Finding Articles a guide for distance learners

Access to Online Magazine, Journal & Newspaper Article Databases

Do you know that as a student registered for an SLN online course through MCC, you have two ways to access magazine, journal & newspaper articles directly from your home computer? Article databases such as Academic Search Premier, Opposing Viewpoints, and Health Reference Center are accessible through both SUNYConnect and the MCC Libraries EZproxy server.

Follow the instructions posted below to learn how you can access these valuable information resources!

SLN Access to SUNYConnect Article Databases

• SUNY Learning Network Students can access article databases from within their online courses. If your SLN online course is using the SLN Classic template click on the "SUNYConnect" link located at the top of the SLN Classic Course Map page. If your SLN online course is using the ANGEL template the "SUNYConnect" link is located in "Resources" section of your SLN ANGEL Course Map page. Once connected to the SLN Access to SUNYConnect Electronic Resources web page, click on the name of the database you want to search. You will then be prompted to enter your SLN Username and SLN Password to log in to search the databases.

•   To view an online tutorial which explains the steps listed above go to: Accessing Article Databases & Other Electronic Resources Through SUNYConnect.

  Note: You will need the Adobe Flash Player in order to view this tutorial. If you do not have the Flash Player plug-in installed on your computer you can download it from the Adobe website

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Accessing MCC Libraries Article Databases from Home

• In order to search the Library's article databases from home, students, faculty and staff must follow the instructions for connecting to EZproxy posted on either the Access to Library Databases from Home or Find Articles & Other Information web pages.

• To sign on to EZproxy, students must use the same username and password combination required to access their MCC Student E-mail Account. All students registered for SLN classes at Monroe Community College automatically receive an MCC Student E-mail Account. MCC students can learn more about their Student E-mail Account by visiting the MCC Students page and and clicking on the "Lookup My Account" and "Common Questions" links in the "Find your account" drop down menu on the the page.

• Faculty and Staff who would like to search the Library's article databases from off campus, should sign on to EZproxy with the same username and password combination used for logging on to their computer at MCC.

•   The Accessing Article Databases & Other Electronic Resources Through the MCC Libraries Website online tutorial shows you how to sign-in to EZproxy and how to locate your MCC Student E-mail Username and Password.

  Note: You will need the Macromedia Flash Player in order to view this tutorial. If you do not have the Flash Player plug-in installed on your computer you can download it from the Macromedia website
  

• If the article you need is not available full-text through any of MCC Libraries online databases follow the steps listed below:
  • First search the MCC Library Catalog to make sure we own in our print or microfilm collection, the title of the magazine, journal, or newspaper the article appears in.

  • If MCC Libraries own the publication the article appears in, you can request a copy of the article be sent to you through our Document Delivery Service.

  • If MCC Libraries do not own the publication the article appears in, you can request a copy of the article through our Interlibrary Loan Service.

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About the Electronic Journal List for MCC Libraries

The TDNet Electronic Journal List for MCC Libraries is a complete A to Z listing of all the online periodicals (magazines, journals and newspapers) the Library subscribes to electronically through our article databases. It also contains links to many free full-text electronic journals that are available directly on the Web. This listing can be helpful if you already have the citation to the article and want to check if we subscribe to a certain periodical online, or if you would just like to browse the contents of a specific publication exclusively online. Once on the "Electronic Journal List" page simply type the title of the publication you are looking for in the search box then press the "Go" button.

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College Student Resource Center

The College Student Resource Center provides library and computer services for students of the campuses of Monroe Community College, and the Genesee Valley branch of Empire State College.

The College Student Resource Center is located in the Bausch and Lomb Building of the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County at 115 South Avenue. To learn more about the College Student Resource Center call (585) 428-8170.

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Document Delivery Service Policies for Distance Learners

For distance learning students taking courses exclusively off campus through the SUNY Learning Network, MCC Libraries will forward a copy of an article via e-mail to your MCC Student E-mail Account provided the following two conditions are met:

1.) The article is not available full-text through any of the Library's online databases.

2.) The title of the journal, magazine or newspaper the article appears in is available from the Library's periodicals collection. To verify whether a journal or magazine title is owned by MCC Libraries, search the MCC Library Catalog.

• Distance Learning students can request up to 5 magazine, journal, and newspaper articles per day from our Document Delivery Service. If copies of articles are requested that are already available through one of the Library's online databases, instructions will be sent on how to retrieve the articles online.

• Distance Learning students must first complete the Distance Learner Library Registration Form before any requests for Document Delivery of Articles can be processed.

• Once you have received confirmation of your registration for Library services, you can then submit your request using our Distance Learner Document Delivery of Articles Request Form.

• To view articles sent to your MCC Student E-mail Account, you will need to have Adobe® Acrobat® Reader. It can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website.

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Interlibrary Loan Service Policies for Distance Learners

Interlibrary Loan is a service where libraries share materials with other libraries around the country. If the article you need is not available full-text through any of the Library's online databases, and we do not own in our print and microfilm collection, the title of the magazine or journal the article appears in, you can submit a request to Interlibrary Loan and we will try to obtain a copy of the article for you from another library.

• Distance Learning students can request up to 5 journal and magazine articles per day from our Interlibrary Loan Service.

• Distance Learning students must first complete the Distance Learner Library Registration Form before any requests for Interlibrary Loan of Journal & Magazine Articles can be processed.

• Once you have received confirmation of your registration for Library services, you can then submit your request using our Interlibrary Loan Journal & Magazine Articles Request Form. When filling out the form, please indicate your status as a distance learning student by selecting "Student - Taking Classes Exclusively Off-Campus through SLN" from the "Please select MCC status" drop down menu.

• Requests are processed in the order they are received. If the material is available locally (Monroe County area), it generally takes 3 to 5 days. However, if the material is available only outside the Monroe County area, it may take up to 2 weeks to arrive.

• Due to time constraints and borrowing restrictions, MCC Libraries will not order books (Interlibrary Loan) from other libraries for distance learning students who are strictly off campus. For more information on how to locate books on your topic visit the Finding & Borrowing Books: a guide for distance learners web page.

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Who to Contact for Help

If you are unable to find articles on your topic, please contact MCC Libraries Reference/Distance Learning Librarian, Pam Czaja at (585) 292-2308 or by
e-mail at pczaja@monroecc.edu for assistance.

P. Czaja, Revised 1/2008, http://www.monroecc.edu/go/library