BEACON Information Commons::BEACON Express

Questions?

Mickey G Honchell

Phone: 4-3841

Marlon Hernandez

Phone: 4-9258

Library Circulation:
x4-3840

BEACON Express

BEACON Express brings the Library’s document delivery service to your computer desktop. We can supply copies of journal articles, conference papers, and documents, as well as fill all of your book requests.

We go beyond our own library collection to buy or borrow the item you need, whatever the source.

Please Enter this site via Browser-RAS or VPN in order to login to BEACON Express.

First time user? Click here for registration information

Tutorial:

FAQ:

Q:What are the differences between a Book Loan and Purchase Request?
A:Book Loan = When you need to borrow a book for a short period of time. If the item is not in our collection we will borrow the book from another library. Fees may apply. See our Interlibrary Loan page for more information.

Purchase Request = When you need to buy a book, also known as a Desk Copy. You will need to provide a project/task number in order to complete your request. See our Buying Books page for more information.Q:Who can use BEACON Express?
A:JPL employees, interns, on-site contractors, and affiliates.Q:Why do I need a username and password to use BEACON Express?
A:By using your JPL username and password, BEACON Express users are automatically validated against the JPL Directory using LDAP, thus allowing us to give you secure access to your personal account and information about your library requests.Q:What if I forget my password?
A:Please refer to https://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/dir/jpldir for information about your JPL password.Q:Is my address and user information automatically updated when I change locations?
A:No. Unfortunately our database is not linked to any internal directories. When you log in, the automatic validation that checks against the JPL Directory is used only for access purposes. You can update your user information by selecting on “Change User Information” from the Main Menu under the Tools options.Q:Will I be charged for my request?
The library does not charge for its services. The only time you will be charged is for photocopies when we send an item to Reproduction Services or if we are charged by another library for an Interlibrary Loan request. We always try the free sources first when submitting Interlibrary requests for photocopies or books. The average cost for an Interlibrary Loan from an institution that charges is from $10.00 to $15.00 – some may charge up to $20.00. If you prefer to use free lending resources, then you can add an account called “Free Sources Only” to your BEACON Express user account and select it when placing a request.

Book Purchases are list price minus the vendor’s discount which ranges from 5-20% plus shipping.Q:What Web browser should I use?
A:You need a Web browser that can handle forms, tables, and preferably Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). We recommend the current versions of either Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.Q:Why don’t I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?
A:From time to time we purge older records from ILLiad. Our policy is to keep requests online for several years in order to comply with record keeping requirements of the copyright law. PDF's of completed requests will only be saved for 30 days. You must print or save the file before then.Q:What is electronic delivery?
A:Many libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. In the past we printed these articles before delivering them to you. Now, through ILLiad, we are able to offer you the option of electronic delivery of these articles in PDF format (Adobe’s Portable Document Format). You can read more about electronic delivery on the Electronic Delivery Information page.

Questions?

Library Circulation: x4-3840

BEACON Express

Library Circulation:
x4-3840