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Get it @ VCUGet it @ VCU: FAQs

View a 2-minute demonstration of Get It @ VCU

What is Get It @ VCU?

Get It @ VCU is a tool that reduces the number of steps needed to find the ways VCU Libraries can supply an article to you. Get It @ VCU saves you time by searching our electronic and print collections for you and by filling in most of your interlibrary loan request for you. You will see one or more of these links on the Get It @ VCU menu:

  1. Full Text - when we have the article electronically
  2. Catalog - when we have the article in print
  3. Get it - when we do not have the article in our collection; we will obtain the article from another library (ILL means interlibrary loan).

A number of databases are full text and/or provide their own direct links to full text. Examples of direct links you should use instead of Get It @ VCU include:

  • InfoTrac - "Text" or "Text with graphics" or "xx full pages PDF"
  • PsycINFO - "Linked Full Text"
  • ERIC - "Full text from ERIC" or "FullText"
  • Art Index; Biological & Agricultural Index Plus - icons for full text and PDF
  • ABI/Inform - "Full text"
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Why is the full text link inconsistent? Sometimes I go straight to the article, and other times I don't.

Get It @ VCU takes you as close to the article as the publisher allows. The full text link leads straight to the article most of the time. However, some publishers allow linking to the issue level, some to the volume level, and some just to the journal home page. When you are dropped off at a level higher than the article, do what Nemo did, and "swim down" to the article.

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My article is supposed to be available in Factiva, but I was dumped off at the search screen. What do I do now?

Factiva does not permit linking to individual articles, so you will have to search for your article:

a. Copy the "Title" of the article from the Get It @ VCU menu and paste it into the "Free Text" search box
b. Change the "Date" as necessary and select "Run Search;" this should bring up the article

Sometimes the article has a short title or the list of results is surprisingly long. Try this alternative search strategy:
a. Select "Source" and type or paste the journal title ("Source" on the Get It @ VCU menu), then click on the icon next to the source box
b. Choose the title from the list that appears by clicking on it
c. Copy and paste the title of the article again, or type it into the "Free Text" search box
d. Change the "Date" as necessary and select "Run Search"

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What does the RefWorks link do?

The RefWorks link is an easy way to enter single citations into your RefWorks account when you do not need the abstract or descriptors; when there is no way to export into RefWorks; or when the exporting procedure is cumbersome.[See the RefWorks pages for more information about RefWorks accounts]

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I clicked on the full text link, and I got an error message (or nothing). What happened?

Go back to the menu and look in the "Page" box. There is supposed to be just a single number there - no punctuation, no letters, no additional numbers. Should you see something that does not belong, delete it and click on the full text link again. If that does not work, try deleting the page number altogether. If you still see an error message (or nothing), there may be a problem with the underlying link that Get It @ VCU is trying to use, e.g., a typographical error that you cannot see or outdated information. Submit an E-Journal Problem Report via the link on the menu. Then check the VCU Libraries catalog, try the E-Journals Search, or ask for assistance. You may find a working link or a print version.

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Why does the information under the ILL section say I may have to pay? I thought interlibrary loan was free.

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is a no-fee service when the item is NOT available from VCU Libraries, either electronically or in print. If we supply the article to you from our collection, we will charge you for that service. Distance education students are an exception, and should use interlibrary loan for all items that are not available electronically. Distance education students do not pay a fee for this service.

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Why does the publisher want me to pay? I thought VCU Libraries already paid.

At least two possibilities:
1. You may be trying to access an article from an issue that is not in our subscription. Many of our subscriptions begin with issues from the mid-1990's, so if your article is from an earlier issue, it is not included. Some of our electronic subscriptions specify that the most current six months or one year or twenty-four months are not included. If your article is from a current issue, it is not included. Date information will appear when possible on the Get It @ VCU menu. When there is a link to another full text provider and/or to the catalog, try those. Otherwise, submit an interlibrary loan request using the ILLiad link.

2. You may have clicked on a link that read "Full text may be available from a publisher." This link appears when a publisher has indicated that articles are available via open access. Although compliance with open access means all the articles are supposed to be available, a number of publishers are claiming open access when only some or a few of their articles are available. That is why we added the disclaimer that a "fee may apply." When there is a link to another full text provider and/or to the catalog, try those. Otherwise, submit an interlibrary loan request using the ILLiad link.

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I selected the Get It @ VCU button and absolutely nothing happened. Why?

Get It @ VCU requires that you have JavaScript enabled. If you disabled JavaScript for security purposes, be certain to enable it if you want to use the Get It @ VCU feature. You can always disable it again when you are finished with your session.

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What am I supposed to enter into the boxes on the Get It @ VCU menu?

Short answer - nothing! Those boxes are automatically filled in by the database you were searching. Unless some odd character crept into the page box, you should not have to touch the boxes.

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Why is there more than one link to full text?

VCU Libraries may be able to supply the full text article to you from more than one source. For example, it is not uncommon for an article to be available in full text from Academic OneFile and from the publisher.

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Why are there so many windows open when I use Get It @ VCU?

So you can browse the full text, search the catalog, or submit an ILLiad request without losing your original search. You may resize the windows if you want, and use ALT-TAB to move among them.

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