Alumni access to databases and how to set up alerts

Tim Richards, Director of the Mardigian Library, recently met with University of Michigan-Dearborn alumni to share information about alumni library services and to listen to their needs. The alumni expressed interest in accessing databases that are not available at their place of work and that they could access off campus. They also wondered if there was a way to receive alerts on subjects of interest. The good news is that UM-Dearborn alumni can do both!


UM-Dearborn alumni who join the University of Michigan Alumni Association can access the ProQuest and Project Muse databases from their home or office computer. Note that this association is different from the UM-Dearborn Alumni Society in which all UM-Dearborn alumni are automatically enrolled for free.

After you pay for the UM Alumni Association membership, you can access the databases from the alumni association website by clicking on “Get Informed” and selecting “University Library Access.” You will be required to log in using your uniqname and password. More information is available online, including help with your uniqname or password.

The ProQuest databases (including ABI Inform, Alt Press News, Ethnic News Watch and Gender Watch) cover all fields and topics, while the Project Muse database focuses on humanities, arts, and social sciences.


You can set up table of contents alerts and subject alerts in all the ProQuest databases.

Setting up a table of contents alert:
• Once you have logged into ProQuest, click on the Publications tab.
• In the Publication Search box, type in the title of a magazine or journal. For example, type in Crain’s Detroit Business and click Search.
• On the next screen, click on the title of the magazine or journal.
• The next screen will show you a list of the years and issues to which the library provides access.
• Near the top of this screen you will see “Set up Alert” and “Create RSS Feed.”
• A box will pop up prompting you to type in your email address and to select the length of time you would like to receive the alerts.
• Fill in the requested information and click Save. You will receive a confirmation screen and an email providing information about the alert you created.
• If you would rather read the alerts using an RSS reader, click on “Create RSS Feed.”
• A box will pop up providing the address of the RSS feed. If you click on the RSS icon, you can indicate which RSS reader you use, including Bloglines, Yahoo, or Google.

Setting up subject alerts:
• Once you have logged into ProQuest, type in search terms. For example, type in "stress and job satisfaction" then click Search.
• The resulting articles show what has already been published on the subject. If you would like to receive notice of articles published in the future on the same subject, click “Set up Alert.”
• A box will pop up prompting you to type in your email address and to indicate how frequently you would like to receive the alert.
• Fill in the requested information and click Save. You will receive a confirmation screen and an email providing information about the alert you created.
• If you would rather read the alerts using an RSS reader, click on “Create RSS Feed.”
• A box will pop up providing the address of the RSS feed. If you click on the RSS icon, you can indicate which RSS reader you use, including Bloglines, Yahoo, or Google.