The Water Library - Frequently Asked Questions



Frequently Asked Questions What is in The Water Library®? Do I have to log in before using The Water Library? How do I find what I am looking for? What is the purpose of the keyword list offered in the Advanced Search option? Will I find publication citations, abstracts, and full-text documents in a search of The Water Library? Are there listings in The Water Library that do not have corresponding PDFs? What if I don’t find the information I'm looking for using The Water Library search options? What does it cost to view information in The Water Library? Can I see the abstract before I buy the document? Is there a cost to download full-text documents? Can I purchase items in The Water Library without being a member? What documents are offered at no charge? How do I verify my AWWA membership status? How can I become an AWWA member to qualify for free PDFs and discount pricing? How do I pay for purchases? How are e-transactions protected? Can I use a purchase order? Are purchases refundable? How quickly will I receive the PDFs I order? How long can I access the documents I purchase? What are the technical requirements, software, etc. that I need to download documents? Are there restrictions on how I can use documents from The Water Library? Can I print documents? Can I make copies of any documents I download? Can I purchase documents as a printed publication instead of downloading PDFs? Can I purchase a subscription to Journal AWWA and AWWA Standards? Can I buy a set of AWWA Standards from The Water Library? Other questions? What is in The Water Library? The Water Library is AWWA’s newest offering to members and the water community to further fulfill AWWA’s role as “The Authoritative Resource on Safe Water.” The Water Library is designed to offer a dynamic search function to locate abstracts and full-text PDFs of AWWA’s ever-growing legacy of water-related information. The Water Library currently offers a keyword search tool for finding Journal AWWA articles and AWWA Standards. The Water Library will continually expand to include a broad collection of AWWA publications, including Opflow articles, conference proceedings, Manuals of Practice, and more. Do I have to log in before using The Water Library? You do not have to log in to search The Water Library and view citations and abstracts. However, if you wish to purchase and download a publication, you are required to log in to determine your price for the downloadable document. How do I find what I am looking for? The Water Library uses a search engine that allows you to customize searches to find exactly what you need. Three search options are offered: · Quick Search is a search based on term(s) of the user’s choice. · Advanced Search offers a variety of search fields, including terms, title, author name, date range, and a list of AWWA indexing keywords. Users can select any combination of fields to refine their search. · Issue Search is for Journal AWWA only and is based on publication date. It provides a list of all articles from a single issue of Journal AWWA. What is the purpose of the keyword list offered in the Advanced Search option? The list of keywords offered at the Advanced Search option includes the terms AWWA uses to index The Water Library. If you are uncertain about the best term to use for a search (for example, “cryptosporidium” or “cryptosporidiosis”), these keywords provide an option to ensure a search result. Will I find publication citations, abstracts, and full-text documents in a search of The Water Library? Yes. Search results include citations, abstracts, and a link for free download or purchase of full-text documents. Are there listings in The Water Library that do not have corresponding PDFs? Yes. Some abstracts do not offer a corresponding PDF. Examples are AWWA Standard Official Notices and Letters to the Editor. You will not see a link to "Download PDF" if no PDF is available for a document. For more information, contact AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST). What if I don’t find the information I'm looking for using The Water Library search options? To request assistance with a search, contact AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST). What does it cost to view information in The Water Library? There is no cost to view citations and abstracts of publications. For the complete document, a link appears to provide free download or purchase of the full-text version, depending on your membership status. Can I see the abstract before I buy the document? Yes. Users can view an abstract and the citations of a publication at no charge prior to purchasing the full-text document. Is there a cost to download full-text documents? Some PDFs are offered for download at no charge and others must be purchased. The fee to download a PDF is based on two factors: · Membership status — AWWA members receive significant discounts · Type of publication — Journal article, AWWA Standard, etc. Your membership status and the cost of downloading a publication will be verified and provided to you at the time you log in to The Water Library. Can I purchase items in The Water Library without being a member? Yes. All users can purchase documents from The Water Library. However, AWWA membership provides many benefits, including discounts on purchases and free downloads for selected publications. Learn about AWWA membership benefits at www.awwa.org/Membership or contact AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST). What documents are offered at no charge? If you are an individual AWWA member in good standing, Journal AWWA articles can be downloaded free. At the editors' discretion, certain articles, and of course information in the public domain, will be made available at no charge to all users. How do I verify my AWWA membership status? Your membership status is verified when you log in. You may also contact AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST) to determine your membership status. How can I become an AWWA member to qualify for free PDFs and discount pricing? Learn about all the benefits of AWWA membership at www.awwa.org/Membership or contact AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST). How do I pay for purchases? AWWA accepts payment with the following credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. How are e-transactions protected? To protect your credit card number and other personal data, AWWA handles transactions on secure servers. All sensitive order information is encrypted before transmission. Can I use a purchase order? Yes. To use your company’s purchase order, please call AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST). Are purchases refundable? Yes. If you accidentally purchase a document that you do not want, you can request a refund. Please call AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST). How quickly will I receive the PDFs I order? If you qualify for free documents, you can download the file immediately from the abstract page. For purchases made using the Shopping Cart, you will be directed to “Your Water Library Downloads" site at the completion of the transaction. You can then download the documents immediately. Any PDF(s) you order will be accessible for download from “Your Water Library Downloads" site for one year from the date of purchase. A link to “Your Water Library Downloads" site is provided on The Water Library home page after you log in. How long can I access the documents I purchase? You can access and download the documents you order from The Water Library for up to one year. After one year has passed, the link to the document at "Your Water Library Downloads" site is retired. What are the technical requirements, software, etc. that I need to download documents? Most documents require Adobe Reader to view. Click here for information on how to obtain the free Adobe Reader: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Are there restrictions on how I can use documents from The Water Library? You can use the documents as you would any other downloaded material. For example, you can save and print the documents. However, it is illegal and an infringement of copyright to copy downloaded documents and provide them to others. Can I print documents? Yes. You can print the documents that you have downloaded. To print a document, click the “print” button on the Adobe Reader or other viewer you are using. Can I make copies of any documents I download? Yes. You can make copies of the purchased documents for access on any computer for personal use. However, reproducing AWWA-copyrighted material for other parties is prohibited without prior written permission from AWWA. Can I purchase documents as a print publication instead of downloading PDFs? Yes. If you want to purchase an AWWA Standard in print form, go to the AWWA Bookstore. For article reprints or back issue copies of the Journal, call AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST). Can I purchase a subscription to Journal AWWA and AWWA Standards? The Water Library will eventually allow subscriptions to Journal AWWA and AWWA Standards. For the meantime, contact AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 for subscription information. Can I buy a set of AWWA Standards from The Water Library? No. Only individual AWWA Standards are currently available from The Water Library. However, a full set of Standards may be purchased in print from the AWWA Bookstore or by contacting AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711. Other questions? Contact AWWA Customer Service at 800.926.7337 or 303.794.7711 with any questions about The Water Library. An AWWA Customer Service representative will be happy to assist you.