Skip to content

Category: Electronic Resource Access

Published on
Image of a magnifying glass over a piece of paper with the word "Research" written on it.

Himmelfarb Library provides access to more than 125 databases, 6,400 e-books, and 4,800 journals - all of which are available electronically through Himmelfarb’s website. We understand that finding and accessing the full-text to this content can sometimes feel overwhelming. But have no fear, this post will point you to some tools that can help streamline accessing full-text content. 

LibKey Nomad & Browzine

LibKey Nomad works with multiple resources including PubMed, publisher sites, Scopus, Web of Science and others to immediately deliver a full-text PDF when available. If a full-text PDF is not available, LibKey Nomad will provide you with Himmelfarb full-text and document delivery options.

To use LibKey Nomad, download LibKey Nomad from the Chrome Web Store page. If you prefer a different browser, you can download the extension for Firefox or Edge. (A Safari extension is current being developed, but is not yet available). After installing the browser extension, choose “George Washington University - Himmelfarb Library” as your institution, and you’re all set! 

LibKey Nomad streamlines the process of getting full-text articles by making it possible to get the articles directly from the publisher’s website. Once you have the LibKey Nomad browser extension installed, you no longer need to go to Himmelfarb’s website, log-in, search our collections, and be linked to full-text content. LibKey Nomad integrates full-text access directly from where you find the article! If you have questions about using LibKey Nomad, contact Laura Abate (leabate@gwu.edu).

Browzine is another resource that can help you access full-text content. Browzine enables you to build a bookshelf of your favorite journals from Himmelfarb Library’s holdings. Users are alerted when new articles and issues are available, and read and save full-text content. To download the Browzine app, head over to the Himmelfarb App Shelf.

GW VPN

If you prefer to access content by going directly through Himmelfarb’s website, you can still access full-text content directly through our website quickly and easily. We strongly recommend connecting through the GW VPN if you are accessing our resources from off-campus. Using the VPN allows your computer to function as though it is on the GW campus, and therefore ensures seamless, integrated access to all of Himmelfarb’s electronic resources without additional logins. 

You need to have a GW NetID in order to use the VPN. If you have not already done so, you can obtain your GW NetID from the GW Help Desk Account Center. Instructions for downloading the GW VPN can be found on Himmelfarb’s Off-Campus Access page.

Himmelfarb Website Access

When accessing full-text content directly from Himmelfarb’s website, you can search our catalog using the search box on our homepage, search our databases, or go directly to an individual journal. When searching our catalog, you will be able to tell if the full-text of the item is available online by looking for the “Available Online” link shown in the screenshot below.

Screenshot of the "Available Online" link that appears for electronic resources in Himmelfarb's catalog.

If the item is a book, clicking on this link will open the book and you can locate the chapter or section of the book you would like to read from there. For journal articles, you may see several access options including a “Download PDF” link and a “View Issue Contents” link if you are using LibKey Nomad, and an “Available Online” link (see screenshot below).

Screenshot of the "Download PDF," "View Issue Contents," and "Available Online" links that appear for electronic resources in Himmelfarb's catalog.

If you have the LibKey Nomad browser extension installed, clicking on the “Download PDF” link will open a PDF copy of the full-text of the article that you can read or download to your device. Clicking on the “Available Online” option will open the catalog record and you will see the available options for viewing this article, as seen in the screenshot below. 

Screenshot of available "View Online" links for a journal article.

Simply click on the option you wish to view, and the full-text of the article will open. Clicking on the “Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals” link from the above example, brought up the following page:

Screenshot of a journal article with a "View PDF" option from a publisher's website.

From here, click on the “View PDF” button in the top left corner of the page to download the full-text PDF, or scroll down the page to view the full-text of the article on your web browser. It’s important to note that each publisher may place their PDF download link in a different location on their pages, so you may need to scan the page to find this option depending on the publisher.

For books, we often have access to both a physical copy and an electronic copy of the book. In these cases, you will see that the item is available in Himmelfarb’s book stacks (located in the basement level) with a call number that will help you locate the item on the shelf, as well the “Available Online” link mentioned above. To access the full-text online, simply click the “Available Online” link.

Screenshot of a catalog record for a book that is available as both a physical book and as an e-book.

Locating and finding full-text access to Himmelfarb’s electronic resources is seamless and easy with tools like LibKey Nomad, the GW VPN, and the Himmelfarb website! Should you experience any problems accessing our resources, refer to our Access Issues guide that provides some troubleshooting tips that provide solutions for some of the most common access problems. You can also reach out to us at himmsubs@gwu.edu for help.

Published on

Welcome and welcome back to all of our medical students! We especially want to extend a warm welcome to our second years, as you are finally stepping foot on campus after a difficult year. It is so great to have all of you here with us at GW!

Regardless of whether you are a new or returning student, we want to help you get started by introducing some of the resources we have available at Himmelfarb Library. For an overview, check out our Himmelfarb At-A-Glance Guide.

On-Site Access

Himmelfarb recently expanded our on-site access protocols. All medical students are welcome in the library! You must have a valid GWorld card and have uploaded your proof of vaccination to GW’s Vaccine Portal. Our study rooms are available as well. You must make a reservation in advance via our Study Room Reservation system. You can find policies and requirements on our Study Room Reservation Guide. Finally, masks are again required in Ross Hall and Himmelfarb Library unless you're studying alone in a private study room.

MS Research Guides

We have Research Guides containing all sorts of information and resources available for our MS1s and MS2s, MS3 Clerkships, and MS4 Clerkships. These Research Guides include links to required texts, study tools for Steps 1 and 2, and information on accessing the electronic health record (EHR) systems. If you have questions about your iPad, you can find instructions on setup and maintenance on our iPads for Medical Students Guide.

Research Help Made Easy

Getting research help is easy! Our reference librarians are available to answer your questions in-person or remotely. Use our Ask a Librarian service right from your computer and you’ll be connected directly to our reference and research staff. If you’re in Himmelfarb Library, please stop by the library’s help desk on the first floor!

Himmelfarb’s Resources are Available from Anywhere

Himmelfarb’s 100+ databases, 4,800+ journals, and 6,400+ ebooks are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere! Install the LibKey Nomad Google Chrome browser extension for seamless access to full-text articles available through Himmelfarb. After installing the extension, choose ‘George Washington University - Himmelfarb Library’ as your institution, and you’ll be ready to quickly download full-text articles! When accessing our resources remotely, we recommend using the GW VPN. For directions on how to install the GW VPN, visit Himmelfarb’s off-campus access page.

Get to Know Us

Learn more about Himmelfarb and our resources by visiting our tutorials page. You can also check out our research guides on a wide variety of topics. We are also active on social media, so be sure to connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to get the most updated information about all things Himmelfarb!

We’re looking forward to working with you during your time at GW!

Published on

If you’re a faculty member in the midst of fall semester preparations, consider using Himmelfarb’s Durable Link Service and let us create durable links your students can use to access their course readings on and off campus. 

What is a durable link?

A durable link is a link that will provide reliable access to electronic reading materials, i.e. e-books, e-journals, articles, etc. Whether students access the resource while connected to GW’s network, via their home network, in a coffee shop, at the airport or any other location with internet, they’ll be able to open and read the material. If you’re worried about copyright issues when adding course materials as PDFs to your syllabus, then consider using the Durable Link Service 

The Linking to Electronic Resources: Creating Durable Links libguide offers tips and quick tutorials on how to create your own durable links. If you know the article’s PMID, DOI, or an e-book’s ISBN or ISSN, then you can easily create a durable link for your course material. Or check out our Quick Tool where you can input the URL and create a proxy link that can be added to your syllabus or reading list. Worried that the link may be broken? Use the ‘Test Link’ button to ensure that the link works. 

This quick tool allows you to create a new durable link from an existing URL.

The Durable Link Service is available throughout the year. Once you have your reading list or syllabus for your courses, feel free to use the libguide to create your durable links. If you’ve created your own links, but want someone to check that they’re not broken or if you’d like someone to create and add links to your syllabus, please contact a staff member at Himmelfarb library by sending an email to himmelfarb@gwu.edu. We’ll be happy to check any links you’ve already created or add new durable links to your syllabus! 

Published on
photo of a Welcome sign
Image source: unsplash.com

Himmelfarb Library has recently updated its access protocol to allow more of our users to visit us in person, as long as they comply with new entry policy requirements. Graduate students in all SMHS/GWSPH/SON programs may now come onsite. All faculty and staff in these schools have library access, as do GW Hospital and MFA employees. 

Before planning your next visit, please note the following safety requirements:

Current Library hours are available on our website. For additional information, please visit Himmelfarb Library’s access page. If you have questions, contact the Himmelfarb Access Coordinator, Catherine Sluder, at crharris@gwu.edu.

Published on

Over the past several months, Himmelfarb Library staff have heard from users experiencing difficulty accessing the Library's online collections. The access issue seems to stem from the use of multiple authentications on one computer. For example, a user might access a clinical systems like the GW MFA's EHR system with their MFA credentials, and also regularly login to access Himmelfarb Library resources via their GW credentials. In some cases, the user's non-GW (i.e. GW MFA, Children's Hospital, etc.) login is automatically submitted to GW's single sign-on system rather than the user's @gwu.edu account information.

To support users while this issue is investigated, Himmelfarb Library has developed instructions to guide users and address this access issue so they can access Himmelfarb's online collections easily.

Option #1: Use one web browser for most work and reserve a second web browser for logging into Himmelfarb Library and other GW functions. This option works best on a computer that you use regularly, as you are able to have the browser 'remember' you.

  1. Open the web browser selected for Himmelfarb/GW, then clear the browser's history and cookies.
  2. A prompt may appear at the top of the screen asking the user to login to a non-GW system; log off/deactivate this function.
  3. Access Himmelfarb Library webpage (http://himmelfarb.gwu.edu) and select the database, e-text, or e-journal which you would like to access; the resource should display automatically.

Option #2: Open an 'incognito' browser window. This option works best on a computer that you don't use regularly, as you'll need to sign-in and complete dual authentication each time you open an incognito window.

  1. Open an incognito browser window:
    • Chrome: click on three stacked dots in upper right corner of window, then select 'New Incognito window'
    • Edge: click on three horizontal dots in upper right corner of window, then select 'New InPrivate window'
    • Safari: from File menu, select 'New Private Window'
    • Internet Explorer: click on gear menu in upper right corner of window, then select Safety followed by InPrivate Browsing
    • Mozilla Firefox: click on three stacked horizontal lines in upper right corner of window, then select New Private Window
  2. Access Himmelfarb Library webpage (http://himmelfarb.gwu.edu) and select the database, e-text, or e-journal which you would like to access; the resource should display automatically.

Remember, anytime you experience an access issue or are having difficulty finding what you need, Himmelfarb's library staff is here to help. You can reach us via instant message, phone, email, or text - remember to Ask A Librarian!

Published on

After over a year of social distancing and virtual learning, we’re excited to see students, faculty and staff return to GWU's campus for in-person instruction! The university is committed to maintaining a safe environment for everyone and has released updated guidelines and requirements for in person instruction during the fall semester. As part of these new guidelines, the university has implemented a COVID-19 vaccination policy:

All students, faculty and staff members who wish to access any building on GW’s campus must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Once you’ve received your full dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, you must update the university by uploading your vaccination card onto the medical portal. A link to the medical portal is located here. 

To upload your vaccination record to the portal, follow these short instructions:

  • Log onto the portal, enter your date of birth and you’ll be directed to the home page
  • On the left side menu, click ‘Medical Clearances’
  • Once you’ve reached the ‘Medical Clearances’ page, scroll until you see ‘Add COVID Vaccine Record’
  • Press ‘Update’ and upload a copy of your vaccination record
    • Note: Please upload the file as a JPEG. PDFs will not be accepted
  • Once you’re ready to upload, click the ‘Done’ button and your record is now in the portal!

The vaccination record must be uploaded by August 1st in order to receive clearance to access any GW buildings. 

If you have any questions about the vaccination requirement or the university’s strategies for maintaining a safe and clean environment in the summer and fall, visit GWU’s Coronavirus Response webpage or the Vaccine page. If you’re unsure of where to go to receive your vaccine, check with your state’s health department or use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vaccine Finder. 

We look forward to seeing you in person in a few short weeks!

Published on
Welcome sign on wooden background.
Photo by Katherine Hood on Unsplash

Himmelfarb Library would like to extend the warmest of welcomes to all of our new users! Regardless of whether you are a new resident, fellow, physician assistant, or a new student, we are excited that you are here and are looking forward to serving you during this next chapter of your medical or health sciences training! In an effort to help get you started on the right foot, we’d like to share some ways Himmelfarb can help make your experience a positive one.

Resources for Residents & Fellows:

If you are a new resident or fellow, Himmelfarb has resources to help you navigate this new role. Check out our Residents and Fellows Guide for information about accessing Himmelfarb resources from the GW Hospital and other off-campus locations. This guide also provides links to popular clinical resources such as DynaMed, ClinicalKey, Lexicomp, and PubMed. You’ll also find a link to our App Shelf where you can download apps to selected resources on your smartphone or tablet. Links to specific program resources, and MFA training resources are also available. For additional information about GW University and GW Hospital wireless access, accessing your GW email, and GW Hospital clinical systems, visit the Wireless Access and Clinical Systems Guide.

Himmelfarb also provides access to NEJM Resident 360. Create your free personal account using your @gwu.edu email address. Once you’ve created your account, access the resource via the library or go directly to NEJM Resident 360 to access interactive cases, videos, rotation prep, clinical pearls, morning reports, and more! 

Research Help Made Easy!

We’d like all of our new users to know that getting research help is easy! Our reference librarians are available to answer your questions in-person or remotely. Use our Ask a Librarian service right from your computer and you’ll be connected to our real reference and research staff. For more information about getting reference and research help, check out Our New Normal page.

Himmelfarb’s Resources are Available from Anywhere!

Himmelfarb’s 100+ databases, 4,800+ journals, and 6,400+ ebooks are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere! Install the LibKey Nomad Google Chrome browser extension for seamless access to full-text articles available through Himmelfarb. After installing the extension, choose ‘George Washington University - Himmelfarb Library’ as your institution, and you’ll be ready to quickly download full-text articles! When accessing our resources remotely, we recommend using the GW VPN. For directions on how to install the GW VPN, visit Himmelfarb’s off-campus access page.

Get to Know Us:

Learn more about Himmelfarb and our resources by visiting our tutorials page. You can also check out our research guides on a wide variety of topics. We are also active on social media, so be sure to connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to get the most updated information about all things Himmelfarb! 

We’re looking forward to serving you! Welcome to the GW community!

Published on

The American Library Association has declared April 4-10, 2021 National Library Week. This year’s theme is “Welcome to Your Library”.

The pandemic has challenged all kinds of libraries to adapt and find creative ways to reach and serve their users. Here at Himmelfarb we’ve made changes for both the small cohorts of students and staff who can still visit the physical library and those now using our services virtually only. We encourage you to continue to take advantage of these new adaptations!

Ross Hall Courtyard Pickup and Returns - You can schedule an appointment to both pick up and drop off Himmelfarb Library collection items and items borrowed through the Consortium Loan Service (CLS) via the Ross Hall Courtyard. This service is available to users who currently don’t have physical access to Himmelfarb. Learn the details here.

Shipping Service - For those who can’t come to Himmelfarb Library or the courtyard, there is limited shipping service to have items delivered or to return Himmelfarb collection or interlibrary loan items. Requesters are responsible for shipping costs and the service is not available to students out of town for a rotation or clerkship. Learn more here.

Extended Reserves Loans - All reserve books are currently available for a one week check out period. Find reserves supporting the MD program here and reserves supporting Public Health programs here.

Ask a Librarian - Got a question or a research need? Get help immediately through our chat services. When you chat Ask a Librarian you are always “speaking” with a member of Himmelfarb Library’s reference and instruction team!

As always, our electronic resources are available to you 24x7 via the library website. Frequently used resources are in the Popular Resources box at top left, including links to PubMed, DynaMed, and top journals. Use our Research Guides to find trusted resources on topics including citation style, predatory journals, boards preparation, cultural competency, and researcher services.

We look forward to welcoming many of you back to our physical facility as soon as we can safely re-open to all our users!

Published on

Starting fall of 2020, GW staff, faculty, and students have free digital access to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. This new access is available in response to the GW Student Association’s request for better access to legitimate and reliable news sources. 

Newspapers image

For the New York Times, users must create a NYT account with their GW email address. Create a password for the account that is different from your NetID password. You will get access to digital content via the website and the New York Times app. All content is available except for NYT Cooking and Crosswords which require separate subscriptions.

For the Washington Post , access is only available via the website, not the app. There is no need to set up a separate account.  As long as you are signed in with your NetID on the device and browser you’re currently using you should get passed through to Post content.  

For the Wall Street Journal , users must create an account with their GWmail address and identify whether they are a student or staff/faculty. Students will need to provide a graduation date. Again, do not use your NetID password for this account. Use a different password when setting it up. The account provides access to both website and app content for the Journal.

There is a GW Libraries page with more information, including what to do if you already have a subscription to one of these publications that’s linked to your GWmail address, and contacts for technical assistance.

Published on
Image Source.

Ever try to access an ebook in the Himmelfarb Library collection and get the message “Sorry, this ebook is in use”? Ever wonder why we can’t just scan entire books in our collection to create an electronic copy? Ever get frustrated by a broken article link in Blackboard and wonder why they couldn’t just upload a PDF? While these seem like questions about different systems, they all come down to the same thing - copyright.

eBook is in use error message

When a library acquires an ebook, they don’t actually own the ebook - they license a copy from the publisher. The same thing happens when you “purchase” an ebook from Amazon. And much like Amazon ebooks come with publisher restrictions in place to prevent piracy, library ebooks have their own limits established by the publishers. These include everything from limits to how many pages you can save or print to how many people can access the ebook at once. If you’re trying to access one of our eBooks and get a message that someone else is using the book, usually if you wait 15-20 minutes and try again you’ll be able to get in.

As for scanning entire physical books to create our own electronic copies, that would violate copyright laws. However, when working with copyrighted materials in academia we are allowed a little more flexibility thanks to the fair use doctrine. Essentially, fair use allows us to use copyrighted material without explicit permission from the copyright holder. The fair use doctrine even explicitly mentions educational purposes as one of the main reasons it exists. When it comes to scanning physical books, generally the fair use guidelines state that you can scan one chapter or less than 10% of the book. This allows us to take advantage of our InterLibrary Loan system to the fullest, so you can access chapters from books not in our collection.

Fair use is also why we provide durable links to articles in Blackboard rather than full PDFs. Reproducing the full PDF would require your professor to obtain permission from the copyright holder. Linking to the article in Himmelfarb’s collection doesn’t. If you ever run into a broken link in Blackboard, get in touch with your professor and let us know at himmelfarb@gwu.edu so we can update the link.

Taken from our Copyright Research Guide.

Have additional questions about copyright? Take a look at our Copyright Research Guide. Questions about electronic access? Email us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu.

Viewing Message: 1 of 1.
 Notice

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Visit GW’s Website Privacy Notice to learn more about how GW uses cookies.