Frequently Asked Questions
Find your answers to commonly asked questions about library services, using the library and finding materials.
Select a category from the menu to view questions & answers.
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Course Reserves
- Books, DVDs and other physical items on course reserves are kept behind the Library Help Desk. Just bring the call number and your UNCW OneCard to the desk and ask for the item.
- Be sure to return the course reserves item(s) to the Library Help Desk when finished.
Randall Library generally does not purchase textbooks for UNCW classes, but the library does have some textbooks. In order to determine if your textbook is available in the Library, follow the steps on the Find Textbooks page.
Books, DVDs and other media on reserve can be located by searching the Course Reserves List.
- Books, DVDs and other media on reserve can be located by searching the Course Reserves List.
- Or, locate the title of the item that you need in the Library Catalog, note the call number and request the item by call number at the Library Help Desk.
- Fill out this form.
- If you are putting a personal copy on reserve, bring the item(s) to the Library Help Desk.
- If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Library Help Desk at 910-962-3272 or rlcirculation@uncw.edu.
Finding Articles
Graduate students, faculty and staff may check out current and bound periodicals for 2 days. All other users must use the periodicals in the library (photocopiers are available).
Search the library catalog for the *journal title* (not the article title).
This will tell you if the library subscribes to the journal in print or online. If we do not subscribe to the journal you will see a title browse list, with the text “your entry __________ would be here”. You can place an Interlibrary Loan request for articles in journals we do not subscribe to.
If we do subscribe to the journal it may come in several different formats: microfiche, microfilm, current periodicals, bound periodicals and full-text online.
Learn how to search for articles at Get Started Researching.
Bound Journals are located on the second floor. See the map.
Current Journals and Current Magazines and Newspapers are located on the first floor, near the entrance to Port City Java. See the map.
To access these resources from off-campus, start at the library website and use the links provided on our Find Databases page, or in our Library Catalog.
When you select a licensed resource such as a database, e-journal, or e-book from our website, library catalog or other library search tool, you may be prompted to log in. If you are on campus or using the UNCW VPN, you will not be prompted to log in.
To log in, please enter:
- Your campus username (email address)
- Your campus (email) password
- You will be prompted to authenticate via DUO
Once logged in, you will be automatically transferred to the resource you selected.
*Remote online access is only available to currently registered students, and currently employed staff and faculty.
To access your Randall Library catalog account so that you can see fines and due dates, what resources you have checked out, or what holds you have waiting for you, go to My Account.
For interlibrary loan requests, log in here: https://liblink.uncw.edu/login?url=https://illiad.uncw.edu/illiad.dll
To access a database, journal, ebook, or other resource from off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your UNCW credentials.
To log in, please enter:
- Your campus username (email address)
- Your campus (email) password
- You will be prompted to authenticate via DUO
Once logged in, you will be automatically transferred to the resource you selected.
Problems with your login?
Finding Books, Documents & More
Randall Library generally does not purchase textbooks for UNCW classes, but the library does have some textbooks. In order to determine if your textbook is available in the Library, follow the steps on the Find Textbooks page.
The Honors Papers can be searched in the catalog with the Subject Heading “Honors Paper.” Visit this page for a search box. For the most part, they are shelved together in the call number starting: LD3971.7 H6 on the wall outside the Honors College (2nd floor of Randall). Some earlier papers are only available in the University Archives.
There are plenty of film scripts and screenplays that are part of the general collection. To find these, perform a subject search in the library catalog for “Motion Picture Plays.” This action will bring up screenplays in the General Collection and Special Collections.
- The Fledgling is available in a number of places, including the Reference collection (1951-1987), General Collection (1958-1987), and other copies available in Special Collections and Archives.
- The UNCW Catalogue is available at various locations including: at the Circulation Desk, in the reference collection, Government Documents, and Archives.
- You can search the library catalog using the "Title" tab and search for "University of North Carolina at Wilmington catalogue."
- You can search the library catalog using the "Title" tab and search for "Fledgling."
- Undergraduate students: 28 days for books from the general and juvenile collections and government documents. 21 days for books from the featured new books collection.
- Graduate students: until the end of the semester for general collection books and government documents. Books from the juvenile collection circulate for 28 days for graduate students. Books from the featured new books collection circulate for 21 days for graduate students.
- UNCW Faculty, Staff, & Trustees: until the end of the semester for general collection books and government documents. Books from the juvenile collection circulate for 28 days for UNCW faculty, staff, and trustees. Books from the featured new books collection circulate for 21 days for UNCW faculty, staff, and trustees.
- All others: 28 days for books from the general and juvenile collections and government documents. 21 days for books from the featured new books collection.
- DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, and Audiobooks check out for 7 days for all users.
- eReaders can be checked-out for 14 days, but only by UNCW students, staff, and faculty.
- For more information, please see http://library.uncw.edu/policies/borrowing_policies.
Reference materials should be used in the library; however, faculty and staff may borrow some items for a negotiated period (please check with the reference librarian on duty).
Place a request for that item. Search the library catalog for the item you want, click on the title of the item, then click the "Request" button at the top of the display:
Complete the login form, click "Submit," and the message displays that your request was successful. Please see our holds FAQ for pick-up information.
For books, a recall notice will be emailed to the patron automatically when you place your request. The patron can use the book for a minimum of 21 days and has 7 days to return the recalled book. If the hold is placed within 4 days of the book’s loan period, the due date will not be altered.
First, search for books, DVDs or CDs in the catalog. (For help with the catalog, go to how to search the catalog. If you need an article, go to the section on finding articles.) Note the location, call number, and status of the book or other item you want. If the item's status says it's available, you can check it out. If the status has a date listed under it, the item is currently checked out.
To find an item that is available, think of the location as the "neighborhood" where the item is and the call number is its "address" in that neighborhood. For example, the book:
Children and Television: Fifty Years of Research
is located in the General Collection (neighborhood) and it's call number is HQ784.T4 C512 2007. The call number is like its address (shelf HQ784) in the General Collection neighborhood.
You can click on the link under the "location" of each item to see a map of that location in the library. In this case, the General Collection map shows that it is on the 2nd floor of the library.
Books might be in the General Collection, Reference Collection, Featured New Books, or Government Documents collections. Media materials are located in the DVD, VHS or CD collections. For maps of the library to help locate these locations, click here.
Go here to get help with searching for books and other print resources through the library catalog. The catalog is a searchable list of everything that the library owns, except for articles.
For help finding the item you want, go to "Where do I find books, DVDs, and other materials in Randall Library?"
To look for books in libraries worldwide use WorldCat (search WorldCat) and request them using Interlibrary Loan (more information). Books requested using Interlibrary Loan may take 1-3 weeks to arrive at UNCW.
Since 2008, UNCW theses and dissertations (ETDs) have been electronic only, as required by the Graduate School. They are accessible through the library catalog. Those published before 2008 are in hard-copy printed format. They may be checked out from the library’s General Collection, with a second printed copy in University Archives.
Some UNCW theses and dissertations are limited to on-campus use only, as indicated by a note in the online catalog record.
A UNCW thesis or dissertation is submitted as an electronic document, then the Dean of the Graduate School must review, approve, and sign it. Once the Grad School has aproved and accepted all of the theses and dissertations submitted in a semester, they provide the electronic copies to the library. The library will then add these electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) to their web server, and catalog each thesis and dissertation. The entire process from submission to cataloging can take several months to complete, and the steps are necessary to ensure that the theses are available and accessible to the research community. If you have a specific question about the status of a thesis, contact Gary Moore at mooreg@uncw.edu.
The library catalog shows a status for each item indicating whether or not it is available for checkout:
These are the status messages you may see, and their meanings:
STATUS
MEANING
AVAILABLE
Item is available for checkout.
DUE "09-29-11"
Item is checked out and due back on the indicated date.
IN PROCESS
Item is being processed and will be available soon.
LIB USE ONLY
Item is for library use only and cannot be checked out except to faculty or graduate students for short periods with librarian approval (except Special Collections books which do not circulate).
ON HOLDSHELF
Item has been placed on hold by a patron and is ready for pick up at the Circulation Desk.
NOT AVAILABLEItem is temporarily not available due to special circumstances.
DAMAGED
Item is not available – it is damaged and is being evaluated for replacement.
MISSING
Item is not available – it has been reported missing and is being searched for by library staff.
BILLED
Item is not available – it was not returned and the patron has been billed for the replacement cost.
LOST
Item is not available - it has been officially reported as lost and is being evaluated for replacement.
LOST & XFERRED
Item is not available – it was not returned and the patron's bill has been sent to the Business Office.
LOST AND PAID
Item is not available – it was not returned and has been paid for by the patron.
There are also messages you may see elsewhere before an item has been cataloged:
These are the messages you may see, and their meanings:
MESSAGE
MEANING
1 copy ordered for UNCW on 08-02-2010.
The library has ordered the item but it has not yet arrived.
1 copy being processed for UNCW.
The item is being cataloged and processed and will be available soon.
If you have any questions about status messages you see in the library catalog please do not hesitate to ask! Call the Research Help Desk at 910-962-3760 or the Circulation Desk at 910-962-3272 or email us at libref@uncw.edu or use the Chat link on the library homepage!
Yes, the library has a collection of children's books available on the 1st floor adjacent to the main restrooms. These books are identified by the location "UNCW Children's Books" (see map) or "UNCW Children's Easy Books" (see map) in the Library catalog. The Children's collection is shelved by these categories:
- E : Easy (Picture) books: Arranged alphabetically by author's last name.
- J : Non-fiction, including biographies: Arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification.
- Fic : Juvenile Fiction: Arranged alphabetically by author's last name.
Young Adult titles are located on the 2nd floor (see map).
To access your Randall Library catalog account so that you can see fines and due dates, what resources you have checked out, or what holds you have waiting for you, go to My Account.
For interlibrary loan requests, log in here: https://liblink.uncw.edu/login?url=https://illiad.uncw.edu/illiad.dll
To access a database, journal, ebook, or other resource from off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your UNCW credentials.
To log in, please enter:
- Your campus username (email address)
- Your campus (email) password
- You will be prompted to authenticate via DUO
Once logged in, you will be automatically transferred to the resource you selected.
Problems with your login?
Finding DVDs/Videos, CDs, other media
Place a request for that item. Search the library catalog for the item you want, click on the title of the item, then click the "Request" button at the top of the display:
Complete the login form, click "Submit," and the message displays that your request was successful. Please see our holds FAQ for pick-up information.
For books, a recall notice will be emailed to the patron automatically when you place your request. The patron can use the book for a minimum of 21 days and has 7 days to return the recalled book. If the hold is placed within 4 days of the book’s loan period, the due date will not be altered.
The Media Viewing Cart is available to check out at the Library Help Desk on the first floor. You can take the cart anywhere in the library to watch media, including group study rooms (please make a reservation). If you do not use a group study room, headphones are required.
The cart is equipped with the following:
- Region free BluRay player
- Standard BluRay player
- DVD/VHS combination player
Access to this cart is restricted to UNCW students, faculty, and staff use.
The cart can be checked out for 4 hours, must stay in the library, and be returned to the Library Help Desk.
See also: Where can I watch a movie in the Library?
The best way to search for foreign language audio recordings is by searching the library catalog using the subject tab.
Then search: Sound Recordings for English Speakers ______(list language here).
Go here to get help with finding audiobooks.
Please visit our Find Videos & DVDs page to search for videos and DVDs.
For information about locating video recordings, visit "Where do I find DVDs and other types of videos in Randall Library?"
Please visit our Find Music & Audiobooks page to search for music and audiobooks.
For information about locating CDs, visit "Where do I find CDs in Randall Library?"
The library catalog shows a status for each item indicating whether or not it is available for checkout:
These are the status messages you may see, and their meanings:
STATUS
MEANING
AVAILABLE
Item is available for checkout.
DUE "09-29-11"
Item is checked out and due back on the indicated date.
IN PROCESS
Item is being processed and will be available soon.
LIB USE ONLY
Item is for library use only and cannot be checked out except to faculty or graduate students for short periods with librarian approval (except Special Collections books which do not circulate).
ON HOLDSHELF
Item has been placed on hold by a patron and is ready for pick up at the Circulation Desk.
NOT AVAILABLEItem is temporarily not available due to special circumstances.
DAMAGED
Item is not available – it is damaged and is being evaluated for replacement.
MISSING
Item is not available – it has been reported missing and is being searched for by library staff.
BILLED
Item is not available – it was not returned and the patron has been billed for the replacement cost.
LOST
Item is not available - it has been officially reported as lost and is being evaluated for replacement.
LOST & XFERRED
Item is not available – it was not returned and the patron's bill has been sent to the Business Office.
LOST AND PAID
Item is not available – it was not returned and has been paid for by the patron.
There are also messages you may see elsewhere before an item has been cataloged:
These are the messages you may see, and their meanings:
MESSAGE
MEANING
1 copy ordered for UNCW on 08-02-2010.
The library has ordered the item but it has not yet arrived.
1 copy being processed for UNCW.
The item is being cataloged and processed and will be available soon.
If you have any questions about status messages you see in the library catalog please do not hesitate to ask! Call the Research Help Desk at 910-962-3760 or the Circulation Desk at 910-962-3272 or email us at libref@uncw.edu or use the Chat link on the library homepage!
Students, staff, and faculty may check out portable DVD/CD players or our media viewing cart at the Library Help Desk. The cart is equipped with the following:
- Region free BluRay player
- Standard BluRay player
- DVD/VHS combination player
- Headphones
You can also use the DVD/VCR and Blu-ray player in RL1045. Make a reservation for RL1045.
DVDs are located on the first floor of the library (view map) and VHS tapes are located on the 2nd floor (view map).
To find a specific video, note the location, call number, and status. Click on the location link to see a map of that location.
First, find a streaming video:
- Start with the Randall Library guide to streaming videos (look under Locating Streaming Video at the top of the guide). It links to a page where you can search for videos as well as view a list of Randall Library’s streaming video databases that you may browse.
- If you already know the title of a video you would like to show, you can use the library catalog and search by title to see if Randall Library provides access to it.
- Verify that the link to the video works by clicking on the View streaming video link:
- If the video does not play, contact your liaison librarian and they will troubleshoot, and, if necessary, purchase the video for our collection.
Playing the video in Zoom:
- Open the video in your browser (in a new window rather than a new tab).
- Open Zoom for PC or Mac
- Zoom for the web (including on Chromebooks) does not provide the ability to share / play videos
- The Zoom app for tablets and phones (Android and iOS) are problematic in sharing video
- Share your screen, using Zoom, choosing the browser window in which your video is open.
- Begin playing the video.
Other Helpful Resources:
To access your Randall Library catalog account so that you can see fines and due dates, what resources you have checked out, or what holds you have waiting for you, go to My Account.
For interlibrary loan requests, log in here: https://liblink.uncw.edu/login?url=https://illiad.uncw.edu/illiad.dll
To access a database, journal, ebook, or other resource from off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your UNCW credentials.
To log in, please enter:
- Your campus username (email address)
- Your campus (email) password
- You will be prompted to authenticate via DUO
Once logged in, you will be automatically transferred to the resource you selected.
Problems with your login?
Getting Materials Not Owned by Randall Library
Most books, DVDs, Music CDs. Dissertations/Theses and articles from journals or magazines. Course textbooks and other required course materials are not available to borrow though ILL. These items can be purchased or rented from UNCW's Campus Bookstore.
- Current UNCW faculty, staff and students are eligible to borrow materials not owned by Randall Library through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
- First time users will enter their name, address, and other personal information into the system only once, at the time of their first request. Thereafter, you log in with your UNCW username and password and need only enter the bibliographic information for your requests.
- Whenever possible, documents are delivered electronically to your ILL account (you will receive email notification).
- Users can check the status of request(s) through their Interlibrary Loan account.
- Current UNCW students, staff and faculty can use our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service to borrow items not owned by Randall Library.
- Log on to our Interlibrary Loan Page to create a request.
- You may request one renewal for an Interlibrary Loan item, unless the lending library has disallowed renewals. If no renewal is possible, it will be stated on the item's white band and in the item's record in your ILLiad account.
- To request a renewal, log on your Interlibrary Loan account, click on the transaction number of the item you want to renew, and select "request renewal" in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Your request will be forwarded to the lending library for consideration.
- You will get an email with a new due date if the request is granted or a message requesting the return of the item if the renewal is denied.
- For policy information, please see the Interlibrary Borrowing Policy
Your Interlibrary Loan username and password are the same as your UNCW username and password. If you have forgotten either of those, go the UNCW Account & Password page.
To look for books in libraries worldwide use WorldCat (search WorldCat) and request them using Interlibrary Loan (more information). Books requested using Interlibrary Loan may take 1-3 weeks to arrive at UNCW.
- Current faculty and staff may choose to have items sent to their office through campus mail by selecting "Mail to Campus Address" as the delivery method in their ILLiad profile.
- Undergraduate and Graduate students will receive an email notification and instructions when an article is available for download from your ILL account. When a loan is received, an email notification message is sent when the item is available for pickup at the Library Help Desk in Randall Library.
- Distance Education faculty and students will be prompted to enter their current mailing address when creating their ILLiad profile. Items will be mailed via UPS with return shipping provided.
- Graduate students completing degree requirements outside of the Wilmington area may set their ILLiad profile status to “Distance Ed Grad” and provide their current mailing address. Items will be mailed via UPS with return shipping provided.
- Graduate students based at the Center for Marine Science may have items sent to them at CMS Myrtle Grove through campus mail. In their ILLiad profile, students should select “CMS” as their department/major, set their status as “Distance Ed Grad,” and enter CMS/Myrtle Grove as their address.
| Submitted to ILL Staff | Request has been successfully submitted. |
| Awaiting Copyright Clearance | ILL staff checking to see if a copyright fee is required; if fee is required it is paid by the library up to our maximum of $30.00 USD. |
| Information Needed from User | A request for additional information has been emailed to the user. |
| Submitted to Lending Libraries | Request has been sent to potential lending libraries. |
| Ready for Pickup | Loan is available to check out from the Randall Library Circulation Desk. |
| Received by ILL Staff | Article or loan has arrived and an email notification to the user is pending. |
| Selected for Library Purchase | Request has been selected by Library Acquisitions to purchase for the collection. The item will be rush ordered and placed on hold for the requestor when it arrives. |
| Available for Download |
Article has been posted and ready for user to download; to view articles, logon to ILL account, select “Electronically Received Articles” from the menu and select the one wanted. Articles are deleted from the ILL server after 30 days. |
| Checked Out | Loan has been picked up by or mailed to customer. |
| Request Completed or Expired | Loan was successfully returned, or article has expired and been removed from the ILL server. |
| Awaiting Renewal Processing | Customer has requested a renewal; ILL staff will contact the lending library for approval. |
| Link Emailed to User |
The item was found in our electronic holdings or open-access online; a link to the item has been emailed to the user. |
| Request Cancelled |
User or staff has canceled the request; reason for cancellation is included in email notification and available to view in user's ILL account (under "Cancelled Requests"). |
When placing an ILL request for a book during the fall or spring semesters you may recommend that Randall Library consider purchasing the item for the collection. To do so, select “Consider for Purchase” or “Not sure” on the request form. If you prefer to borrow the book through the traditional ILL process, select “Borrow.”
The criteria for this ILL-initiated purchasing program are more restrictive than for standard purchase requests, and include year of publication, cost of item, and expedited shipping availability. If the title meets the criteria, the item will be purchased rather than borrowed. If the title does not meet the criteria it will be requested for borrowing via ILL.
Purchased items are typically ready for check out within 7 to 12 days. On arrival the item will be placed on hold for you at the Circulation Desk and you will receive an email when it ready to be checked out.
As a reminder, items outside these criteria may be requested by contacting your Liaison Librarian or submitting through the Suggest a Purchase form.
- Please fill out our "Suggest a Purchase" form.
- You will be asked for the author, title, publisher, date, and where you saw this item mentioned.
- You will receive an email confirmation of your purchase suggestion.
- If you want the item put on hold for you when it is available, you can select that option in the form. You will receive an email when the item is ready for pick-up.
Due to licensing terms, e-books cannot be borrowed or lent via interlibrary loan. Any ILL request for an e-book will be processed as a request for a physical copy (unless Randall Library already owns the e-book, in which case a link to the item will be provided via e-mail).
Interlibrary loan requests can only be canceled between the time they are submitted and the time they are processed by ILL staff. Once a request has been sent out to potential lending libraries (in status: Submitted to Lending Libraries), it cannot be canceled by the requestor.
Current UNCW students, faculty and staff.
Interlibrary Loan is offered as a free service for eligible users because Randall Library absorbs the following costs for our campus community.
- Borrowing fees can range from $8.00-$35.00 per request, depending on the lending institution.
- Copyright fees can range from $25.00-$65.00 per article, depending on the publisher.
- Shipping rates vary by courier, weight, and destination.
Library resource sharing staff abide by the statutes outlined in Title 17 of the U.S. Code, as well as the CONTU Guidelines which aid the interpretation of Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act. This process may require the utilization of the Copyright Clearance Center and commercial document suppliers to obtain as much requested material as possible.
The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "Fair Use," that user may be liable for copyright infrigement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
The National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) has developed a set of guidelines to assist libraries in fulfilling their duties while adhering to copyright law. CONTU guidelines (or the "suggestion of five") permits the copying during a calendar year of no more than five articles from a single journal title, not owned by the library, dated within the past five years. This means that the Interlibrary Loan Department staff can order a total of only 5 articles from a single journal title dated within the past 5 years regardless of how many users request articles from the same journal title. For articles obtained in excess of this number, the Library must pay a fee to the Copyright Clearance Center or must purchase the articles from a commercial vendor. Any costs exceeding $30.00USD per request are the responsibility of the user requesting the material.
Overdue interlibrary loans damage our reputation with other libraries and inhibit our ability to successfully borrow materials for all faculty, staff, and students. You will receive several warning notices before your borrowing privileges are suspended. Borrowing privileges are reinstated once an overdue item is returned unless we have received a final replacement invoice for the item from our lender. You will be notified via email when a final replacement invoice is pending.
Once the final invoice is issued, replacement charges and billing fees will be added to your library account and the item can no longer be returned. At this point, ILL privileges may be suspended indefinitely. Unpaid charges are transferred to student accounts and can inhibit registration, graduation, and transcript requests. Replacement charges issued by lending libraries typically far exceed the market cost of the item, and invoices are non-negotiable.
The lending library may issue a replacement invoice for any item they consider to be returned damaged. Damage can include (but is not limited to) highlighting or pen marks, coffee stains and other water damage, and torn or detached pages.
Replacement invoices are the responsibility of the individual who borrowed the item, and charges are added to the user’s library account. Once these charges are paid, the item becomes the property of the user.
For policy information, please see https://library.uncw.edu/policies/interlibrary_borrowing
The due dates for interlibrary loan items are set by the lending library, and do not conform to Randall Library's checkout periods for items from our own collection. The typical lending period for an ILL item is 4-6 weeks, although some libraries will grant more or less time depending on their institution's policies. An item's due date will be printed on the paper strap attached to the item for customer reference.
To access your Randall Library catalog account so that you can see fines and due dates, what resources you have checked out, or what holds you have waiting for you, go to My Account.
For interlibrary loan requests, log in here: https://liblink.uncw.edu/login?url=https://illiad.uncw.edu/illiad.dll
To access a database, journal, ebook, or other resource from off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your UNCW credentials.
To log in, please enter:
- Your campus username (email address)
- Your campus (email) password
- You will be prompted to authenticate via DUO
Once logged in, you will be automatically transferred to the resource you selected.
Problems with your login?
Items requested through Interlibrary Loan may take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to arrive depending on the item's type, availability, and the shipping method used by the lending library. Please plan for a waiting period of at least 4 business days for journal articles, and at least 7-14 business days for books. Certain material types are less-often lent by libraries (including newly-published popular fiction and recreational media), so requests for these items may take longer to fill than for other items.
Locating Materials in the Library
The library catalog shows a status for each item indicating whether or not it is available for checkout:
These are the status messages you may see, and their meanings:
STATUS
MEANING
AVAILABLE
Item is available for checkout.
DUE "09-29-11"
Item is checked out and due back on the indicated date.
IN PROCESS
Item is being processed and will be available soon.
LIB USE ONLY
Item is for library use only and cannot be checked out except to faculty or graduate students for short periods with librarian approval (except Special Collections books which do not circulate).
ON HOLDSHELF
Item has been placed on hold by a patron and is ready for pick up at the Circulation Desk.
NOT AVAILABLEItem is temporarily not available due to special circumstances.
DAMAGED
Item is not available – it is damaged and is being evaluated for replacement.
MISSING
Item is not available – it has been reported missing and is being searched for by library staff.
BILLED
Item is not available – it was not returned and the patron has been billed for the replacement cost.
LOST
Item is not available - it has been officially reported as lost and is being evaluated for replacement.
LOST & XFERRED
Item is not available – it was not returned and the patron's bill has been sent to the Business Office.
LOST AND PAID
Item is not available – it was not returned and has been paid for by the patron.
There are also messages you may see elsewhere before an item has been cataloged:
These are the messages you may see, and their meanings:
MESSAGE
MEANING
1 copy ordered for UNCW on 08-02-2010.
The library has ordered the item but it has not yet arrived.
1 copy being processed for UNCW.
The item is being cataloged and processed and will be available soon.
If you have any questions about status messages you see in the library catalog please do not hesitate to ask! Call the Research Help Desk at 910-962-3760 or the Circulation Desk at 910-962-3272 or email us at libref@uncw.edu or use the Chat link on the library homepage!
- Books, DVDs and other media on reserve can be located by searching the Course Reserves List.
- Or, locate the title of the item that you need in the Library Catalog, note the call number and request the item by call number at the Library Help Desk.
Records with the Location UNCW A/V Phonodiscs are located in the Technical Services area and on shelves beside the Conference Room. Any staff member can access this collection and pull records for students to check out.
Cataloged Special Collections records have the location UNCW Special-Sound and an LC Call Number. Most of the records in Special Collections are not in the catalog and are in the Popular Music on Vinyl (LP, 78’s, & 45’s) database. They will have a call number that reads Shelf No or Album ID. Students wanting one of these categories can come to Special Collections and we will get the record.
Books, DVDs and other media on reserve can be located by searching the Course Reserves List.
The General Collection is on the second floor of the library. See the map.
Bound Journals are located on the second floor. See the map.
Current Journals and Current Magazines and Newspapers are located on the first floor, near the entrance to Port City Java. See the map.
Yes, visit this page for library maps and help locating specific areas in the library.
Off-Campus Access
To access your Randall Library catalog account so that you can see fines and due dates, what resources you have checked out, or what holds you have waiting for you, go to My Account.
For interlibrary loan requests, log in here: https://liblink.uncw.edu/login?url=https://illiad.uncw.edu/illiad.dll
To access a database, journal, ebook, or other resource from off campus, you will be prompted to log in with your UNCW credentials.
To log in, please enter:
- Your campus username (email address)
- Your campus (email) password
- You will be prompted to authenticate via DUO
Once logged in, you will be automatically transferred to the resource you selected.
Problems with your login?
To access these resources from off-campus, start at the library website and use the links provided on our Find Databases page, or in our Library Catalog.
When you select a licensed resource such as a database, e-journal, or e-book from our website, library catalog or other library search tool, you may be prompted to log in. If you are on campus or using the UNCW VPN, you will not be prompted to log in.
To log in, please enter:
- Your campus username (email address)
- Your campus (email) password
- You will be prompted to authenticate via DUO
Once logged in, you will be automatically transferred to the resource you selected.
*Remote online access is only available to currently registered students, and currently employed staff and faculty.