Downloading PDFs in ScienceDirect

UPDATE: Elsevier will be making some fixes to their databases, one of which will address the PDF problem. This may cause momentary disruption for users between 7:30-8:30 am on Saturday, 03/17/2012


If you've had any problems downloading articles from ScienceDirect, you're not alone. Here are a couple solutions for you to use until Elsevier can fix the problem.

If you are unable to use the save button please try one of the workarounds below:

• Return to the abstract page, right click on the PDF link and select save target as to download the article.
• If you are browsing using Firefox, right click on the PDF link and select save link as. 
• You can also email the article to yourself, choosing 'attach to email'.

Thank you for your patience, as we understand this is a software glitch. If you run into any further problems, please don't hesitate to Ask Us!

Tips originally published by the Imperial College London. 

'Virtual Door' to Samford, Baptist History

Samford University library patrons can now, via computer, access a treasure trove of historic documents and publications that were once only available by visiting campus or requesting microfilm copies.


The digitization of  more than 1,188 books and other items-representing about 32,440 pages---will be particularly helpful to researchers, historians and others interested in Samford and Alabama Baptist archives, say library administrators.


"This project has allowed us to open the 'virtual door' of the special collection department, giving access to some of our most treasured, historic and used collections to any user from anywhere on the globe," said Samford library director Kim Herndon.


Materials chosen for digitization came from the earliest, most often requested and most unique regional printed items held in the library: primarily 19th century materials, with some 20th century volumes included.  The items were scanned from cover-to-cover and in full color. Users can page through a book, download the PDF or search the full text version.


Digitized items include Samford  (then Howard College) catalogs dated 1845-1913; Alabama Baptist sources such as state convention annuals dated 1823-1913 and association annuals for 1818-1900; and  Mitchell B. Garrett's history of Samford's early years: 60 Years of Howard College, 1842-1902.Digitization of Samford'sEntre Nous yearbook for years 1912-2009 is underway with an expected summer, 2012, completion date.


Materials for inclusion in the project were selected by Herndon, special collection librarian and university archivist head Elizabeth Wells, and special collection technical archivist Jennifer Taylor.


Interested persons have already begun searching the digitized resources for such data as names of students who attended Howard College (found in early catalogs), members and pastors of Alabama Baptist churches, and information on  historic denominational meetings and events.


As of early March, digitized documents had already been downloaded more than 15,000 times.  The 1845-46 Howard College catalog, for instance, has been downloaded 192 times since it first went digital in September, 2010.


"These could be scholars researching education in early Alabama, or people doing family history," speculates Taylor, who oversaw the digitization project.


The project was made possible through the LYRASIS Mass Digitization Collaborative, a Sloan Foundation grant-subsidized program that has made digitization easy and affordable for libraries across the country. Samford was the first university in Alabama to participate in the Lyrasis project.


To access the internet archive, go to http://library.samford.edu/about/special.html and choose Online Exhibits. For more information, call the Samford library's special collection department at (205) 726-2749.


Originally posted by Mary Wimberly, Samford University Office of Communication 

Try Out New Resources

Check out our database trials page to gain access to some amazing trials this month.  Whether you’re researching business and company information, historical topics, sociological trends, images for a project, or biological sciences, you will find something to love in trials from Mergent, Britannica, Proquest, Alexander Street, and EBSCO.  All trials require a Samford username and password.  You should be able to access these from anywhere that you have an Internet connection.

 

These trials are courtesy of the University Library’s continuing relationship with other academic libraries in the state via theNetwork of Alabama Academic Libraries.  This statewide organization allows us to leverage our numbers in the acquisition of many of our online databases.  We are grateful to NAAL for its support year round and especially during this month of trials.  Another set of trials will be available in October.

 

If you have feedback about these trial resources, please send your comments to Lori Northrup at lanorthr@samford.edu .  Helpful information from you includes answers to some of the following:

 

Is this database useful to you in your own research?

Would it be useful and promoted by you to your students?

Did you find the interface easy to use?

What did you expect to find in this resource that you are not finding?

Would you like to see a webinar about this trial resource?