How to use the library at Sinclair Community College, both in person on campus and through our robust online research resources

1. An Introduction to Library
Research
Sinclair Community College

2. When you hear the word
“library” it’s likely you
picture a bunch of books.

3. (Or here at Sinclair, maybe
you think “Starbucks.”)

4. And we certainly have a lot of
books on our shelves. But these
days we actually have more of
our content online than in print!

5. But why take the time to learn
about library resources when you
already have Google?

6. The truth is, although Google
can help you find information
quickly, it often falls short
when you need trustworthy
information for academic or
career purposes.

7. The truth is, although Google
can help you find information
quickly, it often falls short
when you need trustworthy
information for academic or
career purposes.
Why is that?

8. Google Sources
• Are not reviewed or evaluated
before publication and can be
created by anyone with an
internet connection (ex. blogs)
• Are not organized by subject
matter and can only be
searched by keyword, so you
often get results that aren’t
relevant
• Might be useful, but you have
to do extra work to verify them
because many sources will be
biased or inaccurate

9. Library Sources
• Are evaluated for accuracy,
credibility and relevance to
Sinclair studies by subject-
area experts
• Are organized and can be
searched and sorted in many
advanced ways you can’t do
with a search engine
• Are higher-quality and
usually not available for free
on the web. (The library buys
them.)
Google Sources
• Are not reviewed or evaluated
before publication and can be
created by anyone with an
internet connection (ex. blogs)
• Are not organized by subject
matter and can only be
searched by keyword, so you
often get results that aren’t
relevant
• Might be useful, but you have
to do extra work to verify them
because many sources will be
biased or inaccurate

10. Because of the extra work
needed to verify the credibility of
Google sources, online library
resources will actually save you
time once you know how to use
them most effectively.

11. Plus you’ll end up with a much
better assignment because your
references will be higher quality.

12. We offer a wealth of digital and
electronic resources (e-books,
journals, films, research databases),
which are available to Sinclair
students 24x7 from any computer
with an Internet connection.
But first we want to make sure you
are familiar with our physical space
on the Dayton campus and the main
services we offer.

13. The Library is located on the lower
level of building 7. Access is possible
from the basement of buildings 1-7.

14. We have over 100 computers, 40 laptops, WiFi,
group study rooms, classrooms, Writing Center,
tutoring, study spaces, quiet reading room,
traditional library collections, and a Starbucks.

15. The library service desk is the place
to check out items (like books or a
laptop) and get help from our
friendly staff.

16. Who You’ll Find at the
Library Service Desk
• Reference Librarians: Can help you find the right
information for your needs and answer any questions
about your class research assignments.

17. Who You’ll Find at the
Library Service Desk
• IT Professionals: Can help you with computer
issues, software, printing, scanning, copying and
more. Find them at the desk and roaming the floor.

18. Who You’ll Find at the
Library Service Desk
• Circulation Staff: Can help you check out and
return items as well as handle renewals, fines,
OhioLINK borrowing, course reserves and much
more.

19. Borrow It @ the Library
• Books – We have nearly 100,000 books, both fiction
and non-fiction, as well as reference materials such as
encyclopedias and dictionaries that must be used in
the library. Students who are off-campus also have
multiple options for requesting books.
• Periodicals – Magazines, newspapers and academic
and professional journals.
• Course Reserves – Instructors put books, usually
textbooks, at the library service desk so all students
can use them. Most check out for three hours to be
used in the library.

20. • Laptops – Can be checked out for 3 hours at
a time with your Tartan card to be used in the
library. You can also borrow headphones.
• Group Study Rooms – We have 6 study
rooms that are quiet and ideal for working on
a group project or studying with friends. They
are first-come first-serve and check out with
your Tartan card for 2 hours.
Borrow It @ the Library

21. Need Something Else?
It!
• OhioLINK – A free service for all Sinclair
students that allows you to borrow from 90
other Ohio colleges and universities. If you
can’t find the book you need here at Sinclair,
try OhioLINK.
• You place an online request and the book will
be sent to you at Sinclair in 3-5 days. You can
also visit other OhioLINK libraries in person
and use your Tartan card to check out books.

22. How long can I borrow
library materials?
• For students, books check out for 3 weeks.
Most other types of media (magazines,
newspapers, DVDs, audio CDs) check out for
1 week.
• Laptops check out for 3 hours and study
rooms check out for 2 hours.

23. Need to Keep Your Book
Longer? Renew It!
• Account info including renewals, items
checked out, requested items and fines owed
are available through your My Library
Account on our homepage. Or call or come to
the library service desk.
• Your library borrowing privileges will be
suspended if you have overdue items. And
course reserves and OhioLINK items also
carry overdue fines, so be sure to return them
on time.

24. It is important to realize that our print
collections are only the beginning. We
actually have far more resources in
electronic form, all of which are accessed
online through the library website.
Next we will show you the key features of
the library website. We will go over how to
use these online resources in more detail in
a future module.

25. http://library.sinclair.edu - Our Virtual Home

26. The search box on our library homepage is a
great starting point for research on any topic.
All Resources (the default tab) will search
everything available through the library.
Or click the other tabs to search just Articles or
Books. You can also search for the title of an
individual journal, magazine or newspaper from
a link in the Articles tab.

27. LibGuides are
specialized research
guides and tutorials
created by Sinclair
librarians for a
particular subject,
class or type of
information.

28. LibAnswers is a large
collection of library
frequently asked
questions. If yours
hasn’t been asked yet
you can submit it to
us and we’ll reply by
email.

29. The left sidebar gives you
quick access to your library
account for renewing items
online; OhioLINK and other
library catalogs; our
LibGuides tutorials; streaming
videos; Credo Reference,
which is a great place to find
basic info on a subject; and
information about the library
and our staff.

30. When it is says “Chat with a Sinclair
Librarian” you will connect to us
automatically. If we aren’t online, you can still
send us a message and we’ll email you back.
Get live chat help from a Sinclair librarian
by clicking the button on our homepage!

31. Access from Off-Campus
• You can access all of our online resources
(databases, ebooks, journal articles) from
anywhere at any time.
• To log in from off-campus, go to the library
site as normal. When accessing a
database/ebook/etc. you just have to enter
your my.Sinclair username and password. (If
you’ve already logged in, you shouldn’t have
to again, although it can time out after a
while due to inactivity.)

32. Next Steps: Look over the resources in
the “further activities” section to the
right and take the Quiz below it.
Also, please leave any comments or
questions you have below this
presentation.

33. Credits
Images
Slide 2 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Narrative_Books_on_Library_Shelf.JPG
Slide 11 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ludwg/8668129713/
Key Takeaway: Google can easily find you lots of information,
but library resources (which range from books to online
journal articles and ebooks) are a better choice when you
need trustworthy info for academic or career purposes. Find
the information you need at the Sinclair Library located on the
lower level of Buildings 1-7, or at library.sinclair.edu where
you can access online library resources, get chat help from a
librarian 24/7, and much more.