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Research Express - Document Delivery from Ingenta

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Contact Interlibrary Loan

The Libraries' Research Express program enables Rensselaer faculty, research staff and graduate students to order journal articles that are not part of Rensselaer's collections directly from Ingenta, a document vendor providing access to more than 20,000 journals. Articles are provided via fax or online .pdf format.

Rensselaer Libraries' journal holdings are matched with journals in the Ingenta database. When journal titles do not match, Research Express users may order articles or request interlibrary loan service. The Libraries subsidize costs up to $50 per document, and researchers may have articles faxed directly to departmental or personal fax machines.

Ingenta Access and Passwords

Access to the Ingenta database for subsidized ordering is available only through the RensSearch web interface. "Off-campus" Rensselaer users must either configure a browser to use the Libraries' Web Proxy Service or establish a direct PPP connection via Rensselaer's dial up (xyplex) service. (For information about connecting via the "xyplex," click here.)

Click on the RensSearch Ingenta link to log on via Ingenta's "Welcome Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute" gateway. Rensselaer faculty, research staff, and graduate students will be prompted to enter:

their ISO number (the last 6 or 7 digits on Rensselaer ID cards), and
a special Ingenta password assigned by the Libraries.

To see your ISO number and Ingenta password, select VIEW now.
(Remember to close your browser or log off when you are finished to keep this personal data confidential.)

Other users may select Ingenta's SIGN UP option to search the database independently and order at their own expense.

About Ingenta Profiles

Ingenta user records are called "Profiles." The Libraries have created Profile records for Rensselaer faculty, research staff, and graduate students with active RCS accounts. A record contains the name, status, departmental affiliation, email, voice and fax numbers, password and accounting data of the authorized Research Express users. A new user should always verify the information in his/her profile. The Libraries update Profile records four (4) times a year (early-Sept, mid-January, mid-May, and early July). Recently hired faculty and researchers and late registering graduate students should contact the Libraries' Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery office (276-8330 or email) to gain Ingenta access between scheduled updates. Researchers with library-created profiles must not alter passwords or accounting data, but they may update other personal information.

Other Rensselaer users may create their own independent "Profiles" when they access Ingenta by selecting the SIGN UP option. There is no charge for creating an independent Profile, and this allows users to "mark" records and order documents at discounted rates. Users without "Profiles" can only view marked records during a current session and are only able to email citations to Interlibrary Loan for processing. Users may create multiple profiles, but must keep track of their own passwords and Profile numbers.

Users who forget their independent Profile numbers and/or passwords must contact the Ingenta Help desk (1-800-296-2221 or ushelp@ingenta.com) to regain access to their Profiles. Research Express users who need assistance with Ingenta passwords should contact Irving Stephens directly (stephi@rpi.edu or 276-8325) at the Folsom Library.

Ordering and Document Delivery

Researchers can search journal articles by keywords in article titles, author names, and journal title, and by publication date. Journal articles "Marked" for review during a session and not immediately ordered are retained for 10 days before being removed from a Profile.

Except for the $50 per article limit, the Libraries have set no personal spending limits on Research Express users. However, ordering activity is monitored by library staff, and ordering privileges may be suspended for users who either regularly fail to pick up ordered documents or who abuse ordering privileges by excessive or frivolous ordering. If overall spending limits for subsidized accounts are reached, document requests can be routed to Interlibrary Loan via Ingenta's Email option.

Usually a variety of document delivery options are available. These include personal fax, Internet fax via ARIEL to the Rensselaer Libraries and .pdf download. If the user's Profile has no personal fax number, documents are routed to Folsom Library. Documents are usually available within 24 - 48 hours after ordering and can be picked up at the Folsom Library's Circulation Desk. Articles not retrieved within 72 hours of receipt will be put in Campus Mail if campus departmental addresses can be determined.

Researchers can check on the status of their orders by clicking the EDIT PROFILE link at the top of Ingenta's main search screen and then selecting the appropriate MANAGE PROFILE option. Researchers who decide to cancel an order or who need to have a document resent, should contact Ingenta directly by email at ushelp@ingenta.com. If Ingenta cannot supply a document, researchers are notified personally by email. When orders are canceled, researchers must submit a new request for the item to the Rensselaer Libraries' Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery service.