CIIS Library: Distance Students

Let the Laurance S. Rockefeller Library be your first stop for research services and resources. We encourage you to take advantage of the research opportunities available to you here, and also to explore complementary opportunities at your local library.

Who is a Distance Student?

All currently enrolled CIIS students who live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area are distance students. The San Francisco Bay Area includes the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara.

Services

CIIS reference librarians are happy to help you with any stage of your research. We can either schedule a phone appointment or work with you asynchronously. Send us an e-mail (askref_at_ciis.edu) or see our Web site (Ask a Librarian).

The Library will mail CIIS books, dissertations, audio and video recordings, and journal articles to distance students in the United States and Canada. All materials must be returned to the Library by the due date with the exception of journal articles, which are yours to keep.

To request CIIS books and A/V materials, you place holds using the Library Catalog. Available items placed on hold will be mailed to you within the week.

Borrowing periods for Distance Students are 4 weeks for books, with two renewals of 4 weeks each (providing that books have not been requested by another patron); 3 weeks for A/V materials, no renewals permitted. Books may also be renewed by logging on to your CIIS Library account.

To return materials, send them to:

CIIS Library
1453 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

To avoid late fees (20¢ a day for books, $2 a day for AV materials), items must be postmarked by the due date. We recommend sending materials as Media Mail, which is the cheapest US Postal Service option for sending books and AV materials that weigh more than 8oz. Additionally, consider using Delivery Confirmation or another service to track and insure the materials you send back, in the case that something happens to the materials in the mail.

Note: Distance students are responsible for materials checked out to them from the time the student receives the materials until the time they are checked back in at the Library. This means the student must replace or pay for any lost materials and for damaged or vandalized items. We use Delivery Confirmation to ensure that students are not liable for materials that are lost in the mail before they are received by the student; students should consider doing the same.

Interlibrary Loan (for non-CIIS materials)

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a reciprocal lending service through which the CIIS Library obtains materials from other libraries for use by CIIS students, staff and faculty.

As of July 1, 2005 distance students are eligible for interlibrary loan service for journal articles and book chapters. ILL service is not available for books and print dissertations.

Go to InterLibrary Loan.

Resources

Most of the online resources on the CIIS Library Web site are accessible to students off-campus. You may be prompted for your last name and CIIS ID number.

Your CIIS ID number is the same identifying number you use to register for classes online; if you have a CIIS photo ID card it is the number above the barcode on that card. If you don't know your CIIS ID number, contact the Registrar's Office to have them send you an ID card.

See the Research section of the Library's web site for a complete listing of research resources. Resources of particular interest to distance students are:

See the Library Catalog for a complete listing of CIIS books, both print and online. See the Journal List for a complete listing of CIIS journals, both in print and online.

To identify books and other materials that are not part of the CIIS Library collection, check your local library catalog or WorldCat. WorldCat is a single database that contains holdings from thousands of libraries across the United States. Search WorldCat, select "Libraries worldwide" from your results list, then select "Display all libraries" to see whether a library in your area has the item you seek.

Consult your local library to inquire about interlibrary loan and/or book delivery services. CIIS can only deliver non-CIIS articles and book chapters to distance students. Interlibrary loan books must be acquired through your local library.