Wyoming Resident
As a Wyoming resident, you can access the UW Libraries books and DVDs, but not the online scholarly databases or ebooks. Inquire at the Coe Library Help Desk to set up an account. You must provide a government-provided, photo ID and proof of Wyoming residency. [Non-residents pay a $10 annual fee for a library card.] Temporary guest IDs are not available to access the databases. However, there are some alternatives to gain access to some of this information.
- Access to databases is available to any category of patron at the public computer terminals at Coe Library, as well as the other branch libraries of the university in Laramie. These computers are not the same ones available in the computer labs in Coe, which are for students, faculty, and staff. Ask at the Help Desk to be directed to the public computers. Patrons can browse the databases available on the public computers for the information they need.
UW Alumni
Alums of the University of Wyoming can access a select set of databases graciously provided by the UW Alumni Association. Although you must be an alumnus of UW to get access, you do not have to be a member of the alumni association. This library guide will instruct you on how to gain access.
2. Use the public terminals at the UW Libraries: Be aware that printing is not available from these terminals, nor are the USB hubs active (files cannot be saved to a device). The best option is to save to the desktop of the computer and then email the articles to yourself.
3. Use open access databases/journals:
4. Get a public library card: Public libraries in Wyoming and other states provide access to numerous databases. All you have to do is get a library card and enter that information when prompted. Ask at your local library about the available resources.
5. Google Scholar: Google Scholar is a site with access to lots of information (scholar.google.com). Keep in mind that even though an article is not available on Google Scholar, the citation information is available. You can use that information to request an article using interlibrary loan (ILL) at your local library to get a copy of the article.
Open Access databases.
Wyoming Medical Professional
There are several ways that a healthcare provider in a remote location in Wyoming can obtain medical information, especially to obtain those important journal articles about current therapies and research.
The Wyoming State Library is a resource available to those employed by the state Department of Health or a public health department. In particular, the GoWYLD.net website provided by the Wyoming State Library has databases that any resident of Wyoming may freely access with a valid public library card. Click on the "Health & Medicine" and/or "Nursing & Allied Health" listings.
For healthcare providers who are involved in the UW Family Medicine programs at Cheyenne and Casper, the UW Libraries provide access to authorized students, staff, or faculty. If a person is unsure if they are authorized access, contact the UW Libraries Help Desk (307-766-3190) or 2070, or toll-free 1-800-442-6757
UW Libraries do not provide exhaustive literature searches nor offer fee-based searching for UW-affiliated or public patrons. We will provide information and tutorials on accessing information, but searching for articles or books is the patron's responsibility. This link is to the "Tutorials" library guide, which provides short videos on searching for information and using library services.
Non-UW patrons may search the UW Libraries' QuickSearch (combined databases), but the articles and ebooks cannot be accessed. This is because of the UW Libraries' licensing agreement with the providers of the databases and ebooks. Suppose you need access to an article that is not open access. In that case, there are two ways to obtain this information: interlibrary loan through a local public library or personal purchase of the article.
Another source of articles is available to graduates of the University of Wyoming. The UW Alumni Association (UWAA) provides a select set of databases, including health, medical, nursing, science, and psychology. This link is to the library guide about this resource: http://uwyo.libguides.com/alumni_services
Wyoming State Employees
Our database licensing agreements restrict remote access to current UW students and employees. We cannot provide fee-based access to our resources. However, the University of Wyoming Libraries and the Wyoming State Library sometimes coordinate the purchase of subscriptions and licenses to allow statewide access to databases. The databases are available through the Wyoming State Library / Wyoming Library District (WYLD) website: http://gowyld.net/. Some of these databases provide scholarly content. You will need an account with your local public library to access the premium databases through GoWYLD and use the interlibrary loan service.
There are some free resources through open-access publishing initiatives.
Suppose you run across articles that have an access fee. You can sometimes obtain them free or significantly cheaper through your local library's interlibrary loan (ILL) services rather than directly through the publisher.
You may inquire directly with the Wyoming State Library for their services to state agencies. Their contact information is as follows:
Wyoming State Library
2800 Central Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-6333
This link will take you to their online contact form.
If you visit Laramie, you can use the public terminals in Coe Library to search for and download scholarly articles onsite. Our public terminals do not allow USB storage devices to be used, so you must access an online email service or cloud storage to save the articles. UW Libraries also does not provide printing support for public terminals.
UW Board Retiree
UW Board Retirees are provided full access to the resources of the University Libraries. Section VI, paragraph B, "Board Retirement" of University Regulation 5-2, "Employment Provisions Applicable to All Personnel" states that retirees shall be eligible for, "UW library privileges, including all electronic files available to UW personnel. The employee's spouse or surviving spouse shall only receive the same library privileges as all members of the public."
As long as the library's resources are used, the account will remain active. If for some reason the account becomes inactive, contact the Help Desk at any of the UW Libraries to get the account reactivated.