Periodicals, Newspapers and Microforms

About| Locations | Locating Periodicals | Requesting from WRLC | CLS and ILL | Contact Us

How many Periodicals does American University Library subscribe to?

• 4,057 Electronic Periodicals
• 1,500 Print Periodicals
• 34 Newspapers
• 260 Databases
• Access to full-text from 38,903 titles via database subscriptions and direct subscriptions

Peridodicals can be found in several places

• Many titles are available online via a direct subscription or database.
• Recent issues of print periodicals are available in the Current Periodicals Room adjacent to the Mud Box on the lower level of the library.
• Bound periodicals, in general, are held the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) storage facility in Upper Marlboro, MD.
• Arts periodicals, once bound, are incorporated into the Arts Collection on the lower level of the library.
• Older issues of journals, newspapers, and magazines may be available on microfilm or microfiche.

How can I tell where a particular journal is?

1. Search AU e-Journals to see if the journal or newspaper is online.
2. If not, go to the WRLC Libraries Catalog
3. On the main page, search by the title of the journal (not article)
4. Click on the entry that says AU, ignore the date on search results screen.
5. Look at the dates at the bottom of the screen to see if we have the right volumes.
6. Anything listed as "Recent Issue" is in the Current Periodicals Room.
7. Anything that says "WRLC Center" is in storage and can be requested via CLS.
8. Anything that says "Microforms Collection" is on the lower level to the left of the compact shelving.

Requesting journal articles or bound volumes from storage

• Article Requests:If the article you are looking for is in a title listed as "WRLC Center," you can request that article via CLS. It should be delievered to your MyALADIN account within 1-2 business days.
• Bound Volume Requests: Once a bound volume has been sent to storage, the entire volume can be requested for delivery by completing a CLS request and indicating that you would like to have a whole volume sent in the Comments field. Please not that due to the non-circulating nature of bound journal volumes, when received the requested whole bound volumes are for in-library use only.
  
  NOTE: Library patrons who are not affiliated with American University can request that a bound journal volume be retrieved from WRLC by filling out this online form. Forms will also be available in print between the Reserves Desk and Copy Center.

What if I can't find the journal I need?

• Check AU e-Journals to see if it is online.
• If another WRLC library has it, use CLS.
• If no other WRLC library has it, use Interlibrary Loan.

What if I need Help?

• For Help finding articles on your topic, consult Reference (885-3238).
• For Help with Current Periodicals, go to the Reserves Desk (885-3231).
• For Help with Microfilm or Microfiche, go to the Copy Center (885-3229).
• For Help with CLS or Interlibrary Loan, go to Interlibrary Loan (885-3282).

Faculty Info

• If you are a faculty member or faculty proxy, you can arrange to take periodicals out of the library. Ask at the Reserves desk or call 885-3231 if you have questions.