Library Quick Start

Ask a Librarian

Help with research; search strategies; finding books, articles, reports on a topic; finding NPS theses; citations & Zotero; library accounts and access

A librarian is assigned to each NPS School, Center, Institute, or other curriculum to assist the faculty and students in those areas.

Request Article or Book
(Interlibrary Loan - ILL)

How to place a request 

1. ​First, use the Library Search to see if we already have access. If we do, please check out or download the item yourself. You don't need to submit a request. (Course Reserves are available at the Information Desk.)
    
2. Read the Copyright Notice.
    
3. If you need to request the item, submit the Request Article or Book (Interlibrary Loan) form. First time user registration required

Article PDFs can arrive as quickly as 2-3 days. Print books can take 1-2 weeks or longer.

Questions? ill@nps.edu

DL Students,

We’ll also send library-owned print materials to you.

• We will ship to you at no cost.
• You are responsible for the small cost of shipping items back to us. Please return items via Priority Mail allowing enough time for the item to arrive by the due date.

How to register:

• Fill out the entire form
• Enter [ -DL ] after your last name
• Use the email you regularly read
• Include a phone number
• Ensure your shipping address is correct
• Enter [ Distance Student ] for your Status
• Include your curriculum name and number

(3:59 min.)

Learn more about Interlibrary Loan.

• First, be as specific as possible​
  Broaden your keywords if you don't get enough relevant results.
   
• For exact phrases
  Use "quotation marks"
   
• For acronyms or synonyms
  Use OR
   
• For stemming or word variations
  Use an asterisk (*)  (Symbol may vary by database.)
  nav*  Finds navy, naval, navigation
  defen*e  Finds defense and defence
   
• Limit your search with Advanced Search filters
  Examples:  Title only or Citation and Abstract, Date, Source, Subject Area, Location

Learn more about phrase, truncating, and wildcard searching. Includes cheat sheet for a variety of library research databases.

 Library Tech Help

Help with printing, study rooms, wifi, remote access, software on library computers, onboarding a new machine

If you're off campus, choose the method of access that works for you:

• Simply wait to login (NPS credentials) when when prompted

OR

• Get on NPS CloudLab or Virtual Private Network (VPN)

OR

• Go to My Accounts to login to the different services

Login Flowchart

You already have access to your Library Account, but you'll need to do a one-time registration for these separately:

• Request Article or Book
• Restricted Collection
• NPS Alumni

Learn and develop your writing and critical thinking skills for success. Workshops, writing coaches, drop-in sessions, learning tools, and other resources.

Hours

Templates, forms, citations, SharePoint, Python dashboard, and more.

Hours

The Graduate Writing Center (GWC) and the library offer a variety of research and writing workshops. They are usually offered during the first month of the quarter. Sign up today!

Some workshop examples -- these are just five of the many workshops offered.

• Library Quick Start
• Critical Thinking in Review
• Mastering the Literature Review
• Paraphrasing and Quoting Like a Pro
• Citation Management with Zotero