The librarian is: BLOGGING | Journalism Library, Columbia University

The Journalism Library Blog has MOVED! This site is no longer being updated as of July 2009. Come find us at our new location:

https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/journalism

See you there!

The Poynter Institute Resource Center provides a variety of subject bibliographies and tip sheets, as well as links to journalism organizations and libraries with journalism resources. Check out the tip sheet for Reporting, Writing & Editing!

Library resources for MA students, handouts from Evidence and Inference course, Fall 2008 -

• Columbia
• Beyond Columbia

Graduated already? Great news. Columbia University Libraries has just added a new title to the list of online research databases we make available to alumni: EBSCO’s Business Source Premier. This database is a collection of nearly 1100 business magazines and journals in full text.

If you are an alum and have not already registered to gain access to the alumni databases, please see this page for more information.

Graduating in May, 2006? Congratulations!

You may be wondering what will become of your access to Columbia’s excellent electronic resources once you are no longer a student. This blog post will give you the definitive answers on the topic - accept no conflicting information!

Part I: Good News and Bad News

The Good News: Upon graduation, there is a “grace period” of approximately three months during which you continue to have access to the databases you know and love (Factiva, LexisNexis, etc.) via the same channels as before - you connect via the library’s link to them, type in your Columbia UNI and password, and you’re in. During this grace period, you may also continue to check books out of Columbia libraries.

The Bad News: You will NOT receive a warning at the end of the grace period - your access simply expires. Library staff are not notified of the exact date on which the grace period ends, so you need to remain aware that, come August or September, you can no longer count on access to these resources.

How to tell when you have been cut off? Simple! Once the grace period ends, your UNI and password will no longer work to log you in to the databases you had been using.

Part II: Alumni Access to Columbia Libraries

Once you have graduated from Columbia, you enjoy alumni library privileges. You are eligible for an alumni ID card, which is good for lifetime access to all of Columbia’s libraries (remember, when you’re on campus, you have access to databases!), and you have electronic access to a selection of databases that Columbia licenses specifically for alumni use. Find out about all this on the Alumni & Friends Portal of the Libraries’ website.

Part III: Can I Still Ask Questions?

Yes, I am always happy to answer research questions from alumni (you may want to identify yourself as such when you send me an email), and will be happy to suggest whatever sources I can to which you have access (since, as I mentioned above, after the grace period ends, you will not be able to access databases). But: I cannot do research for you, or email you materials from Columbia’s licensed databases.