Ask A Librarian – Reference Service
Library faculty and staff are available to assist you with your informational needs in the library Monday – Friday 8:00am–4:45pm. Members of CCHS may also request an office visit by appointment for information consultation or instruction by using the Book a Research Meeting link, calling (205) 348-1360, or contacting a health sciences librarian directly. Additionally, librarians perform literature searches as a free service for members of CCHS.
Instruction
Health sciences librarians are available to offer instruction or presentations in categories such as library instruction, scholarly communications, and evidence based practice. See a list of examples below or contact a librarian to discuss your group’s needs.
| Library Instruction |
|---|
| Literature Searching |
| Evidence Based Resources |
| Mobile Apps for Clinical Practice |
| Library Orientation |
| Scholarly Communications |
|---|
| Citation Management |
| Choosing a Journal for Publication |
| Open Access Mandates |
| Data Management Plans |
| Evidence Based Medicine |
|---|
| Introduction to EBM |
| Forming an Answerable Clinical Question |
| The 6S Model for the Hierarchy of Pre-Appraised Evidence |
Research & Publication Support
Health sciences librarians are prepared to support students, residents, staff, and faculty with many stages of the research and publication process. Some specific areas in which we are pleased to offer support or collaborate include:
- Identifying avenues for publication and presentation
- Evaluating journals and publishers
- Journal and author metrics
- Navigating open access and data mandates
- Data management plans
- Identifying technology to support research, citation, and collaboration
Circulation
Borrowers: All members of the university community with a valid ID card have borrowing privileges. Alumni and members of the community may use resources in the library or subscribe as a courtesy patron to continue checkout privileges for an annual fee of $25. A local reference is required to become a courtesy patron, and applications are available in the Health Sciences Library.
Loan Period: Periodicals do not circulate. Monographs and audiovisuals circulate for 30 days. Reserve material may either circulate for 7 days or may be restricted to in-library use. E-book checkout lengths vary by resource and are managed through the resource website.
Renewals: To renew, books may be brought to the library, renewed by phone at (205) 348-1360, or renewed online using the “My Library” interface through the UA Libraries.
Returns: must be made to the Health Sciences Library, not to one of the other UA System Libraries.
Fines/Lost Book Penalties: Overdue Fines are $ .25 per day up to a maximum of $5.00. Overdue fines for reserve material are $.50 per day. Replacement costs for lost or damaged material is $100.00 per item.
Interlibrary Loan
Members of CCHS may use the ILL form or simply e-mail ILL requests to library@cchs.ua.edu.
Items not available in the Health Sciences Library may be ordered from another library (excluding local libraries). The following charges per item apply:
| Permanent CCHS Faculty & Professional Staff | No Charge |
| CCHS Residents & Medical Students | No Charge |
| DCH Personnel | $10.00 |
| Health Professionals | $10.00 |
| University Community | $10.00 |
| Other Library Patrons | $20.00 |