What is the ASCE Research Library Card?

The ASCE Research Library Card provides you with access to the ASCE Online Research Library which combines both ASCE conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals into one full-text database. The ASCE Online Research Library is the most comprehensive source of civil engineering research and practical applications available online with tens of thousands of articles in the database.

A paid ASCE Research Library Card subscription allows you to access and download a specific number and type (proceedings, journals, or both) of articles from the ASCE Online Research Library for a period of 12 months from the time your subscription is activated. Personal subscribers gain access through a username and password. This subscription lets you create your own collection of articles based on your current research needs. There are three "library card" options for customizing your access to the ASCE Online Research Library:

Proceedings Research Library Card (15 downloads) $100

Journals Research Library Card (20 downloads) $120

Proceedings and Journals Combined Research Library Card (40 downloads) $175

All download activity is recorded and tracked in the My Research Library Card account management center, which may be viewed anytime after establishing a login session. This account page also serves as a personal archive containing all of the articles you've downloaded to date (this page is not available to institutional subscribers). Use of a Research Library Card subscription is governed by the terms of the ASCE Online Research Library User Agreement. Prepayment is also required.

How do I access the online articles?

Personal subscribers can begin using their Research Library Card by clicking on a full-text download link (PDF or PostScript) in the online articles they choose to access and download. You can find articles of interest by browsing or searching within the ASCE Online Research Library homepage. When prompted for your login, simply enter the username and password you established during registration. Once you successfully log in, the PDF or PostScript file will be delivered to your desktop.

How do I manage my account?

To check your ASCE Online Research Library account activity at any time, simply click on the link "My Research Library Card" appearing at the top of all ASCE Online Research Library pages to access the Research Library Account Management Center. To view your account summary, you must log in with the same username and password you use to download articles. In addition to a real-time counter showing how many articles you've downloaded to date, and how many articles remain on your subscription, you'll also be able to view those articles already downloaded subject to the ASCE Online Research Library Terms of Use. The Research Library Account Management Center also features on-screen warnings to alert you when you have five downloads remaining and when you've exhausted your downloads. These on-screen alerts are complemented by e-mail notifications, all designed to allow you to renew your subscription before your subscription expires and avoid any loss of service. Improvements to the account management center are being made all the time, so consult this FAQ frequently for descriptions of the latest features.

How much time do I have to download my articles?

You may select and download your articles over the course of a 12-month period. Rights to download new articles cease in two cases, (1) all articles in your subscription package have been downloaded (i.e. 15 downloads for Proceedings only; 20 downloads for Journals only; and 40 downloads for Combined package), or (2) the 12-month period has elapsed.

For how long will my ASCE Online Research Library account remain active?

You will be considered an active account for the entire 12-month period of your subscription, regardless of the number of downloads remaining in your subscription. As an active account, you will be able to access your entire account history. If you choose not to renew your subscription before the end of this 12-month period, your account becomes inactive and all access will be cut off.

What happens to any remaining downloads in my subscription if I choose not to renew at the end of the 12-month period?

You will lose all remaining downloads in your subscription at the end of 12 months if you do not renew. If you choose to renew your subscription, all remaining downloads will be credited to your new subscription. For example, if 5 downloads were remaining in your original subscription, your account would show that you have 30 articles to download over the next 12 months starting from the payment date of your paid renewal. Renewals may be placed at anytime and subscribers may purchase more than one subscription at a time.

What are my usage rights for previously downloaded articles?

The access rights of active subscribers to a downloaded article residing in your "My Research Library Card" Account Management Center persist for one year from the download date of that article. For example, if you download all articles in your subscription package during the first 3 months of your subscription, you will still be able to access the full text of the articles you downloaded for the entire 12-month period even though the subscription has expired. You will not be able to download any new articles until you renew your subscription. If you choose not to renew your subscription at the end of the 12-month period, your account will become inactive and all access to your previously downloaded articles will be cut off. Once your account becomes inactive, you will lose all usage rights as explained here.

How much history of my download activity will be kept in my account management center?

Your entire download history will be maintained indefinitely as long as you continue to keep your account active through subscription renewals. Usage rights for the "virtual filing cabinet" will be as follows: (1) active subscribers will be able to view the full text of a downloaded article for one year after the original download date of the article; (2) downloaded articles older than one year will still appear in the "virtual filing cabinet" to show that an article was previously downloaded, but the link to the full text article will be inactive, and you will need to purchase the article again to view it. For example, you start your subscription on 1/1/05 and download an article on 4/15/05. If you renew your subscription before 1/1/06, you will be able to view and print the full text of this article through 4/15/06 as the account is active. After that date, you will only see a record of the download activity in your "virtual filing cabinet," and you will not be able to view or print it unless you purchase it again. If you choose not to renew your subscription, your entire account will become inactive on 1/1/06, and you will not be able to further download this article past that date.

What happens to my "virtual filing cabinet" if I choose not to renew and allow my account to become inactive?

Inactive accounts will no longer be able to access their ASCE Online Research Library account. For expired accounts that are inactive, ASCE will maintain the download history in the "virtual filing cabinet" for one year after the expiration date of the account. If before the end of this time you choose to renew, all of your download history will appear once again in your account. Please be aware that any remaining downloads in these accounts will go to zero at the time your account expires, so that remaining downloads will not be reinstated.

What happens when my subscription expires?

Once your subscription expires, whether you've used up your downloads or your subscription term is over, you will not be able to download any additional articles until your renewal is processed. Your rights to articles downloaded already are covered in other sections of this FAQ.

How do I renew my subscription?

Renewing a subscription is fast and easy. Just click on any "Renew My Subscription" link appearing at the tops and bottoms of pages in the account management center. You'll always know when to renew, since you can instantly see how many downloads you've got left. In addition, you'll receive both on-screen and e-mail notices warning you when your subscription is almost depleted.

Where can I get technical help about downloading, printing, and viewing PDFs?

Adobe Corporation maintains an excellent, well-maintained repository of technical guides for users of Acrobat and PDFs. These documents cover configuring browsers for use with Acrobat, resolving printing problems, troubleshooting downloading and file-saving problems, etc. The main gateway for these comprehensive guides is at: http://www.adobe.com/support/main.html

If you've consulted the guides to solve a problem without success, or if you're experiencing problems working with PostScript files, please contact Customer Support at the points of contact listed below.

What if I experience other technical problems?

If you experience any technical problems using your Research Library Card or managing your account online, please contact:

Online Services Customer Support
American Institute of Physics

Suite 1NO1, 2 Huntington Quadrangle

Melville, NY 11747-4502 USA

Phone (U.S. and Canada): +1 800 874 6383

Phone (other locations): +1 516 576 2664

FAX: +1 516 576 2604

E-mail:ojshelp@aip.org

Customer service office hours are currently from 07:30 to 23:00 Eastern (U.S.) Standard Time (13:30 to 04:00 GMT).

The above points of contact should only be used if you're having technical difficulties with using your Research Library Card or the ASCE Online Research Library Account Management Center. General inquiries about your subscription and terms of use should be directed to:

American Society of Civil Engineers

1801 Alexander Bell Drive

Reston, VA 20191-4400

E-mail: marketing@asce.org or ONLINEJLS@asce.org

Telephone: 1-800-548-ASCE (2723) (U.S. and Canada) or 1-703-295-6300 (other locations)

FAX: (703) 295-6278