How do I obtain a copy of a journal article if it is not electronically available?
You can use the interlibrary loan system to have our staff either scan/send copy of journal that we have in print or to obtain from another library. Either way, materials will be your university email after registering for the system. Using this service is free and unlimited for those affiliated with the University of Iowa (including UIHC).
Please view more detail about this service on the Hardin Library Interlibrary Loan page.
How do I access electronic resources off-campus?
You need to start at a University of Iowa Libraries web page in order to be validated through the proxy server.
If you are using health sciences resources, start at the Hardin Library page: www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin
Once you select a resource, you will be prompted to authenticate with your hawk id and password. After entering this information, you should gain full access to the resource. If you experience problems with using your hawk id and password, visit: http://hawkid.uiowa.edu/
It is possible that a firewall may obstruct access to resources. If you are continuing to have difficulty with access after following above directions, try this:
- Start at Virtual Private Network: https://vpn.uiowa.edu
- Browse to the Hardin Library page and continue.
How do I access an electronic copy of a journal article?
Select the UI Link button from any library database to determine whether the library has electronic access to the resource.
When the UI link window opens, it will state if full text is available. In most cases, you can then choose the first link that is displayed from the UI Link window in order to connect to the full text. On occasion, it might be necessary to navigate to the correct volume/issue/page # to access the article.
What do I do if I am having issues with accessing electronic resources?
Sometimes, even when you do everything correctly, you still may encounter a problem accessing electronic resources. Here are some tips:
UI Libraries subscribes to resources based on how many people we anticipate may be simultanously using material. If you receive an error message that indicates that all user seats are occupied, try again later. If the problem continues, please notify us.
If the UI Link button indicates that full text is available but you are not taken directly to it, be aware that sometimes you may be directed to a publisher page that requires you to navigate to the correct volume and issue. If you encounter problems, contact us so we can help troubleshoot.
Can I have a librarian perform a literature search for me?
If you are faculty or staff affiliated with the University of Iowa, including UIHC, you may request a literature search to be completed for you. A few of the common prompts that we may ask to help us are below.
- How comprehensive of a search do you need? If you need a comprehensive search, it is likely best to discuss in person or by phone (and ideally, build the search together).
- Are you looking for journal information, or are you also interested in web resources, unpublished reports and guidelines, books, etc.?
- Do you want to apply other limits (English only? Past 10 years? Research?)
- When do you need it?
Hardin Library does have a web form if you would prefer this method to get started.
