FAQs

Home

If you don't find your answer here, please email reflib@royalroads.ca or telephone 250-391-2575!

How do I cite my references?

Contact the RRU Writing Centre with any writing questions including citation support!

Top

What is the RefWorks Group Code?

The RefWorks Group Code is the password the identifies you as a member of the Royal Roads community. The code, RWRoyalR, is case sensitive. Make sure to type it in exactly as shown. From there, you will be asked for the username and password for your personal RefWorks account.

Top

Help! I can't get in to the online databases - what should I do?

Alumni?
Use of the databases is restricted to those who are currently enrolled as RRU learners or who are employed by RRU.

Learner or Staff?
Now, let's first try to figure out at what point your access to the article databases is failing. Did you follow these steps?

  • Start at Library home page http://library.royalroads.ca
  • Choose Search for Articles.
  • You will be prompted to authenticate by entering your RRU username and password.
  • You should now be in a alphabetical list of our online resources.
  • If you have returned to the Authentication page your ID/password may be the problem.

**Note**You only use your library barcode to renew books and place requests within the RRU Library catalogue.

Now you've made it into the alphabetical listing - still having access problems?

Are you having problems getting into just one or all of the databases?If you can't get into any of them, then there could be a couple of problems: our proxy server, Ezproxy, might not be working properly, or more likely, the computer or computer system that you're using to access the databases might have a firewall in place that prevents your access. This can be the case if you're encountering problems while trying to access the databases from a computer at work.

Why isn't Ezproxy working for database X, while it is working for Y? The security setting on your machine may be set too high. Some of the online resources require the ability to write cookies or run javascript. If you have these functions disabled then the resources will not work.

Why is Ezproxy returning a "maximum number of users reached" message? This message is more than likely coming from the database vendor. Try again later and if the message persists for more than a few hours please contact the Computer Help Desk at (helpdesk@royalroads.ca) and let them know what the error message is and what database you are trying unsuccessfully to access.

Where can I find out more about Ezproxy? http://www.usefulutilities.com/ezproxy/

It is also important that your browser  be set to accept cookies - many of the databases will not let you in if your browser is set to refuse cookies.

It is also important to note that you cannot bookmark database access pages or results from most databases. You must link to the databases through the proxy server every time to validate that you are a licensed member of the RRU community - it may appear that you got in but the databases don't recognize your IP address without Ezproxy and so may not allow you to retrieve search results.

If you're still having problems, especially in accessing a particular database, please contact the librarians at reflib@royalroads.ca for assistance.

Top

I have a citation to an article, now how do I find the article?

To search for an article when you have the citation (i.e author, title, journal title, date, etc) use the Search RRU Journals List located in the centre column of the Library homepage.

Search RRU Journal List is a searchable database that tells you which full text journal titles you have access to both in print and through online subscriptions.

  1. From the Library home page http://library.royalroads.ca click on Search RRU journals list.
  2. Enter the title of the journal you are looking for, then click Search. Your results will (hopefully) be a list of online databases which contain the journal. Remember that this search will only look for full text access to a journal, not where it could be indexed.
  3. Choose a database from the results list. (Examine each closely as different databases contain different date ranges and formats)
  4. Be aware that some links will take you directly to the journal title level (such as in Ebscohost), while others (such as in Proquest) will take you to the database and you will have to search again (usually using a variation of the title of the article).
  5. Be aware that some journals are never available in electronic format and some are only available after 1995.
  6. Can't find what you are looking for? Send an email to the Librarians at reflib@royalroads.ca and we can help.

Top

How do I get a COPPUL card?

The COPPUL card allows learners, staff and faculty to borrow books from participating Canadian university collections. To obtain a COPPUL card, you will need to have your Royal Roads ID card. You can request one in person at the Library front desk, or you can email us lrcnotices@royalroads.ca  or phone us with your request (250) 391-2575. Please note, COPPUL cards can only be used in-person at participating libraries.

Top

I'm an RRU alumnus. Why can't I access the online databases anymore?

Libraries generally make information freely available when they can. This is why anyone can search library catalogues over the Internet to see what materials a library holds. This is also why anyone can search information that libraries create in-house, such as specialized bibliographies, training materials, etc.

As a guest or an alumni user of any library, you will encounter a barrier to accessing some online library resources because these come from information service vendors who license their products for use only by the current students and staff of a particular university. Many of these products have a commercial version and corresponding price structure that we are seen to undermine if we provide alumni access. Of course this is not an ideal situation for the online researcher, but this is the legal framework in which libraries, information providers, and researchers operate.

Good news is that public libraries often license similar resources for onsite and remote access by their users. Check out your public library's selection!

Please also see the resources that we have collected that are available for RRU Alumni use.

Top

How do I have a book mailed to me from the RRU collection?

Currently enrolled learners can request that books be sent to them from the RRU collection. Email the title, author, call number and your mailing address to rruill@royalroads.ca. This is a free service. Books are sent return postage pre-paid.

Top

How do I place a hold on an item that is checked out?

To place a hold on an item online, you must first find the item in the Voyager Catalogue Search for Books on the Library homepage http://library.royalroads.ca. If the item status has a due date (i.e the item is on loan) you can place a request (also called a hold) on that item. (Note: if the item status is "available" (i.e. in the library) you will not be able to put a hold on the item. Remember also to check the number of items to find out if there are more copies available).

Once you have the short record for the item on the screen (i.e. you can see the due date at the bottom of the screen), click the "Request" button in the purple bar from the top of the page. You will then have to enter your barcode number (the number underneath the barcode on your Onecard - not your student number) and your last name (just your surname with no initial) and click "Ok". (A hold means that the item will be blocked for renewal by the patron who currently has it signed out).

After choosing hold and clicking OK, you must re-enter your barcode in the appropriate spot on the next screen, and add any other instructions you would like to have apply to your request. Also, placing your hold on "Any copy" rather than a specified copy will mean you get the first available copy. When finished click "Submit Request".

When the item requested is returned it will be placed on the hold shelf and you will be notified that it is available for pick up. Items on hold are kept on the shelf for 5 days. If you no longer need the item please contact the Library (250-391-2575). If you do not pick the item up you will be charged a one time processing fee of $1 per item.

If you have any problems placing holds online, please contact the staff at the LRC by phone (250-391-2575), email, or in person.

Top

Should I buy a citation manager like EndNote?

What are bibliographic citation managers?

Bibliographic citation managers are pieces of software that let you save and manage the results of your library research - the article and book citations you find. What really makes citation managers useful, though, is that they can also automatically generate and format your bibliographies in whatever citation style you choose (eg, APA, MLA, Chicago etc.)

You do not need to buy a citation manager while you are enrolled at Royal Roads. The RRU Library has paid for the rights of all current learners, faculty and staff to use a web-based product called RefWorks. The big benefits of using a web-based citation manager are that you, the learner, do not have to download any software and that you can use RefWorks from any internet-connected computer.

You must log in to use RefWorks. The first time you access RefWorks you create your own personal and private account. From then on you log in using that account information. You may have more than one RefWorks account and you can also create accounts to share with classmates when you have group projects.

Refworks has very good tutorials and help files to assist users in understanding how to use the tool. They can be accessed by clicking on either the 'Help' or 'Tutorial' links at the top of the RefWorks screen.

When you are exporting records from one our databases, like EBSCO, you will be prompted to enter the 'Group Code': RWRoyalR. This 'Group Code' is the password that identifies you as a member of the Royal Roads community. After entering the Group Code, you enter your account username and password.

RefWorks should be accessed from the link on the left side of the RRU library home page. This links you to a web page that further explains RefWorks and provides links to a tutorial, a PDF help guide and the RefWorks site.

Top

How do I use the Online Databases?

No FAQ I could ever write could adequately explain how to effectively choose from and search the 50 odd databases to which the RRU Library subscribes. This FAQ is meant only to be a brief overview of the process, and will provide a link to some of our online help guides. Please know that we RRU Librarians are more than happy for you to make an appointment to discuss your research needs, or drop by or email us - please see how to contact a librarian for more info.

That being said, the link to the online databases is located on the library main page at http://library.royalroads.ca under the link "Search for Articles". If you have any problems accessing the databases, please see the Database Access FAQ link.

The online databases are generally indexes of the *contents* (i.e articles) of periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers), but also in some cases also index book chapters, conference proceedings, association papers, theses, directories, and more. You do not go to the list of online databases to search for books, videos, or *titles* of journals. (To search for books, etc. at the RRU Library, you click the Search for Books on the main library page. To look for books at other institions, please find links to their library catalogues under the Other Libraries link on the main library page.)

The online databases are each made by different companies who index thousands of periodicals and then license that indexing to us and to other libraries. You can imagine that at the library we receive a large number of periodicals every day - to go through and create a list of all the contents of each of these periodicals would be a huge job! That's why we and other libraries pay for this type of service, although we do not subscribe to every periodical that is indexed by their service. In so far as these services are created by different companies, each database will have different functionality, may have a unique interface, and may cover the contents of different periodicals, although you may also find that there is overlap among different databases as well.

Unlike the print article indexes that are the ancestors of the online databases, searching in the online databases will often provide you with more than just a citation (title of the article, author(s), title of the journal the article is in, volume, issue, and page numbers, abstract, subject headings) for an article. Many of the online databases will provide the fulltext of the article as well. Note the fulltext icons in the alphabetical listing of databases beside the links to databases which are partially or completely fulltext. However, just because an online database does not have fulltext, however, does not mean it is not useful!!! Many of the citation-only databases are the most comprehensive resouces for the discipline they cover (e.g. ERIC for education-related articles). For help on choosing a database, please see the link to database descriptions beside the Online databases alphabetical listing link, or remember you can always contact a librarian. And now using our Search RRU Journals List you can search for a specific journal title and find out if we have access to it in full text or in Print.

Some databases, like Ebscohost and Proquest, cover a wide range of subjects and a large number of journals. Therefore, both Ebscohost and Proquest are a good place to start regardless of your subject, especially because each is about 80% fulltext so that you can have immediate access to articles. In addition to getting you started quickly, this may help you think of new words to use in your search for additional material.

Speaking of words to use in your search, most of the databases have a basic search screen and an advanced search screen. The basic search screen is often a good place to start doing simple keyword searches. If you're too general in your search, you'll get too many results, and if you're too specific you'll get too few (although this may also mean you're not using the best database for your topic). Try doing a quick keyword search and start looking at one or two articles that are close to what you want. Read the abstracts and subject headings in the records. This can be a great way to collect more words that will be helpful in your search string, and will help solidify exactly what your search topic is (and is not) in your own mind. The advanced search screen can often be helpful if you're searching for a particular article, a particular journal title, or if you wish to place specific limits on your search.

Note also that the online databases almost always require you to perform your search using the operators "and", "or", and "not". For instance, if I were searching a topic like "How to make community stakeholders more involved in sustainablity policy leadership", I might use a search string like "community and stakeholders and sustainability and policy". Note that the word "and" links each of those keywords, so that each of those keywords will appear in each of the results though not necessarily in that order. If, instead, my search string was "community stakeholders and sustainability policy", "community stakeholders" and "sustainability policy" usually will be searched as phrases rather than as keywords. This will create a smaller list of results. Think carefully about whether or not your terms will most usefully be searched as keywords or as phrases.

Remember that different databases cover different journals, but there may be some overlap in coverage. This means that although one fulltext database may not have a journal in fulltext, another database might. Harvard Business Review, for example is fulltext in the Business Source file of Ebscohost, but is not fulltext in Proquest, even though it is indexed (the contents for HBR are listed) in both databases. Remember also that RRU library has print subscriptions to various journals, as well as providing links to some journals online: if you can't find the fulltext for an article in one of the online databases, search the title of the journal in our library catalogue to see if we have a print subscription or link to an online version of the journal that is not in the database. If there is no access to the fulltext of an article through the RRU online databases or print journals collection, you may still be able to get the article through interlibrary loan.

There is much more that can be learned about each of the databases to make your search faster, more efficient, and give you the best possible results. For more specific help on how to use a particular online database, please see the help guides or contact a librarian.

Top

I would like to get a copy of a book or journal article that RRU doesn't have. What should I do?

When you need a book or an article that RRU doesn't have, our library staff can, on your behalf, try to request that that item be sent to RRU for you from another library that does have that item. This process is called Interlibrary Loan. But before you go this route, see if RRU has full text access to a journal you need by using the Search RRU Journals List.

Any Interlibrary Loan request will take a minimum of one week to process, as our staff must verify which libraries own the item, negotiate with one (or more) of them as to whether or not it is available for interlibrary loan, and then wait for it to arrive here, usually via regular mail.

For our staff to process your interlibrary loan quickly and efficiently, we need you to provide complete bibliographic information for every item you request, including:

  • Article or Book title
  • Author (& editor if applicable)
  • Journal Title
  • Volume & issue of journal
  • Pages of article or excerpt
  • Date of publication
  • Date by which the loan or copy is no longer needed

Once you have this information, please send your request to our interlibrary loans staff at the RRU interlibrary loan email address rruill@royalroads.ca or you can call them at 391-2600, Ext. 4247, or you can fill out an interlibrary loan request form at the library.

This service is usually free of charge for currently enrolled learners. If an items is especially rare or difficult to source, we would need to pass the cost of the loan on to  to the requestor. Our interlibrary loans staff person will inform you of any costs before processing the request. Renewals are possible only at the discretion of the library of origin.

Top

What happens if I don't return my books on time?

All library items have fines attached to them. If they are overdue, you will be charged fines. How much you will be charged and the rate at which the fines accumulate depends on the type of item you have overdue (please see the Loan Periods and Fines page).

Please be aware that Courtesy Notices are sent to patrons 5 days before the item is due (this is not applicable to reserve items), to alert you to either return or renew the items. Renewals can be done online (through the Patron Information page), by email, or by phone. Note that overdue fines that accumulate before a renewal will not be waived except under special circumstances. If you wish to dispute a fine, please fill out a Fines Appeal Form, available at the LRC.

Top

What is a call number?

The first set of shelves you see as you come down the stairs from the Circulation Desk are classified under the Library of Congress system. The first part of an LC call number consists of a combination of one or two letters and a number that indicates a subject area. Subsequent combinations of letters and numbers narrow down the subject area. The last letter and the numbers after it indicate the author or title of the book. For example:

  • QK general subject area: botany
  • 203 botany specific to Canada by province
  • B7 specific subject area: British Columbia
  • C54 author's name: Clark

Note that while the first number in an LC call number is read as a whole number [e.g. 203 above], subsequent numbers are read as decimals [e.g B7 above]. Therefore, QK 40 comes before QK 203 but QK 203.B7 C54 comes before QK 203. B7 C6.

Top

Does the library have any videos or any place to watch videos?

Do we have videos?! We have some great videos! The best way to search for videos using our library catalogue is to mix a keyword for your subject, e.g. "mathematics" with the keyword "videorecording", or to see a list of all our videos, just search "videorecording" as a keyword - we have over 400!

 

A television and VCR are available in the Library for viewing videos on campus. Please contact our video booking staff at rru-video-bookings@royalroads.ca or the library circulation desk as 391-2575 to book this equipment.

Community borrowers are unfortunately not allowed to borrow videos. This is because many of the negotiated licenses for videos under which the library is allowed to acquire the videos stipulate that only RRU faculty, staff, and learners may use them.

You can also request videos that aren't in the RRU collection through interlibrary loan. RRU has an agreement with other BC post-secondary institutions with whom we borrow and lend through the media exchange co-operative. The costs to borrow are $7.50 per title for the video, plus courier charges both ways (about $20 total). You can browse the videos available through interlibrary loan in the Outlook Online database (containing over 55,000 educational videotapes and films in B.C. university, college and institute libraries). When searching, choose only the "ELN Media Cat" option for library listings of audiovisual recordings. Please contact our video booking staff at rru-video-bookings@royalroads.ca or the library circulation desk at 391-2600 ext 4247 to request a video through interlibrary loan.

Top