FAQ

If any item is already checked out or is not owned by our Library, you can search for it in the I-Share catalog. I-Share lets you request books from other academic libraries in the state of Illinois.

Requesting materials through I-Share works the same way it does in the U of I Library Catalog and requires the same login information. (Any time you are searching within the Library Catalog, you can switch to searching all of I-Share simply by selecting "All I-Share Libraries" from the drop-down menu in the right side of the search box after you get your search results list.)

If you cannot find something in both the U of I Library Catalog and the I-Share Catalog, you can request a copy through Interlibrary Loan.

We offer these options in lieu of recalling the item. Thanks to I-Share and our speedy Interlibrary Loan service, this will usually get the item to you much more quickly than a recall would.

Faculty, emeritus faculty, staff, and graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign can have circulating library materials delivered to their campus mail address, if that address is listed in their library borrower record. When requesting the book, choose “Campus Mail” as the pick-up location. To check your borrower record, log into your library account to view your contact information and mailing address, or contact Central Access Services.

You can return most University of Illinois and I-Share library materials to any Urbana campus library location, regardless of where they were originally checked out.

Exceptions to this are loanable technology items, which should be returned to the library they originated from, and Interlibrary Loan materials, which must be returned to the Circulation Desk on the second floor of the Main Library.

For more information, including outside bookdrop locations, see the Return Items guide.

Bound journals from the Mathematics Library are located at Main Library 1 East due to the renovation of Altgeld Hall.

• Bound journals may circulate to Mathematics/Statistics Department Faculty and Graduate Students only.
• Unbound journals are for library room use.

If you wish to borrow or renew non-circulating materials, such as bound periodicals, from the Math Library Collections in the Main Library Stacks, please contact the Mathematics Library staff by email at math@library.illinois.edu, specifying the desired loan period (typically one week). For immediate assistance, call us at 217-333-0258 from 9 AM to 4 PM.

Our staff will verify your status and put a request on your behalf. Once processed, the items will be available for pickup at the Main Library’s circulation desk within one to two business days. Contacting us directly will streamline the verification process and minimize your waiting time.

Please remember that journals are to be returned as soon as possible. Lost or damaged journals will be a $300 fine.

Since the upcoming renovation of Altgeld Hall, the Mathematics Library collection is temporarily located at Main Library stacks 1 East. New books circulate as other books do.

You may be looking at one of several citation types, and telling the difference between them is tricky. We have listed some of the different, but most common, citation formats that you may see during the course of your research, on our blog post Difficult Citations.

Distinguishing the title of the paper/article from the title/name of the journal/book/conference proceeding is important; you will need to search by the title of the book/journal/conference proceeding rather than the individual paper or article unless you are using an online search engine such as Google or Google Scholar.

You can search the abbreviation in MathSciNet.

If the library doesn't have the journal in print or online, you have options:

• Request a photocopy of the article via Interlibrary Loan.
• Look in MathSciNet to see if it is available online.

You can use the information that you already have (author(s), title, etc) to find the entire paper if it exists in print. Do keep in mind that not all conferences and abstracts are published.

Use either MathSciNet or Zentralblatt MATH to locate completed papers.   Once you have the source (the journal or book in which the paper is published), you can search in the Library Catalog.  Search for the entire book or journal rather than title of the specific paper.  In addition to the print materials that the Mathematics Library subscribes to, the library has electronic journals available online. 

If the source citation looks strange, it may be an abbreviation of the full name. You can search abbreviated names, for the full titles in MathSciNet.

If you are unable to locate the paper through any of these means, search the author’s name, in the above databases, to see if they have published a different paper on a similar topic. It may contain comparable information that may be useful.

Out-of-Date Journal Names

You may have a citation with an out-of-date journal name; periodical names often change over time. If you cannot find the journal/periodical name in the Library Catalog, try looking in MathSciNet. MathSciNet's Journal Database contains journal names and all of their name changes; click on the "Journals" tab to search by journal title or abbreviation.

Old Citations

If the citation that you have is old (10-20 years) and you are having problems searching because you are unsure whether the periodical title is still the same, there are several places that you can look to verify the title. Search MathSciNet's journal database. It has all of the name changes in its database. If you are unable to locate the title there, search the Zentralblatt MATH database. Its aims and scope are similar, but it may have different titles indexed. Another database is the Jahrbuch Project. It is similar to both MathSciNet and Zentralblatt MATH in terms of search strategies but may have a title you cannot find elsewhere.

The Mathematics Library receives materials in different languages. Our collection contains language dictionaries for translation assistance. If this does not help, there are language departments on campus who have lists of individuals willing to work as translators. Keep in mind that this is not free service.  

You can search either (or both) MathSciNet or Zentralblatt MATH to see if an English version is available. 

You can also use Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory, available online.

If you have a suggestion for a new purchase we would love to heard from you!

You can make a request either by contacting your subject librarian or by using this web form. Please include as much information about the item as you can.

The library is happy to consider potential gifts from donors. Email libgifts@library.illinois.edu to make inquiries about donations, pick-ups, and acknowledgements. For more information see our page on Gifts and Donations.

For information on different study spaces on campus, and how to reserve a group study room, please visit our Room Reserve Library Guide.

The Division of Disability Resources and Education Services (DRES) has 2 additional study rooms with assistive technology available. Keys to these rooms are also available at the Undergraduate Library Circulation Desk.

To find study spaces based on certain criteria, please use IlliniSpaces.

Information about personal, group, self-guided audio, multilingual, and video tours is available on the Library Tours page.

Check for scheduled in-person new student tours at the beginning of the semester on the Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support (TLAS) calendar.

Some library spaces provide information about tours on their webpages, for example:

• Map Library
• Mathematics Library
• Music and Performing Arts Library (MPAL)
• Oak Street High Density Storage

Also available is the Virtual Campus Tour - Libraries - A UIHistories Project

For physical materials, you can apply for a library courtesy borrowing card.

Because of licensing agreements, the University's online resources are only available to University students, faculty, or staff. If you are visiting campus, you can access these subscription-based resources on the public computers available in each U of I library. For complete information on who can access e-resources, please review this e-resource policy page.

If you are a visiting scholar or may be engaged in research on the university's behalf, it may be possible to gain External Affiliate status. The U of I Library has no connection to this process. You must have a sponsor employed by the U of I and they must apply on your behalf. Please see this web page from campus Technology Services for more information on this process.

Also see our guide on Publicly Available Research Resources for a list of free online research resources.

Bound journals from the Mathematics Library are located at Main Library 1 East due to the renovation of Altgeld Hall.

• Bound journals may circulate to Mathematics/Statistics Department Faculty and Graduate Students only.
• Unbound journals are for library room use.

If you wish to borrow or renew non-circulating materials, such as bound periodicals, from the Math Library Collections in the Main Library Stacks, please contact the Mathematics Library staff by email at math@library.illinois.edu, specifying the desired loan period (typically one week). For immediate assistance, call us at 217-333-0258 from 9 AM to 4 PM.

Our staff will verify your status and put a request on your behalf. Once processed, the items will be available for pickup at the Main Library’s circulation desk within one to two business days. Contacting us directly will streamline the verification process and minimize your waiting time.

Please remember that journals are to be returned as soon as possible. Lost or damaged journals will be a $300 fine.

Since the upcoming renovation of Altgeld Hall, the Mathematics Library collection is temporarily located at Main Library stacks 1 East. New books circulate as other books do.

The University of Illinois Library has created a number of apps and mobile websites for finding library materials and using the library. In addition, many more apps and mobile-friendly websites are available for library resources, research, and citation managers.

For a full list of library-related apps and mobile websites, please visit the Mobile Friendly Resources Library Guide.

For information on where to find printers, copiers, and scanners in U of I's campus libraries, please visit our library technology page. This page also shows you how to:

• Print from a library computer
• Print from your laptop
• Request print refunds

There are a limited number of copiers on campus. If you need to make copies of documents, we recommend you scan and then print them using one of the library's printers. For more information on public printing, please visit Library IT.

If you are unaffiliated with the university, there is a KIC Bookeye Scanner in the Scholarly Commons room 220 in the Main Library. Patrons can save scans to a USB drive or forward to any email address.

For information on how to view, scan, and print microform on campus, please visit the Microform Library Guide.

You can also use computer labs throughout the university to print. Here is a listing of university computer lab locations and hours. 

Free wireless internet is provided for affiliated members of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; guests can also register for a guest account. For more information about our wireless, please visit Technology Services, where you can also learn more information about the individual networks.

Ethernet ports are no longer supported in the library.

Public computers are available for general walkup use. For more information on Walkup Computing, please visit Technology Services.

Yes, loanable technology is available at several different libraries on campus. The Main Library’s Media Commons, the Music & Performing Arts Library, and the IDEA Lab (Grainger Library) have a variety of equipment available for longer term loans. The Orange Room, the Ricker Library, and the Communications Library have technology that can be borrowed for shorter periods.