if you have access problems with any title on the list.
  

• I work at NCI-Frederick, so why am I asked for a password sometimes when I try to access a title on the Scientific Library's list?
  
  Check the note next to the title on the list to see if access is restricted. For example, you may be asked to call the library for a password, or it may be that the year you need is not covered by the license. It is also possible, depending on which building you are in, that there is a server or network conflict. Please be sure to contact us via e-mail or call us at x5849 to report a problem of this type.

• Why are some of the titles on NIH's online journals list not available to NCI-Frederick employees? Don't we all work for the government?
  
  Although the Scientific Library belongs to the NIH Libraries Consortium, with online access to many journals provided NIH-wide, not all online titles purchased by NIH are available to NCI-Frederick at this time either due to cost considerations or restrictions in license agreements between NIH and various publishers. In these cases, access to some titles on NIH's list are restricted to Bethesda and Rockville sites.
  
  Acquiring online access to additional titles is an ongoing process at all NIH libraries, therefore we encourage your input, as an employee of NCI-Frederick, regarding online titles you think would be important to your research.

• Where can I find Contents, Abstracts, or Instructions to Authors for Online Journals?
  
  Some titles which charge a fee for full-text offer free access to Tables of Contents, Abstracts, Instructions to Authors and other features. See the Instructions to Authors link under the "Online Journals" heading on the Library’s Home Page.

• How can I access these journals from home if I am an NCI-Frederick employee?
  
  If you have a DSL, ISDN, cable or other connection to the Internet, you may access the Library's restricted resources if you have a Library barcode on the back of your NCI-Frederick employee ID card. If you do not yet have a barcode issued by the Library, stop by to register at the Circulation Desk. Once you have your barcode, you may access licensed resources by clicking on the "Off-Site Access" link on the upper horizontal blue bar from the Library's Homepage.
  
  NOTE: If you are not an employee of NCI-Frederick, publisher license agreements consider you an unauthorized user. Members of the public or other Ft. Detrick employees may use online journals on Scientific Library premises only.

• What is the difference between HTML and PDF document formats? How can I get my articles to print in PDF format from my office computer?
  
  HTML documents do not look like the articles you see in journals. However, this format links to additional information, such as related Websites and citations contained within the article. This format also allows you to enlarge figures. PDF documents look exactly like the articles that appear in journals. To view an article in this format, you must download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer.

• Why does the Library provide site-wide access to some full-text journals but not others?
  
  The Scientific Library and NIH Library strives to provide NCI-Frederick employees with access to as many available online journals as possible. If a title is not on the full-text list, it may be due to one of the following:

  • Title not published online; title on Web but full-text has not been made available by publisher. e.g. Anticancer Research

  • Site/institutional access not available or is restricted to Library.

  • Restrictive License terms.

  • Cost: Titles offering site-wide access terms benefiting the most users at NCI-Frederick are our priority.

  The NCI-Frederick is also a member of the NIH Libraries consortium and is included in some, not all, site license agreements that the NIH Library has made with publishers (e.g. Elsevier’s ScienceDirect, Cell, Science, Nature, Wiley Interscience). If you do not see a title on our list and think the Library should provide access to it, please do not hesitate to recommend it by completing the online form at http://www-library.ncifcrf.gov/booksuggest.aspx

• Why can't I access full-text when the title has a PubMed or Web of Science link?
  
  Publishers provide links to their journal Web sites according to agreements they make with PubMed or Web of Science. If the Scientific Library has purchased or activated an online subscription to any of the journals available via PubMed or Web of Science, NCI-Frederick employees will be able to access full-text when using a computer at NCI-Frederick or remotely via our proxy server ("Off-site Access"). Depending on the title, all years may not be available even to subscribers.
  
  Note: We recommend that when using links via PubMed or other databases, keep a window open linking to the Library's Online Journals list. We have discovered that some publishers 'bump' you out of our proxy server, even if you click on the Library's Full-text icon, thereby not recognizing you as an authorized user.
  
  Tip: Look for 'ezlib' somewhere in the URL in the web address bar. If you don't see this, it means you are not within the proxy server gateway.

• What are the Copyright and Licensing Issues with Online Journals?
  
  Online information is subject to the same copyright laws as print materials, but in addition, subscribers to online journals are generally required to agree to more restrictive licensing by the publisher. Libraries may not always be permitted by their legal offices to agree to terms within a publisher’s contract, and therefore may not always be able to purchase an online subscription.
  
  License agreements state that if violations of the agreement are discovered, the library’s online subscription will be cancelled and the library may be liable for any copyright violations by their users. See Notice of Copyright/Use Restrictions for Electronic Resources for details. Some of the restrictions for individual users are:

  • Entire issues or substantial sections of an issue may not be downloaded.

  • Results may be printed or downloaded for personal or internal business or research purposes only.

  • Users may not share access with, perform searches for, or provide results to non-Frederick users.

  • Derivative databases cannot be created.

• Whom do I contact if I'd like to recommend that the Library acquire online access to a journal title not on the list?
  
  If you know of a title that you think online access would benefit NCI-Frederick users, simply fill out the online request form and we will be happy to review your recommendation!

• Troubleshooting access problems from NCI-Frederick campus -

  • Try a different browser to see if you get the same error message; if using IE, try Mozilla.

  • Upgrade your browser and Adobe Reader to most current version.

  • Enable your browser to receive cookies; some publishers require this.

  • See if the same problem happens when you use a different computer.

  • If you can, clear your browser's cache.

  Please do not hesitate to let us know (via email) or by calling x1682, if you're having any access problems or if you have any other questions regarding online journals.