PSYC 1300 SO Carranza: The Library is your friend

Library Databases

Library databases are electronic collections of information garnered from magazines, newspapers, journals and even reference books that are searchable by subject. The TCC libraries subscribe to over 100 different databases containing millions of full-text articles to assist you with your research. The information contained in the Library subscription databases is not freely available on the internet. See the Library Research Overview LibGuide for more information about Databases vs. Internet and Using Library databases.

To get you started searching for articles in the library databases, here are a few suggetions:

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Learning to use the library to locate information is an important skill. Different libraries have different items depending upon the population that they serve. The Tarrant County College libraries exist to support the TCC learning community and the citizens of Tarrant County. Our primary focus is assisting students and faculty of TCC with their school work. The local public library has a different focus, serving the tax-payers of their community by providing access to a variety of sources including leisure reading for all age groups in their community. University libraries focus on collecting information to support the teaching, learning and research requirements of their students and faculty.

As a resident of the state of Texas, you can use virtually any library in the state as long as you present your Tex-Share card which identifies you as a Texas resident. You can apply for the Tex-Share card at the circulation desk of your TCC campus library each semester or your public library after you leave college. The Tex-Share card is good for the semester and will allow you to access the collections of almost every library in Texas. With the Tex-Share card you can check out items from the TCU library, the Texas Wesleyan Library, the UTA library, the Arlington public library, the Dallas public library etc.

Even after you leave college and move on into your career, the library can be an important resource for you. The best thing about libraries is that we provide access to information largely for free to our service area. Often there are small fees for copying, printing, Inter-library loan services and the dreaded overdue fees. Other than those fees, most library services in most libraries are free. Just think how wonderful it would be to impress your employer with your ability to locate the information they need quickly and easily and all because you know how to search a database or ask a librarian for help.

Despite the wealth of electronic resources available to today's student and library user, libraries still contain books.

It is important to remember that libraries generally organize books by subject to make them easier to locate. What that means for the library user is that once you locate one book on your topic, there should be others on the shelves nearby. Always browse the nearby shelves once you have located the book you were searching for, you might be surprised at what else the library has to offer on your topic.

Use the online card catalog to locate books owned by the five TCC campus libraries. The basic search is the easiest to use, just type descriptive words in the search box and click on the search button.

Call numbers indicate the "address" of the book on the library shelf.

If the book is owned by one of the TCC campuses, it can be delivered to your home campus for you. Fill out an Inter-Campus Loan card at the circulation desk of your home campus and they will request the book for you. Books usually arrive in about 2 working days.

Books check out for three weeks and you can check out up to ten books at a time.

Your library card identifies you as a member of your library's service population. You may have a library card for your local public library or a Tex-Share card that will allow you to use other Texas libraries. To borrow items from the TCC libraries your student ID serves as your library card. You can obtain your student ID from the campus Copy Center. If you forget your student ID, the TCC libraries will still let you check out items if you present a copy of your schedule and fee statement showing your current enrollment and a picture ID like a driver's license.

Hint: You can always use one of the library computers to print your schedule and fee statement, just ask at the information desk.

This is just a small selection of books on careers owned by the South Campus library. You will notice that the call numbers are similar, we invite you to browse the areas where these call numbers are found to discover even more books that the library has to offer on careers.