Frequently Asked Questions
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To pay a library fine or late fee, please visit the Service Desk located on the first floor of MD Anderson Library. If you have questions about your account and would like to speak to a Service Desk staff member on the phone, please call 713-743-1050.
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The University of Houston Libraries welcomes gifts that strengthen and enrich our collections in support of the University’s teaching, learning, and research mission. Because of space, staffing, and collection development priorities, UH Libraries must be selective in accepting gifts for both the General Collections and Special Collections.
Please see UH Libraries' Gift Acceptance Policy for Collection Materials for more information.
Materials Not Accepted for the General Collections
Gifts to the General Collections have specific limitations. The following materials are not accepted:
- Bulk donations from home or office relocations
- Textbooks, including instructor editions (see the Libraries’ Textbook Acquisition Policy)
- Reference materials (e.g., encyclopedias, dictionaries, indexes)
- Outdated media formats, including vinyl records (LPs), VHS tapes, and cassette tapes
- Mass‑market paperbacks
- Duplicates of materials already held by the Libraries
- Damaged or compromised items, including those with mold, water damage, excessive dust, infestations, or broken components
- Periodicals or journals
- Unsolicited materials, including walk‑in donations or items mailed or left at the library without prior approval. Unsolicited materials will be disposed of in accordance with university and Libraries policies.
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For noise concerns in quiet study areas, please feel free to report it to the Service Desk on the first floor. Our staff will be happy to assist by addressing the situation.
In addition, you may be more comfortable in one of the library's other zones contained in its 8 floors. See the MD Anderson study zone maps for more info.
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As alumni, you are welcome to use the MD Anderson Library in person during building hours. Please bring a valid photo ID to check in at the security desk upon arrival. You may access most electronic resources on-site using public computers.
If you would like to check out books, visit the Service Desk to create an alumni library account. Please bring your alumni card and photo ID.
Remote access to licensed electronic resources is limited to currently enrolled students and active faculty and staff due to licensing agreements.
Electronic Resource Access for Alumni and Visitors | University of Houston Libraries
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Interview rooms are available at MD Anderson Library. These rooms are in high demand and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We do not offer reservations in advance.
You may check out an interview room for up to 2 hours at the Service Desk. Please be prepared to show proof of your interview (such as a confirmation email) when requesting the room.
We recommend arriving early to increase your chances of securing a room.
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Unfortunately, the library does not have financial access to your Cougar Card account to issue a refund.
If you encounter a problem while printing (paper jams, out of toner, etc.), our staff at the Lab Support Desk can reprint your job for you, without any extra charge to your account. The Lab Support Desk is in the North computer lab and is available Monday-Thursday, 10am-4pm. -
Yes.
Every person entering the MD Anderson Library must enter using a valid photo ID. A valid ID is a physical Cougar Card or a physical government-issued ID.
To enter with a physical government-issued ID, sign in at the security officer desk (at the far left as you enter).
Non-UH visitors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult with a valid photo ID.
Some library services are limited to patrons with a valid Cougar Card.
More information can be found here: https://libraries.uh.edu/policies/entering-mda-library/
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The Cougar Card office adds the $7.50 printing allocation to your account a few days before the semester begins.
If you are a new student, or are using a new Cougar Card, you'll need to tap your card at a print release station in order to link your card to your account. This may also be the case in some rare circumstances for current students as well. If your balance is showing $0.00, tap your card at a print station to relink your account.
If you continue to experience problems, please reach out to the Cougar Card Office with balance queries.
Please Note: Balances do not carryover from the previous semester.
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Reasons you may not be able to log-in to your account include:
CougarNet ID versus PeopleSoft ID
Make sure you are using your CougarNet ID and not your PeopleSoft ID to log-in to your account. The two are not the same.
Most library accounts will require your CougarNet ID.
Writing your entire email address will not work (e.g. [email protected]). Only your alias is needed to log-in (i.e. the part before the @cougarnet.uh.edu).
Your interlibrary loan (ILL) account may use a unique username and password. Why can't I log-in to my ILL account?
Copying and pasting your credentials
Do not copy and paste your CougarNet ID and password to log-in. Copying and pasting sometimes adds an extra space, which will result in a log-in failure.
New students
If you are a new student, you will not be able to log-in until the first day of classes.
Too many log-in attempts
Accounts are locked after five failed log-in attempts. You can try to log-in again after thirty minutes.
Reset your password
If none of the above works, you can try resetting your resetting your CougarNet password.
Cache, cookies, and browser history
If you have previously seen an electronic resource that you are looking for, you may be pulling a cached copy of the page. To address this problem, try clearing your cache, cookies, and browser history.
Contact UIT
If you are still having issues with your CougarNet account, contact University Information Technology (UIT).
UIT Help Desk: (713) 743-1411
[email protected] -
We are aware of ongoing building temperature issues in MD Anderson Library. Maintenance projects are already underway to correct the problem.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Our recommendation is to explore the library for comfortable temperatures, as not all locations suffer from the same A/C issues.
Study space is also available in our 3 other library locations.
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For most people, your interlibrary loan (ILL) account is the same as your CougarNet. ILL can also be accessed with a unique login and password.
You may not be able to login to your ILL account because your login and/or password needs to be reset.
Reset CougarNet password
If you use your CougarNet login to access your ILL account, you may need to update or reset your CougarNet password.
For help resetting your password, contact University Information Technology (UIT).
UIT Help Desk: (713) 743-1411
[email protected]Reset your unique password
If you created an unique login and password and can not login to your ILL account, or if you’re not sure what your log-in is, please contact the Interlibrary Loan department to have your login and password reset.
713-743-9720 (phone)
713-743-9725 (fax)
[email protected] -
Reasons you may not be able to access a database include:
We do not subscribe to that database
Please see the current list of available databases. We may not subscribe to the resource you are trying to access.
You may be able to get access to the resource through a interlibrary loan (ILL).
You are not affiliated with UH
Current students, faculty, and staff may access the library databases.
If you are not affiliated with UH you may access the databases in one of our computer labs (public computer use policy).
Off campus access
If you are off campus, you must first sign in using your CougarNet ID and password.
CougarNet password
You may need to reset your CougarNet password to access a database. After resetting your password, you will need to wait 30 minutes before accessing the database.
For help resetting your password, contact University Information Technology (UIT).
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If you cannot access an article from a database that you are signed-in to, there are two things you can do:
Check journal titles
We may not have access to a particular journal title in the database you are using.
To check, go to Journal Titles. Search for the journal the article is published in. If we subscribe to that journal, its name will appear in the results. Select the journal, and a list of databases and their coverage date ranges will appear.
Interlibrary loan
If we do not subscribe to the journal that published the article you need, of if you are still having trouble getting the article, you can request it from interlibrary loan (ILL).
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Equipment for checkout is available in MD Anderson Library, the Health Sciences Library, and the Music Library. A valid Cougar Card is required. Equipment may not be placed on hold and is available on a first come, first serve basis.
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Reasons you may not be able to log-in to your library account after changing your password include the following:
Wait thirty minutes
Your new password can take up to thirty minutes to activate after you reset it.
Too many log-in attempts
If you have tried to log-in to your account unsuccessfully more than five times after changing it, you will be locked out of your account and will have to wait thirty minutes before you can log-in again.
CougarNet vs PeopleSoft
Make sure you are using your CougarNet ID and not your PeopleSoft ID to log-in to your account. The two are not the same.
Most library accounts will require your CougarNet. Your interlibrary loan (ILL) account may use a unique username and password. Why can't I log-in to my ILL account?
Contact UIT
If you are still having issues with your CougarNet account, contact University Information Technology (UIT).
Please note that the Libraries does not manage CougarNet accounts.
UIT Help Desk: (713) 743-1411
[email protected] -
Contact the ILL Department to reset your password.
713-743-9720 (phone)
713-743-9725 (fax)
[email protected] -
Reset your CougarNet password on the CougarNet Password Wizard
Please note that the Libraries does not manage CougarNet accounts.
If you are still unable to reset your CougarNet password, contact University Information Technology (UIT).
UIT Help Desk: (713) 743-1411
[email protected]