Frequently Asked Questions - Document Delivery
Do you need materials (books, articles, conferences, theses, dissertations) that we don't have in the Cal Poly Pomona Library? Document Delivery Can Get It For You! |
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Document Delivery |
What is Document Delivery?
Document Delivery is a service that obtains copies of articles and the loan of books for research purposes. If you need a book or periodical article NOT HELD IN THE CAL POLY POMONA LIBRARY, Document Delivery can get it for you from another CSU, UC, college, business, public library or commercial supplier. Items available through Document Delivery include books, periodical articles, conference proceedings, theses, reports and some older microforms and dissertations. Periodical articles are usually supplied in photocopy or electronic format. It is not usually possible to borrow entire issues or volumes of periodicals. There is no charge to you for articles or books obtained through Document Delivery. Please always check the Library Catalog before requesting anything from Document Delivery.
Who can use Document Delivery?
This service is available to all currently enrolled Cal Poly Pomona students, staff and faculty who are registered with the University Library. This service is NOT AVAILABLE to alumni, special borrowers, friends, relatives and spouses of Cal Poly Pomona students, staff or faculty or students from other colleges. Document Delivery requests will not be processed for patrons with a delinquent status with the Library or whose ID has expired.
How long does it take?
Most articles are received within 3-5 business days; however, some take 2-3 weeks depending on where we have to go to get the article. Books take 5-10 business days if found in California or 2-4 weeks if found out of state or more than one library must be asked. We always process requests within 24 hours of receipt, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays; however, we are dependent on the response time of the supplying organization.
What is the duration of loan?
Copies of articles sent to you are yours to keep. The length of a book loan is determined by the lending library. The average loan period is 2-3 weeks; however, some loan periods can be longer or shorter.
How do I renew?
Renewals should be requested 1-2 days before the due date via ONLINE Document Delivery System, NOT by phone or in person at Document Delivery. Renewals cannot be requested once the book is overdue. You may request only one renewal per book for 2 weeks. If the lending library doesn’t agree to your request, Document Delivery will notify you by e-mail or U.S. mail with a note to return the item.
- Logon to Document Delivery System using your username and password.
- Select “View/Renew Check-Out Request”.
- Select an item to renew.
- Click the Request Renewal button. If you can renew the item, the new due date will be indicated. Note that some libraries loan materials with the condition of no renewals.
How do I check the status of my request?
- Logon to Document Delivery System using your username and password.
- Press the “View/Modify Outstanding Requests” button to view all the requests still in process on Document Delivery System.
- Select the appropriate transactions number button for the request you wish to check the status for. You will then see detailed information.
- Scroll down to see the tracking on your request. The status “Request Sent” means we have requested the item from another library and are waiting to hear back if they can provide the item.
- When you are finished using Document Delivery System, please exit by pressing the button labeled “Exit Document Delivery” at the top of the Main Menu.
What else should I know about the Document Delivery?
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PLAN AHEAD! Identify books and articles you need for your papers and project as soon as possible so that you will have enough time to submit your requests and wait for their arrival.
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Fill out your requests with the most complete and accurate information you have. Incomplete requests will be returned to you unprocessed.
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Articles received electronically will be emailed to you in that format. Photocopies will be mailed.
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You can pick up and return your books at the Circulation Desk on the first floor.
Is security a problem if I use a public workstation?
Yes. Web browsers cache information and create a history file on the local workstation. This allows a subsequent user of the workstation to access the system under your name using the browser's Back button to recall a page from the cache, or by finding a page with your personal information in the browser's history file. If you are concerned about the security of your Document Delivery requests, you can take the following steps:
- Access Document Delivery System only from your personal computer or an otherwise secure workstation.
- When using a public access workstation:
- Delete from the history file those pages that contain your personal information.
- Exit from the Web browser before you leave the workstation. This prevents the Back button from accessing the pages you were using.
Why don't I see all my older requests when I look at my request history?
From time to time we purge older records from Document Delivery System. Our policy is to keep requests online for several years in order to comply with record keeping requirements of the copyright law.
What is Electronic Delivery?
Many libraries ship photocopies of articles to us in electronic format. In the past we printed these articles before delivering them to you. Now, through Document Delivery System, we are able to offer you the option of electronic delivery of these articles in PDF format (Adobe's Portable Document Format). You can read more about electronic delivery on the Electronic Delivery Information page.
Why does my browser say that you're sending a cookie? What's in it?
The Active Server Pages technology that we use to provide live reporting for the web sends a Session ID to be stored on your machine. You can refuse this cookie and still be able to use the Document Delivery System without any problems.