New to Cal Poly? You'll need to get your Cal Poly ID card, called a PolyCard. Access to your library account will be activated approximately one day AFTER you have your picture taken for your card. Contact campus Information Technology Services to get your PolyCard.
NOT new to Cal Poly? System updates sometimes cause hiccups. Here are steps in order of ease that often clear hiccups:
Clear your browser history.
(Current details for clearing browser history (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) are most simply found on Google).
Check the currency of your browser version. Older versions can cause serious display issues.
Check to see if your pop up blocker is trying to wreck your day.
Delete Cal Poly Cookies. Simpler than it sounds: see PDF below.
If none of that works, sign into the Campus VPN (it makes you look like you are on campus) then refresh your page, and see if you are able to access the resource. Here is information about VPN: https://tech.calpoly.edu/services/vpn
If problem persists we are here to help: Research Help Desk and 24/7 Live Chat Help
To See and make Requests, you must be signed into OneSearch.
For Kennedy owned physical items, the Request options appears on the full record. Click on that, and request the book so it will be retrieved and put on the hold shelf for you. You will get an email when it is ready. (Probably quicker, though, to get it yourself!)
For items not available in Kennedy, various options will appear for getting physical books and media, or digital copies of articles, book chapters, and more.
Hint: Digital delivery will typically be quicker than physical delivery.
During our transformation, requests for physical items such as print books are more varied. The three-minute video below demos the "four flavors" of request, shown in order of estimated arrival speed.
Library Pickup Lockers have been set up at Dexter Plaza (near Subway). Your physical requests will be delivered there. To learn how this works, see the page on the left titled "Library Pickup Locker Instructions."
OneSearch brings up results from Kennedy Library, the CSU, and a gigantic discovery index beyond those holdings. For immediately available electronic results, use the filter on the left: "Available Online at Kennedy." With or without this filter, you can use filters for books or articles or peer-reviewed, depending on your need. Many results will link out to full-text in databases. If you are signed into OneSearch any record for an item not immediately available will give you clear options for getting articles, chapters, or whole books. (Hint: Items that say Crandall or Retrievable Collection are the fastest to be delivered to the lockers.)
When you are logged into OneSearch it will recognize you and provide ALL the options for online access, requesting items, or borrowing items. To sign in you will need to have an active PolyCard. (See Sign-In Troubleshooting Box).
The simplest way to find materials is to search with keywords and then use the many filters on the left to narrow your results.
For more targeted searching you will gain more accuracy by resorting to ADVANCED SEARCH where you can use pull down menus for title, author, language, format, etc.
How Can I tell if Kennedy has a Specific Book Available in Print? (Easiest) 1) type title and author's last name into Main Search Box; 2) after results appear, filter on the left by Robert E. Kennedy Library. Kennedy physical items all have a call number in a bright blue box.
How Can I tell if Kennedy has a Specific Book Available in Print? (More complex) If easiest route fails, use main search box, then filter on left by author/creator, AND filter by Robert E. Kennedy Library.
How Can I tell if Kennedy has a Specific Book Available in Print? (Most complex/most accurate) Click on the "spyglass" icon to the right of the search box. On the new page, click on "Advanced Search (to the right of the search box). On Advanced Search, use left pull down to title, and middle pull down to "contains" enter title and search - or even "contains exact phrase" and then enter title into search box.
How Can I tell if Kennedy has a Specific Book Available as an e-BOOK? Follow instructions for print book above- easy, more complex, or most complex/most accurate - but filter on left by "Book" and "Online Access." (Ebooks have no call numbers highlighted by a blue box.)
How Can I tell if Kennedy has a Specific Journal or Newspaper? On the Kennedy Library Home Page use the Journals link just below the main search box. Or from OneSearch use the Journal Search link on the top banner. You can search by title or ISSN. You can also browse by subject category. For specific journals, the search results will provide key information about date ranges for online and print access.
How Do I Find Content From Peer Reviewed Journals? After searching with keywords, filter on the left by Peer Reviewed Journals. (But remember these journals also include book reviews and editorials - so results are not NECESSARILY articles! If you specifically need an article, look at results for clues such as decent length (minimum 5 pages), citations, abstract, and methodology.)
How Do I find a Specific Article? Use the main search box and filter on left by "Articles" Tip: a chunk of the title in quotes and the author's last name often gets you right to the article, for example: "maggot in the brain" Weller
How Do I Find Course Reserves? Two Ways: 1) on the Kennedy Library Homepage, right beneath the OneSearch box, or 2) from the OneSearch Page use the Course Reserves link on the top banner. You can search either place using Course number or Instructor.
How Do I Find Senior Projects? Use ADVANCED search: set lefthand pull down to LOCAL COLLECTIONS and type in Senior Projects. Then type in author and/or title information as relevant in another box. This will retrieve Senior Projects on microfiche prior to Fall 2009. To find digital Senior Projects (Fall 2009 and after) the DigitalCommons@CalPoly provides good access.
How Do I Find Streaming Videos, DVDs, or Even ... yes ... VHS In ADVANCED SEARCH, type in the title, then pull the left drop down of Material Type. To find streaming video content, select Videos on dropdown. To find DVDs, select DVD on the dropdown. Due to inconsistencies and the presence of legacy VHS, you may also filter to the left of a results list by Robert E. Kennedy to find DVDs, or Available ONLINE at Cal Poly to find Streaming Video.
How Do I Find What New Print Books, including novels and poetry, are in Crandall Gym? If you use the Collection Discovery tool (click on the ... on the tool bar above OneSearch, click on New Books, and then do a keyword search, such as novels, history, race, etc and see what new print books are available. You could also click right here and do the same: Search New Books
How Do I Find Items in Different Languages? Two ways to do this. 1) Use the main search box, then filter on the left by Language. or 2) Use ADVANCED SEARCH and on a right-side pull-down men choose from one of four languages and then enter your search terms.
Below are bespoke links for a few specific collections. Clicking on the link will bring you all items in that collection alphabetically. If you then click on Advanced Search (or "Search Criteria" in a few cases), you can search within the results by typing in the blank lines in the advanced search screen.