Table of Contents
· Introduction
· Mission
· Location
· Working Hours
· Facilities
· Library Etiquette
· Library Services
o Borrowing
o Reference Services
o Research Assistance
o Document Delivery / Interlibrary Loan Service
o Current Awareness Service
o User Education
· Library Resources
o myuos Portal
o The Online Catalog
o Athens
o Book Collection
· To Find a Book
· To Find an Electronic Book
o Periodicals
· Journal Finder
· Print Holdings
o Audio-Visual Materials
o Online Databases
· Search the Online Databases / Find Articles
o Subject Guides
o In-House Databases
· Arabic Articles Database
· Graduation Projects Database
· Past Exam Papers
· Acquisition of Materials
· Copyright
· Plagiarism
· Suggestions
· Quick Guide
· Contact Us
· Address
Introduction
The University of Sharjah manages the various functional issues of four campus libraries located respectively in (M2) the Men's Colleges,(W2) the Women's Colleges, (M26) Medical and health sciences complex and College of Fine Arts.
Furthermore, the Department of Libraries actively supports the community College educational mission by providing its five branch libraries with professional technical services, which include acquiring, cataloging and processing of all library materials. The library also provides general guidance, training, and shares experience, for the advancement of these libraries.
Mission
UOS library mission is to support the academic programs and research activities of the University, through: acquiring the most relevant information resources, using the state-of-the-art library standards to disseminate these resources, and keeping users and staff in touch with the most advanced trends and practices associated with effective management and use of library resources and services.
Location
The UOS library is located in four separate buildings. four campus libraries located respectively in (M2) the Men's Colleges,(W2) the Women's Colleges, (M26) Medical and health sciences complex and College of Fine Arts. Each library contains a growing collection in all subjects covering the university’s programs for study and research.
The physically separated libraries are fully automated and directly linked to all faculty and university offices through the university network. Such link enables users to search the library catalog, electronic databases and a range of other sources of information.
Working Hours
The libraries’ weekly working hours are as follows:
Open / CloseAll / Medical / Men's / Women's / Fine Art
Sunday / 8:00 AM / 9:00PM / 9:00PM / 8:00 PM / 4:30 PM
Monday / 8:00 AM / 9:00PM / 9:00PM / 8:00 PM / 4:30 PM
Tuesday / 8:00 AM / 9:00PM / 9:00PM / 8:00 PM / 4:30 PM
Wednesday / 8:00 AM / 9:00PM / 9:00PM / 8:00 PM / 4:30 PM
Thursday / 8:00 AM / 9:00PM / 7:00 PM / 6:00PM / 4:30 PM
Friday / Closed
The Medical Library opens on Saturday from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
The librariesare closed on all UAE national holidays, and official University holidays.
Change in the schedule for Ramadan Month and Summer Holiday will be posted in advance.
Facilities
§ Group and Individual Study Areas are available at each library, in a congenial and healthy environment.
§ Computer Labs at UOS Libraries connected to the Internet and uploaded with a growing number of web-based educational resources.
§ Wireless Networking is available in all University of Sharjah libraries to allow library patrons use their own laptops and access the Internet, library catalog, and other electronic resources.
§ Computer Labs are connected to a networked self-service printers for both black & white and color copies.
§ Self Photocopying Service through a coin operated photocopy machine is available in all four libraries. (1Dhs / 10 pages)
§ Microfiche / Microfilm Readers and photocopiers are available.
§ Scanners are connected to the networked computers for students' use.
§ A State-of-the-Art Multimedia Rooms equipped with new educational technology are available for use by students and faculty through reservation at the reference desk.
§ Listening Stations, for the use of English Language Audios as well asGraded Readers tapes.
Library Etiquette
Users are invited to make the most of library resources and services; in return they are kindly requested to observe the Library Rules,
§ Maintain an atmosphere of quietness, keep the conversation to the minimum,
§ Switch off or silence the mobile phones.
§ Do not eat or drink in the library.
§ Report any problem you face to the library staff.
Library Services
UOS Libraries aim toprovide accurate, relevant and up-to-date information to support teaching, learning and research activities across the university. The Information servicesstaff assists patrons seeking information by providing quality and professional services. These are the basic services provided by Libraries:
· Borrowing
· Reference Services
· Research Assistance
· Document Delivery / Interlibrary Loan Service
· Current Awareness Service
· User Education
Borrowing service
Standard Books
Borrowing privileges are extended only to University of Sharjah currently enrolled faculty, students and staff who hold a valid UOS ID cards for periods specified below. However, number of books can be borrowed may change depending on the course subjects, availability of related books and the library utilized.
· Faculty 20 books for a full academic semester
· Teacher Assistants 8 books for 6 weeks
· Postgraduate 8 booksfor 4 weeks
· Undergraduate 4 books for 2 weeks
· Staff 4 booksfor 2 weeks
It is the borrower responsibility to be aware of the “Due Date” and Request a Renewal. must be received by the due date.
Reserved Collection
· Specific items chosen by faculty may be placed on reserve, as long as with textbooks for the current semester.
· Reserved materials are for internal use only. However, some titles (which are not highly demanded) can be borrowed for overnight and weekends with special permission from the librarian.
· Borrowing of the Reserved Materials will not be allowed during the exam periods.
· Students may borrow, using their valid IDs, two “Reserve Items” at a time, for two hours in-library use only.
Reference Collection
· Only Faculty members and Teaching Assistants may check out reference materials for not more than 7 days loan period, subject to recall at a short notice if required.
Periodicals
· Faculty members are eligible to borrow the current periodical issue for 2 days.
Non-Printed Materials (Audio-Visual, floppies, CDs, DVDs, ..etc)
· Faculty members are eligible to borrow the non-printed materials for overnight or weekends
Renewals
· Borrowed item can be renewed, if not on heavy demand or a “Recall” / “Hold” request is placed on the item, by bringing them to the Circulation Desk, with the borrower’s ID cards.
Hold
· A “Hold” request may be placed at the circulation Desk for a required checked out items. A notification will be sent to the holder once the book is returned.
Recalls
· All books are subject to recall at a short notice if needed in special circumstances.
Reminders
· The library system sends, automatically, alerts to the borrowers reminding them with their borrowings’ due date
Overdue Materials
· The Library material is due on the most recent date stamped on the “Due Date” card at the back cover of the book.
· The borrowing privileges will be blocked for students who have overdue library materials.
Library Fines and Charges
§ Regular overdue fines are I Dirham per day per item (maximum 45 Dirham).
Charges for Lost / Damaged items
§ A borrower may replace lost / damaged materials with copies accepted by the library. The charge for replacing item is processing / service fee (DHS 30)
§ The charge for a lost / damaged library material, failed to be replaced by the borrower, is double the actual cost plus a processing/ Service Fee of (DHS 30)
Inter-Library Loan (ILL) Service
§ Arrangements are made between the University of Sharjah Library and American University of Sharjah Library, allowing the Interlibrary Loan librarians in both libraries to be responsible for borrowing and returning materials from each institution.
Reciprocal Borrowing
§ Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement was signed between the University of Sharjah Library and American University of Sharjah Library, allowing only Faculty Members from each institution to check out materials in person without going through the Interlibrary Loan service.
Reciprocal Borrowing Policy
Reference Services
· Professional librarians are available to provide Reference Services by guiding the users in accessing a wide range of library information resources and services.
· Reference Librarians are just a phone call or keystroke away. You can submit your inquiry either in person, or by phone, or virtually by filling the “Ask the Librarian” E-Form form available on the Library Homepage. Or by phone by calling.
Research Assistance
Reference Librarians are available for in-depth personalized research assistance. Students, who are working on research projects, are encouraged to seek help in defining the topic terms, formatting a well-built search strategy, selecting proper resources to search, performing the search and locating materials.
For assistance, please contact your library to schedule for an individual appointment with the reference librarian.
Literature Search
The library provides its users with information packages upon request, contain documents and result lists retrieved from multiple information resources such as books, periodicals, databases, the Web, ..etc.
Document Delivery / Interlibrary Loan Service
· Document Delivery / ILL Service allow users to request photocopies of articles from scientific journals, conference proceedings, reports or other documents. All are available free of charge to our users.
· Articles can be requested online by using theDocument Delivery E-Form available on the library homepage.
Current Awareness Service
The UOS Libraries offer Current Awareness Service such as,
· Table of contents of recently received specific periodicals, are sent to the faculty on regular basis, when received at the library.
· Regular library updates are e-mailed to faculty members and students, to promote new resources and explain procedures on how to access and search them
· A New Arrivals List includes the recently acquired books in one month, is published on the library homepage regularly.
· “Academicl Sites Newsletter” which includes links to new valuable academic websites, is published in the Web Medical Resources Page
· The Academic Library Blog was set up, aiming to provide up-to-date information on academic resources and promote the library collection, services, and training sessions.
· Brochures, Signs and Posters are available in all libraries and via the library homepage.
User Education
A comprehensive library instruction sessions that introduce library resources and services, are conducted all year through.
The library offers
· Basic sessions for fresh users.
· Advanced sessions, for senior students.
· On-demand sessions, according to the context of the subject and course.
· Tutorials are available to support the training sessions, guiding the users on how to search the online catalogue, online databases, library services offered, electronic resources available in the library, …etc.
Library Resources
The Library maintains a broad range of print information resources as well as electronic, covering all disciplines and additional curricula activities at the University.
myuos Portal
Library Resources and Electronic Services are accessible from the library page via “myuos Portal”.
When you access the “myuos Portal”, click on the “Library” link, then on the “Search” category (at the left side menu). You may add the library homepage link to your “Favorites” for fast and easy access.
The Online Catalog
All library resources including books, journals and audio-visual materials, are searchable through the library online catalog (OPAC). There are dedicated workstations throughout the library to access the Catalog, and the catalog can be accessed off campus via the library homepage as well.
Athens
Remote access for the electronic resources is allowed through Athens software that allows users who are off-campus to search the online databases and retrieve research papers.
Book Collection
A wide range of Print and Electronic Books in core subject areas is provided to support undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as university research activities.
To Find a Book
Use the Online Catalog (Brief Steps)
· Go to “myuos portal”, the Library Homepage, click on “Search” – Find A Book - Online Catalog - English
· Select Keyword Search, type your term(s). For more than one term, use (AND)
· Check the results. Click on the required book, and note down the Shelf No.
· Books are arranged on shelves by subjects. The library adopts the Library of Congress Classification System (LC). For the Medical Library, the National Library of Medicine Classification System (NLM) is implemented.
· (The LC & NLM Subject Outlines are available on the shelves’ wooden panels at the library)
To Find an Electronic Book
· Go to myuos portal, the Library Homepage, and click on “Search”, Find A Book, eBooks@UOS
· Select the required database.
· Type your search terms in the “Search Field”
· Titles & Chapters on the required subject from various books, will be retrieved in one list.
· Select the proper chapter, then save or print.
For Medical Colleges
· Use the AnatomyTV : The Electronic 3D Anatomy Atlas
· Use the Image Database, to find Medical Images
Periodicals
The library subscribes to Arabic and Foreign periodicals, arranged alphabetically by title on the display shelves. Alphabetical and Colleges’ Lists of Journal holdings are available online through the “Search Page” via the myuos Portal - library homepage.
To Find a Journal
Journal Finder (Library Holdings & Full-Text Journals available in the Databases)
· Go to myuos portal, the Library Homepage, and click on “Search” – Find A Journal
· Select “Journal Finder”, A management tool for the full-text periodicals, available through the subscribed databases and print holdings
· You can search by Title, keyword or by subject
The results will indicate if the required periodical is available or not, and will list full information about the journal, its availability, and range of years
Print Journal Holdings
· Go to myuos portal, the Library Homepage, and click on “Search” – Find A Journal
· Select “By Colleges” category, to find the related journals