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Getting Started at the Library

Accessing Information

Articles

To access articles from magazines and scholarly journals:

1) When searching in TWUniversal, click the title of the article you want to access.

Screenshot of a search result in TWUniversal. A blue arrow is pointing to the article title, which is the first thing listed in the search result.

2) Scroll down the page to the "View It" section. There, you will find the names of databases where you can access the full text of the article. Click any of the database titles to continue.

Screenshot of the "View It" section of an item in TWUniversal. Beneath the words "View It" is a section with the words "Sign-in for more options." Beneath that are two instances of the words "Full text:" and then a hyperlinked database name. Blue arrows are pointing at the two hyperlinked database names.

3) If you are given a log-in screen, log in with the same TWU username and password you use everywhere else.

Screenshot of log-in screen for library resources. In large text are the words "Welcome to TWU Libraries Online Resources." Beneath that is a prompt to enter your Portal username and password. For the username, use only your username, not your full email address. For example, "JPioneer" not "JPioneer@twu.edu."

4) If the full text of the article is not immediately displayed once you're in a database, search the screen for the words "Full Text" or "PDF." Clicking a PDF or HTML Full Text file will allow you to access and download the full text of the article.

Screenshot of an article in an EbscoHOST database. On the left side of the screen, arrows point to the words "PDF Full Text" and "HTML Full Text." In the upper-right of the screen, and arrow points to a download icon.


Each database is a little bit different, but all of them use the words "full text" or "PDF" to indicate where to access the full text of the article.

Electronic Books

When searching for an e-book in TWUniversal, access the book using the following steps:

1) In your TWUniversal search results, click the title of the book you want to access.

Screenshot of an e-book search result in TWUniversal. A blue arrow points at the book title, which is at the top of the search result.

2) After clicking the book title, scroll down the page to the "View It" section. After the words "Full text," you will find the name of a database where you can access the book.

Screenshot of the "View It" section of an e-book in TWUniversal. Beneath the words "View It" and "Sign-in for more options" are the words "Full text" and then the database title "Ebook Central Academic Complete" which is hyperlinked. An arrow points to the database title.

3) ln most cases, there is no need to download an e-book. Instead, you can click "Read Online" any time you need to access the book.

Screenshot of a book in the Ebook Central database. Arrows point to a "Ready Online" button and a "Read Online" hyperlink located in the "Availability" section of the page.

Print Books

When using TWUniversal to search for print books, do the following to find the book:

  • After finding a print book in TWUniversal, find:
    • Its availability. Is it available or checked out?
    • Its location. Which campus, which collection and which floor or area of the building.
    • Its call number. The call number is how you will find the book on the shelf. Write this number down or take a photo of it. An example of a call number is TX393 .G58 2011.

Screenshot of a search result in TWUniversal. Beneath the book title, author and publication date is the following information, which is highlighted in a box: "Available at Denton - Blagg-Huey Library General Collection - 3rd Floor (TX393 .G58 2011)"

  • Go to the floor where the book is located. The shelves of books are arranged alphabetically. If your call number is TX393 .G58 2011, start by finding the T section.
  • Once you've found the T section, find the TX section. This is alphabetical. The sections are TA, TB, TC and so on until you find TX.
  • After you've found the TX section, focus on the number after that. If your call number is TX393 .G58 2011, and you've found the TX's, look for TX393 next. TX393 will be after TX300 but before TX400.
  • Once you've found the TX393 books, focus on the next letter in the call number. If your call number is TX393 .G58 2011, and you've found the TX393 books, then you need to find TX393 .G next. This is alphabetical again.
  • Once you've found the books that start with TX393 .G, focus on the next numbers in the call number. You now need to find TX393 .G58. Because this number comes after a period, treat the number like a decimal number. For some people, it may be easiest to think of these numbers like a percentage. So 0.58 is the same as 58%. So 58% (.58) comes before 70% (.7) but after 37.2% (.372). On the shelf, the books would be in the following order: .G372 -- .G58 -- .G7.
  • Once you find the books that start with TX393 .G58, you've probably already found your book! The final part of the call number, 2011, is the year it was published. This number only matters if you need a particular version of the book or are searching for the newest copy of the book.
 
Borrowing a Print Book

To borrow a print book, take the book and your TWU ID card to the desk at the entrance of the library and let a staff member know you'd like to borrow the book. Keep in mind that some books or book collections in the library.

Screenshot of a search result in TWUniversal. An arrow points to the words "No Checkout" in the availability and location information for the book. Full text: "Available at Denton - Blagg-Huey Library Woman's Collection - Cookbook (No Checkout) - 1st Floor"