Each question below is directly from a previous Fisher student in a Learning Community class.
We librarians hear these kinds of questions from first-year students often.
A: For research help, feel free to stop by the library or find more ways to contact the Lavery Librarians for research help on our website:
A: If you're having trouble citing something, our citation resources should help! Go to Lavery Library's Citation Resources page (linked below).
Want further help? Feel free to email the librarians at libraryreference@sjf.edu or stop by the library to ask for help with citations.
A: Librarians are usually available during the college breaks for research help. You can check Lavery's website for Research Help hours, or—as always—you can email the librarians at libraryreference@sjf.edu. Find more information about research help on our website:
A: To borrow something out (like a book or movie) once you locate the item, bring it to the Library's Checkout Desk in Kearney-050 and show your Fisher ID. If you ever need help finding or accessing a library resource, ask for assistance at the Checkout Desk. During the Library building's renovation, many materials can be requested for pick-up. Once you request an item, you'll be able to pick it up at the Library's Checkout Desk.
A: If a book you want is currently checked out, feel free to request another copy of the item through InterLibrary Loan (ILL). Our Interlibrary Loan guide, linked below, should help!
If you're not in a rush for the item, you can click the "Request for Pickup" option and you will receive an email when it is available.
A: Opening ebook PDFs varies from platform to platform. Our research guide about ebooks, linked below, should help!
If you have trouble accessing anything, stop by the library for help or email libraryreference@sjfc.edu so we can help.
A: Searching Lavery's Big Red Search Box over Google is valuable when looking for certain types of resources, for example: scholarly articles.
A: The easiest way to find articles that are scholarly is by using the filter for peer-reviewed journals when searching in the library's Big Red Search Box. Learn more about how to tell if an article is scholarly (and see examples) through the link below, which is specifically for our First-Year Program Learning Communities on identifying publication types.
If you're still not sure about a resource, email us about it (libraryreference@sjf.edu) or stop by the library for research help!
A: If the full text of an article is not available, click the Request from Interlibrary Loan option, complete the brief form, and a link to the full text will be emailed to your Fisher email. This ensures that you have access to articles without having to pay for them. (Nice!)
A: If you want to save an article, look for a download option (ex. "PDF download"). After downloading, we recommend renaming the file and then saving it in the folder you created for the project or assignment.
A: If you're having trouble finding sources that fit your topic, stop by the library or find more ways to contact your Fisher Librarians on our website:
A: If you are thinking you might need to change your research topic, visit the library for research help or speak with your professor.