LibAnswers: Services

Welcome to the Herkimer College Library. Online learners are very important to us.  We are here to assist you throughout the research process and we will be happy to help wherever you are located. This site will help you get started.  Please do not hesitate to contact us at any point in your search, or contact your closest academic library.

Herkimer College Library:      
Telephone: 315-866-0300 x8394
Fax: 315-866-1806
E-mail: library@herkimer.edu

About Us

The Herkimer College Library has more than 70,000 print books and 150,000 electronic books, which can be accessed through an online catalog, and approximately 200 print periodical subscriptions.  A variety of online reference databases are available as well as access to scholarly resources on the internet. Computerized access and reciprocal agreements also allow the Herkimer College Library to borrow needed materials from other libraries for students. These agreements help to expand the quality and quantity of information available to you.

Our Services

We help you find books, encyclopedias, magazine or journal articles, and scholarly, peer-reviewed resources (be sure to specify this when using databases).  We teach you how to utilize the internet for college research.  You can also ask professional librarians to help you find the information you need.

Books

Books are still a viable resource.  Why?  They go through a complete editing process to make sure there are no errors or plagiarism issues.  They also have excellent bibliographies to help you find more information about your topic. 

In order to find books that we have in our library you will have to search our online catalog. 

A second way to find books in our library as well as libraries around the world is to search WorldCAT accessible through our databases. If you find a book that is available at another library you can use Interlibrary Loan and have it sent to you (see below for more information).

A third way to find books is to browse our selection of EBooks: Ebsco EBook Collection and Springer. 

Please try the online catalog, or the databases Ebscohost EBook Collection or WorldCAT to find books.

Encyclopedias

An encyclopedia is a way to find quick, reliable information that does not have to be current.  Even though you may not be able to come to the library to use an encyclopedia or other reference book, you can access subject-specific, full-text encyclopedias using Credo Reference, as well as the Gale Virtual Reference Library, located on our databases page.

Magazine, Newspaper and Journal Articles

Full-text magazine, journal and newspaper articles are available to use 24/7.  Databases are not the internet, but you can access them on your computer, because the library subscribes to them.  All of our databases are listed in alphabetical or subject order. Do not limit yourself to only one database when you search for reliable information.  Access to the database menu is available from our library’s homepage (left sidebar), “Databases: Find Articles” of the Library web pages. Because you are off campus you will be asked to log into MyHerkimer using your Herkimer College username and password.

InterLibrary Loan

We can help you get almost any book you need from libraries all over the world through what is called interlibrary loan.  Basically, we ask other libraries to loan you material.  The system we use now is called ILLiad.  To register for an ILLiad account, go to our Library homepage and look for “Interlibrary Loan =ILLiad”  You will only have to register one time.  Once you are in a database and you need an article that is not available in full text, or a book you may have found in WorldCAT, you can request for that item to be shipped to you.  It can take up to 2 weeks, so plan accordingly! Information on the progress of your requests will be sent to your email.

We can also loan you material from our library here at Herkimer College through the U.S. Postal Service. Send us an email (library@herkimer.edu ) requesting the items you need and we will mail them to you with a return label and postage.  Both of these services are free. 

Research Help

If you are not sure where to begin your research please contact us, we are here to help you! The librarians can make recommendations and assist you in finding reliable and scholarly research materials. We can also give you tips to use when searching the internet so that you are able to use your time wisely.

Try out our research starters, aka, LibGuides.  They are a great starting point for a project or paper.  We have course guides for many courses and subject guides for most of the programs on campus.  Each LibGuide will suggest a few books, ebooks, databases, web sources, and also provides citation assistance.

Internet Research

Sometimes we are not available to help you immediately. There are some Web sites we can recommend. Check for recently updated material and scholarly information on every Web site you search before you use it for college assignments.

Below are links to Web sites and Search Engines we believe can help you complete your assignments. We highly recommend that you start with books and databases. A combination of all three types of sources is the best solution when completing a project or writing a college research paper. 

Google Scholar 
Google Scholar was designed with colleges and libraries in mind. This search engine also eliminates Web sites that you do NOT want to use when completing college assignments.

Public Libraries
Please don’t forget that you can have access to books, databases and local newspapers through your own public library. They are excellent resources for the distance learner.  Use the above link to find a library near you.

Citation Styles - MLA, APA and Chicago Style
Sooner or later, your professor is going to ask you to cite your sources or create a bibliography using APA, MLA or the Chicago style. What are they? How do you do it? Please click here to access citation guides that assist you in creating a Resource/Reference Page.

Many of the databases we have will help you cite your sources. Look around the main page of each database to find citation assistance. Some will do it for you, but check to make sure they gave you the correct format.  Everyone makes mistakes.

Also, Microsoft Word allows you to add footnotes, citations and make a bibliography in your Word document. When you have opened Microsoft Word (2007)  click on References (for Microsoft Word 2003 and earlier versions,” References” is located on the Insert menu).

Avoiding Plagiarism
Copy and pasting from Web sites, database articles and previously written papers is plagiarism. Allowing someone else to write your papers is cheating. All this can be avoided by reading the information about your topic before writing.  You will then have enough knowledge to write your own ideas, and back them up with quotations from the experts. Remember, you are just beginning your road to a great career. No one expects you to be perfect. Give credit to those who came before you by quoting every work you use. If you need help contact your instructor, a librarian, or someone from the Academic Support Center (315.866.0300 X8275) .