SCSU Hilton C. Buley Library: Alumni and the Library: Library Services

Alumni library use and borrowing

Alumni are welcome to visit the library and use the collections within the building. (Please note: Parking is restricted and very tight on campus, especially when fall and spring semester classes are in session.)

Members of the Alumni Association can receive a special borrowing card which allows you to check books out from Buley Library. See the Alumni/Guest Borrower Policy for more details.

Special Collections (in-library use only)

Tina Re, the Special Collections/Art Librarian, can give tours of the Artists' Books Collection by appointment.

If you are interested in viewing something from any of our other Special Collections, such as the Faculty Authors or Rare Books, please contact P atrick Crowley, the Special Collections Librarian, first.

Digitized Student Publications from Special Collections
Laurel yearbooks (1926-2002), student newspapers, and other literary student publications

Database and Online Subscription Access

Alumni, like any community member, can use the library databases by visiting the library. Ask at the Reference Desk to be logged onto a guest computer--please be prepared to show a personal ID. Printing is limited, so please bring a USB drive for downloading articles.

We are not able to provide alumni with off campus/remote database access.

CT public library card holders and most CT residents can use iConn, the "ReSearch Engine" sponsored by the CT State Library. At most college campuses and schools, clicking on the link will bring you directly into the available databases. At home, log in with your public library card number or, if you connecting through a CT based network (like your home Internet provider), click the CT Residents button. Similar programs are available in many states--check with your public library.

iConn: CT's ReSearch Engine (home login)

There are a number of free or inexpensive databases available to anyone that we can recommend:

JSTOR Individual Access
JSTOR has a variety of free and inexpensive options for independent scholars
JSTOR Open Content
JSTOR hosts hundreds of open access books and journals. Search all open content here.
OSF Preprints
OSF (The Open Science Foundation) hosts and provides the infrastructure for "preprint" servers where researchers can post early versions of articles, conference papers, theses, posters, and more. Search the whole collection or a specific subject or archive. (Note: preprints are generally NOT peer-reviewed (yet)!)
LISTA (Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts)
LISTA is searchable for free (there is little full text available, however).
GreenFile
This environmental science collection is free to search
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750
A searchable, authoritative bibliography (references, no full text) on European writings about the Americas (including Native Americans.) Produced by EBSCO and the John Carter Brown Library.
Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) and Répertoire international de la littérature de l'art (RILA)
European and American visual arts material published between 1975 and 2007. No full text, though Getty does provide a wide range of materials on it's website.

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
There is a surprising amount of full text in Google Scholar, because it indexes a wide variety of repositories where authors can deposit versions of their published papers. You can set up to 5 libraries in the Settings-Library Links menu so you can see what might be available nearby.
Google Scholar covers all scholarly fields, but is particularly strong in the sciences and medicine. To access library subscriptions, set your library preferences for Google Scholar.

More open access (free, web-based) resources are listed in the Open Database List and in the Open Access Resources Guide:

Open Database List

Open Access Resources
by Rebecca Hedreen Last Updated Mar 18, 2024 630 views this year

A useful article

You're a Researcher without a Library?
A useful article outlining a number of techniques for getting access when you are no longer officially with a university.

Reference Help

We're always happy to assist our alums with their research. Please submit a question to the Reference Librarians so that we can determine if it's necessary for you to visit, or if we can help you by email.

Research Tools

The account-based Citation Management Tools that the library supports are all available to alumni after graduation, though sometimes with reduced features.

Endnote Web
Access all your citations after graduation using the free Basic service from Endnote Web. There are fewer citation styles and less file storage in the Basic account than the campus account.
Zotero
Zotero is open to all, and so delivers the same services to alums as to students.
Mendeley
Mendeley is free to all, and so is available to alums with the same features as to students.

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
If you have a Google account, GS and Google Books provide some customized research tools, such as a personal library to save references. Citation formatting is available without an account via the Cite link (sometimes hidden under More) under each result.
Google Scholar covers all scholarly fields, but is particularly strong in the sciences and medicine. To access library subscriptions, set your library preferences for Google Scholar.