Frequently Asked Questions

 

Access and Visiting

 

Journals, Books, and Research Databases

 

Additional Services

 

General

 

When and where can I visit the Library?

The Mesa Lab Library is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m. For Mesa Lab building hours, directions, and more information, please see the Plan Your Trip to the Mesa Lab Visitors Center page.

The Foothills Library, located in FL2, is open 24/7 to all UCAR/UCP and NSF NCAR staff, but it is not open to the general public. 

The Center Green Library, located in CG1, is open to all UCAR/UCP and NSF NCAR staff, but it is not open to the general public.

If you would like to meet with a librarian, please Contact Us at least 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment.

Learn more about the the library campus locations.

 

What resources are offered in each Library?

The NCAR Library offers print and electronic resources for all UCAR/UCP and NSF NCAR staff. Each location also has a unique set of hardcopy journals, books, and reports, as well as a self-checkout machine. You can consult the NSF NCAR Library catalog, to access the location and availability of books and print journals. If you cannot find what you are looking for, you can submit an Interlibrary Loan request. If you would like to meet with a librarian, please Contact Us at least 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment.

 

How do I find books?

The NSF NCAR Library collection contains a wealth of resources in print and electronic formats. The collection consists of current state-of-the-art scientific research materials as well significant historical references. To search for printed books and journals go to the NCAR Library catalog.

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How do I check out, renew or request resources?

All UCAR/UCP and NSF NCAR employees and official visitors may check out library resources from any library location.

Library Resources

 

How can I find out what journals are available?

Search the A-Z list of e-Journals. If we subscribe, you can log in with your CIT and read the article. If you have any problems, Contact Us.

 

How do I access journal articles?

Use the "Search by DOI" box on the NSF NCAR Library home page. 

Search for journal articles using a database. There is no centralized way to search for articles across databases; we recommend: 

Once you find an article, you may need to use the Library Proxy Bookmarklet to log in.

The library provides access to many printed journals. Printed journals can be located by searching by "Journal title" in the NSF NCAR Library catalog. 

If you have any problems, Contact Us.

 

What online resources are available from the library? 

The full list of subscriptions is available on the Library Resources page.

If you have any problems, Contact Us.

 

How do I access library resources remotely? 

We recommend starting your search on the NSF NCAR Library home page or the Library Resources page to ensure that you are logged in. You must log in using CIT credentials. An easy way to do this is by using the Library Proxy Bookmarklet. If you have any problems, Contact Us.

 

How do I find journal articles by DOI?

Use the "Search by DOI" box on the NSF NCAR Library home page. 

If you have any problems, Contact Us.

 

How do I find journal articles by title?

To locate an article by title, use the search box on the NSF NCAR Library home page to search for articles using Google Scholar. You can also search for articles by title from Web of Science or any of the databases available on our Library Resources page.

Once you find an article, you may need to use the Library Proxy Bookmarklet to log in.

If you have any problems, Contact Us.

 

What if I cannot access an article I want?

If you encounter a paywall, or are otherwise denied access to an article:

  1. Check to make sure that you are logged in using your CIT credentials. The easiest way to do this is to use Library Proxy Bookmarklet.
  2. Submit an InterLibrary Loan Request. The NSF NCAR Library will request the article from another library and send it to you.
  3. Contact the library.
     

What research services are available?

The NSF NCAR Library offers many services to support and facilitate scientific research and scholarship.

If you would like to meet with a librarian, please Contact Us at least 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment.

 

What is OpenSky?

OpenSky is the open access institutional repository supporting UCAR, NSF NCAR, and UCP, extending free and open access to our scholarship for the benefit of research and education. OpenSky is operated by the NSF NCAR Library, founded on the principle that public access to the scholarly record is essential to the advancement of science and society. The vision of OpenSky is to preserve and make freely accessible the scholarly record of UCAR, NCAR, and UCP, in support of the broad mission of UCAR to foster science, support its community, and facilitate the transfer of knowledge.

Visit OpenSky for more information.

 

What are the NCAR Archives?

The Archives seeks to preserve the institutional memory of NSF NCAR and UCAR. The Archives acquires, processes, manages, and makes accessible to staff and researchers high quality information resources documenting the broad spectrum of activities undertaken by NSF NCAR and UCAR in the areas of research, technology, education, and community building.

Visit the Archives for more information.

 

How does the NSF NCAR Library support public access to federally funded research?

Since its inception, our organization has always embraced the concept of open science and open data. We have a long history of developing and sustaining programs, systems, and services that are freely shared and available to our research and educational communities.

Please see our Public Access Information for further information.

 

What is software citation?

Software that can be used by others should receive the necessary acknowledgement and recognition it deserves with a permanent identifier such as a DOI. Software forms a critical thread in our modern work; making it citable provides the traceability necessary for our scientific endeavors. Visit our Software Citation Recommendation Page for more information.

 

How can I create a citation and DOI for my software?

Minting a DOI is easy and is handled through the NSF NCAR Library. 

Please see Getting a DOI at NCAR and Improving NCAR Open Source Software Through Citation for further information. 

 

How do I find weather and climate data?

There are many weather and climate data resources available to provide data and "real time" information for local, national and international weather and climate.

 

What is a citation, and how can it be used?

The word "citation" has several meanings. It can mean a reference to a publication that includes the title, author, name of publication, etc. or it can refer to the citation count, which is the number of times an article or author has been cited. The Web of Science database provides comprehensive and multidisciplinary access to citations for journals and conference proceedings. The number of times an article has been cited can be found through either a basic author or title search in Web of Science. The times cited number is listed at the end of the reference. The number of times an author has been cited can be found through a Cited Reference search in Web of Science.

 

What is the H-index?

The h-index assesses the impact of an individual author's total output and takes into account both the quantity and quality of publications. The h-index is based on the number of publications and is meaningful when compared to others within the same discipline area. Researchers in one field may have very different h-indices than researchers in another (e.g. Earth Science vs Physics). An h-index of 10 means an author has published ten papers with at least ten citations each. The Web of Science database offers citation reports that address this impact of publication. Please note, the h-index is based on the publications indexed in the Web of Science database only. It does not take into account publications in non-refereed journals, books, and reports.