Guide to Accessing Materials

In the face of collection changes, USF Libraries is committed to supporting USF faculty, students, and their research endeavors. In an effort to help you access resources and materials, even those from cancelled subscriptions, please utilize the options below.

 

Check the USF Libraries Catalog

Check the USF Libraries Catalog before requesting materials from outside resources.

UBorrow

UBorrow provides faster delivery of print books from other FL colleges and universities. To use this service, search the USF Libraries Catalog and click on the Uborrow icon.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan and expedited Document Delivery are core library services to support your research. This service allows you to borrow books, chapters, and articles both within the USF Libraries and from academic libraries across North America. Articles and book chapters will be scanned and then emailed to you. Through strategic reallocations of personnel and funding, the USF Libraries will increase capacity and enhance the user experience across all three USF campuses.

Open Access Materials

Open access literature is defined as “digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.” Some articles are available as open access versions online through Google Scholar. Learn more about open access by reviewing our Open Access LibGuide.

Browser Extensions

Several browser extensions or plug-ins allow you to search the internet as well as collections of open access articles. Search for open access articles using the Open Access Button and Unpaywall. EndNote Click (formerly Kopernio) and the Google Scholar Button can help you search for and locate full-text articles as you browse the internet.

Online Repositories

Authors can deposit or self-archive copies of their publications into several online repositories, such as Google Scholar, PubMed Central, OSF Preprints, arXiv, bioRxiv, RePEc, Scholar Commons, and SSRN. Most repositories are well-indexed, so merely searching for the article should surface an open access copy if one exists.

Contact the Author

Some authors are open to receiving requests for preprints of their publications through sites such as Academia.edu and ResearchGate.

Streaming Movies and Documentaries

Explore the movies and documentaries available through the USF Libraries Guide to Media. Search the USF Libraries Catalog to find movies in our collection and use open access movies or documentaries.

Contact a Librarian

Consult with your Liaison Librarian to see if any additional options are available to access the desired material.