RGU Library
Walk-In Service
RGU Library's Walk-In User service provides on-campus access to a limited amount of online databases for anyone who is not a student or staff at RGU.
About the Walk-In User service
The Walk-in User Service provides access to a selection of RGU Library online resources for anyone who is not a current RGU student or staff member. This includes ICRGU students and members of the public.
The resources include databases of full-text online journal articles and e-books and they may be used for non-commercial study and research. Full terms and conditions of use are detailed in the Acceptable Use Policy section below.
The databases available in this service are governed by strict licensing conditions and are only available to use at a dedicated PC within RGU Library on the RGU Garthdee campus in Aberdeen. It is not possible to use this service from any other location or remotely online.
Anyone planning to visit the campus to use the Walk-in User Service is strongly advised to book in advance to avoid disappointment or long waiting times. Details of how to book a session are available in the Using the Service section on this page.
RGU alumni may also access a smaller selection of online library resources remotely without having to visit the Library in person, using the Alumni access to online Library resources service.
Using the Walk-In User service
Individuals may request to use the walk-in service at any time during Library opening hours, but we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment or long waiting times.
Anyone without a prior booking will need to have a booking made on their behalf by Library staff. Please be aware that this process will take a few minutes to complete. A form of ID will be needed to complete this procedure, preferably with a photo and your address, such as a passport or driver licence. You will not need to provide this information if you have booked in advance.
Library staff will direct you to the dedicated Walk-In User PC where you can select from the list of databases available and access basic guidance via the Library website or the specific database help pages. If you wish to save items for later reading then please take a USB drive with you. There is no access to printing facilities.
Please note that the Library Reception team will not be able to offer detailed guidance on how to use any databases. The Walk-In User scheme is a self-service facility.
Walk-In Access to Electronic Resources - Acceptable Use Policy
This service is intended for anyone who is not currently a registered student or employee of the University. By using the walk-in service, you are agreeing to comply with the acceptable use conditions set out below. If you have further questions about copyright, or the terms and conditions in place for specific electronic resources, please consult a member of University Library staff.
These resources and their contents are subject to strict terms and conditions, licensing permissions and copyright law, which must be complied with by all users of this service.
While the University Library will take reasonable steps to ensure availability of the service, the University accepts no liability whatsoever if the service is unavailable for any reason and reserves the right to refuse any applications. Help screens/tutorials are available from most resources; Library Reception staff are unable to give assistance on using the resources.
Pre-requisites to access
- Users must agree to the terms and conditions set out in this document, and the terms and conditions specified on each website accessed via this service, as well as those terms and conditions detailed in the University's policies affecting IT use and communications at Robert Gordon University and the JANET Acceptable Use Policy.
- Users must provide a form of identification requested by the University and sign in each time they visit the University Library to use the walk-in service. Users must also inform Library staff at the point they log out of the walk-in service terminal.
What you can do
- Access a selection of the University's electronic resources from a specific terminal housed within the University Library.
- Use those electronic resources for personal, non-commercial and educational use (e.g. personal study or research). Any use of resources for commercial purposes is forbidden.
- Save articles or other content onto a portable storage device such as a USB drive if the amount of material you are saving complies with the licence for the resource that you are using. Printing facilities are not provided.
What you cannot do
- Use any of the content retrieved from the University's electronic resources for commercial activities.
- Leave a walk-in terminal logged in and unattended for any period during your visit or refuse any request by Library staff to end your session.
- Share any University-issued usernames or passwords with any other party.
- Share any materials retrieved from the University's electronic resources with any other party, whether in print or electronic format.
- Download, store or transmit an excessive amount of content retrieved from the University's electronic resources.
- Access any resource apart from the ones made available on walk-in terminals, or attempt to access any other networked resource, the Internet or any other service or application.
- Damage hardware or attempt to interfere with software or other applications running on the walk-in terminal, in any way. You are permitted to insert a USB memory stick into the USB port on the walk-in terminal but are under a binding obligation to ensure that it is completely free from viruses or any other entity which could damage hardware and software, or otherwise compromise the operation of the hardware and software, or the network in any way.
- Use the network for unauthorised purposes. For more detail, refer to the JANET Acceptable Use Policy.
- Access, transmit, store, print, promote or display offensive, obscene or indecent material, defamatory materials or materials likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Databases
The following databases are available on the dedicated walk-in user service PC within RGU Library. Strict licensing terms mean that we cannot provide access to these databases off-campus.
Please note that only limited assistance will be available for the Walk-In Service. Library staff will be unable to offer any detailed or in-depth assistance. Short instructional guides may be available for some databases, but are a work in progress and we intend to add more guides at a later date. If no guide is available please use the help features available in each database.
The availability of these databases may be subject to change with no notice.
| Resource | Information | |
|---|---|---|
| ACM Digital Library | Material on a wide variety of computing topics | |
| AgeLine | Literature on social gerontology and age-related content from health sciences, psychology, social work, economics and public policy | |
| Amed | Abstracts for articles from over 5000 journals related to allied and alternative health | |
| American Chemical Society | Chemistry and related disciplines. Current titles 1996- with legacy archive 1879-1995 | |
| A-N | Research and information for and about contemporary visual arts practice | |
| Art and Architecture Source | Art, design and architecture articles and images | |
| Berg Fashion Library | Integrated text and image content on world dress and fashion throughout history | |
| Brill Journals Collection | Journals covering arts and humanities, science and social science | |
| Business Source Complete | Articles on all aspects of business and management | |
| CAB Abstracts | Articles on nutrition, food, agriculture, tourism, hospitality and recreation | |
| Cambridge University Press Journals | Journals in the sciences and social sciences | |
| CINAHL Complete | Full-text access to articles in professional and academic journals on nursing, midwifery and allied health care | |
| Criminal Justice Abstracts | Abstracts in criminology, criminal justice, criminal law and procedure, corrections and prisons, police and policing, criminal investigation, forensic sciences and investigation | |
| EbscoHost Ebook Collection | Ebooks covering most subjects taught within RGU | |
| Edinburgh University Press | Humanities and social sciences journals | |
| Emerald | Journals covering business & management, librarianship, marketing, property, industry, engineering and training | |
| Encyclopedia of Social Work | Content includes over 800 articles, on key topics ranging from international issues to ethical standards, over 200 biographies of key figures in social work history, and more. A collaboration between the National Association of Social Workers (NASW Press) and Oxford University Press | |
| Eric | Journal articles covering all aspects of education | |
| Family Studies Abstracts | Bibliographic records covering essential areas related to family studies including marriage, divorce and family therapy | |
| Food Science Source | Articles from over 1400 journals, magazines and trade publications covering the food industry and related topics | |
| Health Professionals | Peer-reviewed content in medicine, dental care, paramedic practice and occupational and physical therapy | |
| Intermid | Peer-reviewed articles from midwifery journals including British Journal of Midwifery and the African Journal of Midwifery | |
| International Pharmaceutical Abstracts | Indexing and abstracts for pharmaceutical and medical journals published worldwide | |
| Internurse | Peer-reviewed articles from UK nursing journals | |
| Karger | Full-text journals covering biomedical and life sciences | |
| Knovel | eBooks on engineering and related disciplines | Library Literature and Information Science FT | Abstracts and full-text articles in library and information science journals |
| Medline | Abstracts for medicine, pharmacy, biomedical and forensic sciences | |
| Oxford Art Online | Art resources including the Grove Art Online, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Oxford Companion to Western Art | |
| Oxford University Press | Full-text journals in the sciences and social sciences | |
| Peace Research Abstracts | Bibliographic records covering peace research, conflict resolution, international affairs and peace psychology | |
| Psycharticles | Full-text articles from highly regarded psychology journals | |
| Race Relations Abstracts | Bibliograpic records covering essential areas related to race relations including discrimination and immigration studies | |
| RSC Journals | Royal Society of Chemistry journals | |
| Sage Journals | Journals in business, humanities, social sciences and science | |
| ScienceDirect | Full-text journals in life and physical sciences, business and social sciences | |
| ScienceDirect eBooks | Ebooks on lifesciences, health, engineering and social sciences | |
| Scopus | Abstract-only database. Covers a large range of journal articles and conference papers across all subject areas. | |
| SOCIndex with Full Text | Comprehensive sociology research database with over 2.1 million records and over 800 journals in full-text | |
| SpringerLink | Full-text journals in the sciences and social sciences | |
| Springer eBooks | Ebooks on most subjects taught within the university | |
| Springer Protocols | Over 28,000 reproducible laboratory protocols in the biomedical and life sciences from 1980-2012 | |
| Taylor and Francis | Full-text journals in business, humanities, social sciences, science, technology and medicine | |
| Urban Studies Abstracts | Bibliographic records covering essential areas related to urban studies including urban affairs, community development and urban history | |
| Violence and Abuse Abstracts | Bibliographic records covering essential areas related to violence and abuse including family violence, sexual assault and emotional abuse | |
| Web of Science | Bibliographic records with details of journal articles, conference papers and chapters in the sciences | |
| Wiley Online Library | Full-text journals and ebooks covering life, health and physical sciences and social sciences |
Contact us
If you have any questions about the Walk-In User Service then please get in touch.
- Email us at library@rgu.ac.uk
- Call us at 01224 263450