The latest Engineering Library "Question of the Month" entries are now available from ASTech News
April 2008 Q. Is there a database of PhD theses?
A. The library subscribes to a database called Proquest Dissertations and Theses (available here:
http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/5799613) that provides the full text of recent (from 1996 to the present) theses and dissertations, with abstracts available from 1981 to the present. To search for theses published before 1981, use
Dissertation Abstracts: http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/3044695. Dissertations not owned by the CU Library can be requested from interlibrary loan:
https://cornell.hosts.atlas-sys.com/illiad/illiad.dll.
You may also find the following web guides helpful:
For locating Theses and Dissertations in the Engineering Library:
http://astech.library.cornell.edu/ast/engr/find/Theses-and-Dissertations.cfm General information:
http://www.library.cornell.edu/t/help/res_strategy/finding/dissertations.html March 2008 Q. I am graduating from Cornell this year. As an alumnus, can I still borrow books from the library?
A. You can find information about services available to you on the CU Library Alumni & Friends Access page:
http://alumni.library.cornell.edu. You may also wish to consult with the Access Services Division in room 116 Olin Library or call 607-255-5069. This is the department responsible for issuing library cards to patrons who are not currently enrolled students.
February 2008 Q. I'd heard that there were electronic copies of books written by Thomas R. Kane (such as a Dynamics text) available from the library, but I only see the paper copy available in the catalog.
A. Thank you for submitting your question. Unfortunately, the library catalog does not list electronic copies of books by Thomas R. Kane. All of our electronic books have records in the catalog just like printed material and can be located through a title or author search. Sources for electronic books available to CU Library patrons include
Knovel,
Books24x7,
NetLibrary, and
Safari Books Online, but I was unable to locate any of this author's books from these sources. A print copy of this book is available from the library but is currently checked out. I would recommend requesting a copy via
Borrow Direct or recalling it from the current borrower by clicking the purple "Requests" button at the top of the catalog record for this item.
Patron Follow-Up : I just wanted to let you know, in case it comes up again, that I found a PDF copy of this book in the Cornell University repository
eCommons, available here:
http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/handle/1813/638.
Librarian Response : Wow, thank you for sending this link. I have updated our
eBooks guide to include
eCommons and will get this book cataloged so it can be found through our library catalog. I will remember to consider
eCommons as a source for electronic books in the future. Thanks again for letting us know.
December 2007 Q. I found some patents through USPTO.gov but I couldn't open whole file including images. Can you tell me how I can search for these patents?
A. If you were unable to download files from the USPTO, I would recommend searching for the patent using a different source. Try
Micropatent,
PatentFetcher, or
Google Patents. You might also find the Engineering Library guide to finding patents useful:
http://astech.library.cornell.edu/ast/engr/find/patents.cfm.
If you are not able to locate the patent you are looking for, please let us know the title and/or number of the patent you need and we will be more than happy to assist you in locating it.
November 2007 Q. I have located two standards from the ASTM on the web that I need for my research. The website allows me to download the standards directly, but requires payment. Are these standards available from the library?
A. The library's selection of standards (located in the reference section of the reading room) includes a multi-volume set of standards from ASTM. The set in our collection was published in 2003 and may not contain standards that have been recently released or updated. If your research requires the most current edition of a standard not available from this set, or if you have any additional questions, please contact the reference staff at the
Engineering Library.
Question of the Month Archive 
